Carmelized Onion and Goat Cheese Cornbread

I made this with the Robber to eat with Pluto's ratatouille as part of our favorite cornbread and ratatouille meal. Smitten Kitchen is right: the goat cheese doesn't really stand out and the texture of the cornbread is more cakey and moist than dry like a traditional cornbread. Truthfully I like my standard cornbread better with the ratatouille flavors, but this cornbread had a hold on me. I couldn't stop snacking on it. I made it in a 9 x 13 glass pan and left out the corn. I loved the onions on the top and would double them in the future, but the Robber didn't care for them and would leave them out in the future. Hrrrmmmm. Oh well. I definitely won't be making this every time I make cornbread because it is so much more work than my standard recipe, but I won't be forgetting about it either!

From Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/03/caramelized-onion-and-goat-cheese-cornbread/

Ingredients:

1 C. coarse cornmeal

2 C. buttermilk

1-2 T. oil, butter or a combination thereof

1 C. onion in a 3/4-inch dice

1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 T. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

6 ounce log of soft goat cheese, at room temperature

2 T. honey

1/4 C. granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

Optional: 2 1/2 C. fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 T. bacon fat, vegetable oil or butter

Directions:

1. The night before baking the cornbread, soak the cornmeal in the buttermilk. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight. (I just mixed them together at the beginning and let sit while preparing the rest of the ingredients.)

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

3. Heat a large saute pan to medium and coat the bottom with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil, butter or a combination thereof. Add the onions and cook them until they’re well-caramelized with browned edges. Season with salt and set aside.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. (Or you can do this while you are cooking the onions.)

5. In a large mixing bowl, beat the goat cheese until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and scraping down the bowl between each. (It may look a little curdly at this point, don’t worry. It all comes back together in the oven.) Add the melted butter, honey, sugar and cornmeal/buttermilk mixture and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined and then gently stir in the corn kernels, mixing them until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

6. Place one tablespoon of bacon fat, vegetable oil or butter in a 10 inch round cake pan (you can also use a cast-iron skillet, 9 by 13-inch baking pan or a 12-inch square pan). Place the pan in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until the fat gets very hot. With good pot holders, remove the pan and tilt it to grease the corners and sides. Pour in the batter, spreading it evenly and sprinkle the caramelized onion evenly over the top.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cornbread is firm and springing (the baking time will depend on the size and type of pan) and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

8. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing it into squares or wedges. Serve immediately.