SKILLET CORNBREAD WITH HOMEMADE BUTTER

Skillet Cornbread with Homemade Butter image

Provided by Alex Guarnaschelli

Time 50m

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

1 1/4 cups coarsely ground cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing the skillet
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

For the skillet cornbread: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F place a 9-inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while you make the batter.
Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk and eggs. Stir in 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of melted butter.
Bake: Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and coat the bottom and sides with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Pour the batter into the skillet and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool.
For the homemade butter:
Prepare a medium-size bowl of ice water. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, gradually whip the cream and sour cream together. Increase the speed of the mixer and continue whipping until the cream separates and the mixture thickens.
Use a rubber spatula to gather up the butter and remove it from the bowl. There will be some liquid that is a natural result of this process. That liquid is actually buttermilk. Gather the ball of butter together into a double layer of cheesecloth or a thin kitchen towel and plunge it into the ice bath to wash any buttermilk off the surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Pack the butter into a bowl or roll it into a ball or log shape using plastic wrap. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.