Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Corn Bread

I borrowed this delicious Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Corn Bread recipe from Smittenkitchen.com -my go-to favorite cooking blog- and while I wanted to share it with you, I'll also direct you to her post for more insight and pictures. (I'm not sure what the etiquette would be for blogging about a blog either so I want to give credit where its due!)

I happen to love cornbread and all of the yummy twist and varieties you can create. You can make it white, yellow, savory, sweet or shape it into muffins, loafs, sticks or cakes. This version in particular was unlike any I'd seen before. I was picturing chunks of goat cheese but you actually blend it into the batter which gives it a nice tang. The savory flavors were delicious together and the bread was perfectly moist and fluffy in texture (with a little contrasting crunch from the corn.)

Ingredients: 1 cup cornmeal (I used yellow)

2 cups buttermilk 6 tablespoons of butter total

1 cup onion, medium dice

1 3/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 6 ounce log of goat cheese, at room temperature

2 sprigs of fresh thyme- leaves removed

2 tablespoons honey 1/4 cup granulated sugar 3 large eggs, at room temperature 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (I used frozen)

Recommendation: Set the goat cheese out at room temperature a few hours ahead. First, I combined the corn meal and buttermilk together in a bowl to soak while I prepared the rest. I sauteed the onions in two tablespoons of the butter and a small pinch of salt over medium heat until they were barely golden brown all over. Next I measured the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together in a bowl and mixed well with a whisk.

After that, I placed the softened goat cheese in the standing mixer and whipped it until it was light and smooth. I then added the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl each time.

Next in went 2 tablespoons of melted butter, the sugar, honey, thyme and the buttermilk/cornmeal mixture, mixing until well incorporated. Lastly, I gently mixed in the flour mixture before folding in the corn kernels. (I would cut back to a scant 2 cups of corn next time.) With the oven at 350 degrees, I placed the remaining two tablespoons of butter in the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan. (As SK.com mentions, you can use a round cake pan or square baking pan, whatever you have on hand.) I put the pan in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the butter and to heat the pan, ensuring a crunchy brown crust on the bread. I then poured the batter into the pan, sprinkled the top with the onions and baked for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center came out clean. I let the pan cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before removing the ring and cutting it into squares. It truly is best if you serve it right away or at the very least reheat before serving. (I especially like the crunchy edge pieces.) I took this to a pot luck and we had some left over with soup the next night. Will definitely use this as the base for my next cornbread creation!