This Thanksgiving, don't forget the cornbread, and here's a nicely cheesy version

There is a reason that cooks have long reached for their cast-iron skillets when making cornbread. The dark, heavy metal gives the crust a wonderful color and a wonderful crispness on the outside. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can absolutely use any other heavy ovenproof pan. Just make sure it’s about 12-inches in diameter and has sides that are at least 2-inches tall.

Leftovers are great toasted the next day, with a smear of lightly salted butter or hot honey, or butter and hot honey mixed together.

If you want to make the cornbread ahead of time and freeze it, that’s a great plan. Allow the bread to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Then wrap the bread well in foil and freeze it. You can freeze the whole circle of cornbread, or if it’s easier (and I think it is), cut the cornbread into 4 quarters and freeze them separately. Defrost at room temperature; it will take about 12 hours to thaw. If you want to warm the bread before serving, just place it, still wrapped in foil, in a preheated 350° oven for about 10 minutes. Unwrap, slice and serve.

Cheddar Cornbread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Hefty pinch cayenne pepper (to taste)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus 1/2 cup for sprinkling

2 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the butter in 12-inch cast iron skillet and put the pan in the oven until the butter melts and starts to very lightly brown.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt and cayenne. Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese.In another smaller bowl use a fork to stir the eggs with the buttermilk.

3. When the butter is melted, twirl the pan a bit so that the butter coats the sides as well as the bottom, then pour almost all of it, except for a couple of tablespoons, into the buttermilk mixture and stir quickly to combine. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, just until combined (you want to see lumps; don’t overbeat or the cornbread will become tough). Scrape the mixture into the hot butter-coated pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle over the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

4. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until a wooden skewer or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the cornbread just starts to pull away from the outside of the pan. Cool in the pan on a wire rack, until warm or room temperature. Serve in squares or wedges.

Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at https://themom100.com. She can be reached at Katie@themom100.com.

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