Ever since I was in college, when I would go home to visit my mom, at some point I would wind up rummaging through her pantry scavenging for groceries.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t easily go to the store to buy my own, it was just that whatever already lined her shelves seemed practical and necessary.
I could rest assured that all of the brands were high-quality and none of the expiration dates would have lapsed (though you would have never suspected my mother’s quality-control vigilance based on the 18-month old salad dressing that lived in our refrigerator once.
In all fairness, it was a fluke incident. You could probably eat off her kitchen floors).
Even though I live on my own now and can afford my own groceries most of the time, it seems that just about every visit home ends with a good long stare in the cabinet that seldom leads me walking out the door empty handed.
Last time I was home, one of my prizes wound up being a half-empty container of coarse cornmeal, that she claimed she had bought for one recipe but likely would never use again.
Since I pride myself and my creativity I took it, assuming that I would concoct something genius with it. When you have cornmeal, cornbread seems like an obvious choice, but I didn’t want this to be just ANY old cornbread.
I had a fat, white onion in the fridge that was screaming to be caramelized – and really, who am I not to listen to an onion?
The best part of this bread is that you don’t need any extra bowls – just one skillet for the wet ingredients and a small bowl or dish for the dry ones.
It makes clean up easier so you can speed through the dishes in no time flat.
- ¼ pound butter + 2 tablespoons
- 1 medium-large white onion, chopped in ¼ - ½ inch pieces
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a skillet, heat only 2 tablespoons of butter and add onions, sautéing until they begin to turn brown and caramelize. At this point they may become pleasantly fragrant.
- Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs to skillet and beat until well blended. You'll want to have both eggs ready and crack them very quickly - the mixture is hot enough that the eggs could begin to cook.
- Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
26 Comments
Recipes and Tips for Planning a Thanksgiving Dinner Menu
February 12, 2017 at 1:38 am[…] Skillet Cornbread with Caramelized Onions from In Good Taste […]
Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella
March 28, 2009 at 3:00 amI love looking in other people
s pantries and trying to see what I’d make up on a spur of the moment. Well done on this combination, caramelised onions are such a great addition to the cornbread!
Heather
March 28, 2009 at 3:00 amre your link on my post: the link and a JPEG! It’s that easy 🙂 i’ll post the roundup the last weekend of April 😀
Jennifer
March 28, 2009 at 3:00 amThat looks so good!
That reminded me when I was in my first apartment and poor, I would stop by my parents for dinner sometimes and would leave with a grocery bag of food!
Luckily, My mom and dad were super generous that way!
Paula
March 27, 2009 at 3:00 amThis sounds absolutely amazing, i am virtually salivating . . . and i’ve not long eaten!!!
Susan
March 27, 2009 at 3:00 amThat looks delicious.
I love grocery shopping at my parent’s house.
lisamichele
March 27, 2009 at 3:00 amI just loaded a lasagna with caramelized onions. I love them, and seeing them in your cornbread makes me giddy to try it! It looks beautiful and delish!
Sara
March 27, 2009 at 3:00 amThis looks like a great twist on traditional cornbread! I love cornbread, so I’ll have to try this soon.
gazellesoncrack
March 27, 2009 at 3:00 amthat looks seriously awesome! YUM!
Heather
March 27, 2009 at 3:00 amwow. that is beautiful. i loooove cornbread, and am always looking for new ways to use my skillet 🙂
Kerstin
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amI love the caramelized onions on top!
My mom was always worried I didn’t have enough food in college, so she’d come out of the pantry with boxes of oatmeal, cereal, etc and load it in my car before I left to drive back to school. Annoying at the time, but cute now that I look back on it 🙂
matt
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amThis blog’s great!! Thanks :).
Heidi Renée
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amI’ve never tried making cornbread in a skillet–only in loves and muffins. I’ll have to try this once we’re all moved and I’ve lifted my moratorium on buying new food.
Suzanne
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amLooks amazing, Maris! I wish I had that ability to make nothing into something… maybe someday… 🙂
Sandie
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amYour skillet cornbread and a bowl of my famous chili and I’ll be all set! Love what you’ve created here.
Kathy - Panini Happy
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amLove that it just takes one skillet! Or, rather, my husband would love it as I usually seem to dirty every pan in the cabinet 🙂 What a wonderful use for caramelized onions.
Kendall
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amAs someone who loves cornbread (and who felt their stomach growl looking at that picture) this is most definitely on my to-do list.
Sadly I have to work until the wee hours of the morning so it’ll have to wait.
lisa (dandysugar)
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amThis looks delicious! Love cornbread, and this looks especially tempting!!
Debbie Davis
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amI love making cornbread and I love the smell of caramelized onions!
Check out this recipe — I know you will love it!
http://www.dishingwithdebbie.com/baked-corn-souffle.php
Pearl
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amDo you use two skillets for the onion and then other ingredients?
Luci
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amThis looks delicious! Yum. And I know I have some cornbread in the pantry…..
elra
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amWhat a delightful corn bread, I never made this before. It’s going to be in my list.
Cheers,
elra
ksgoodeats
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amCornbread is good but caramelized cornbread?! Amazing!
Chrissy
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amThis looks great! I have some cornmeal sitting in my pantry, and this seems like the perfect way to put it to good use. That’s so funny about going through your mom’s pantry – I do the same thing. It’s still the first thing I do when I go home. 🙂
kat
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amThat looks amazing! I bet the onions added so much to it!
VeggieGirl
March 26, 2009 at 3:00 amLove that about being at home 😀
Caramelized onions = make everything taste better. Holy yum!!