Green Onion Garlic Chive Skillet Cornbread with Ancho Chile Butter

I’m a Northerner. I like my cornbread sweet. Even then I still like to add honey, because honey is good with anything. Cornbread to me is one of those comfort foods. It goes perfect with baked beans, fried chicken, chili, soup. Yes, it is great with spicy food because the sweetness helps keep that spice under control. So why did I bake cornbread this week? I entered a contest sponsored by Food52. They wanted recipes with green alliums. You know things like green onion, garlic, ramps, etc. Now I don’t know where half the world is going to find a lot of those things but my backyard is filled with garlic chives. And I like garlic chives. AND I like green onions. So I figured I’d go for it. And cornbread with these green things sounded really good. Plus I remembered how much I loved the cornbread from the Cherry Creek Grill here in Denver so I thought I would do a take on that. It turned out pretty, pretty good. But the pictures were really hard to take. So forgive me. And maybe if I actually win a contest I could get a new camera. But I never win anything so I’m not counting on it. And besides all you win is an entry in their cookbook. Well, I’m not counting on much, but that would be OK with me, too.

There are a zillion recipes for cornbread. This one is sweet, but balanced by the tang of the onions and garlic chives. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I made ancho chile green onion butter to go with it. Now that combo is killer. In fact I love this butter. I could just smear this on a tortilla and be perfectly content. My feezer has been filling up lately. I hope my family comes home soon. And if anyone knows where I can get a reservation for Saturday lunch and Sunday dinner for graduation weekend in Lewisburg, PA. well… Yes, I should be on the phone instead of writing this blog and entering silly contests. But I guess we all like to be winners sometimes!

Green Onion Garlic Chive Skillet Cornbread

1 c melted butter

3/4c sugar

4 eggs

1 14oz can creamed corn

1c sharp cheddar cheese

1 bunch green onions chopped

1/2 c garlic chives chopped

1c flour

1c cornmeal

4t baking powder

1/4t salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease a 12” cast iron skillet.

Combine melted butter and sugar. Stir in eggs one by one. Add corn, cheese, grenn onions and chives. Combine dry ingredients. Stir into wet mixture. Pour into greased skillet. Bake at 300 degrees for about an hour. Serve with ancho chile butter.

Ancho Chile Green Onion Butter

1 stick soft unsalted butter

3 chopped green onions

1/3 c garlic chives chopped

4t honey

4t ancho chile powder

Combine all together. Feel free to use all green onions if you can’t find garlic chives. However garlic chives are usually found at oriental groceries. Yes, Virginia, ancho chile powder does taste different than other chile powders. Substitute at your own discretion. Feel free to add more or less or just leave it out.