Skillet Corn Bread with Sea Salt Honey Butter

Going to The George Washington University in D.C. I made tons of visits to Founding Farmers, a popular restaurant located at the edge of campus. While I had many favorites there, I would almost always start my meal with an order of their skillet corn bread, served with honey butter. I fell in love with the rich sweetness of melty honey butter on a warm slice of corn bread. Cooking the corn bread in a pre-heated skillet ensures a crunchy crust, while maintaining a corn pudding like consistency on the inside. This dish serves as a great appetizer or side dish, and obviously as an accompaniment to a big bowl of chili.

Serves 6.

·      1 ¼ cup cornbread mix

·      ½ teaspoon kosher salt

·      1 teaspoon baking soda

·      2 tablespoons brown sugar

·      3 eggs

·      1 cup sour cream

·      1 ½ cups frozen corn

·      3 tablespoons melted butter

·      2 tablespoons grass-fed butter-at room temperature

·      1 tablespoon honey

·      1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

·      Cooking spray

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch cast iron skillet with cooking spray and let heat in the oven while you prepare the corn bread batter.

2.     In a small bowl, sift together the cornbread mix, kosher salt, baking soda, and brown sugar. Set aside.

3.     In a large bowl mix together the eggs, sour cream, frozen corn, and melted butter, until evenly mixed.

4.     Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, a half cup at a time, until just combined.

5.     Using a pot holder, remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. Pour the batter into the skillet, then return to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the corn bread is golden brown.

6.     While the corn bread bakes, combine the grass-fed butter, honey, and sea salt in a small bowl.

7.     Serve the corn bread warm with honey butter.