Jalapeno Cornbread with Caramelized Onions

I've spent the entirety of this past week unpacking from my move up to North Hollywood, and I've done it all while having an annoying head cold that I thought I beat Thursday, but returned Friday morning with a stuffy vengeance. All of this laboring and illness made me crave something warm and cozy and comforting. I was planning on making some kind of veggie-egg bake, but Jeremy mentioned that he was craving savory cornbread yesterday, and I'd just recently re-seasoned my cast iron skillet using this handy guide, so I decided to try my hand at making a savory version of my other cornbread recipe. I chopped up some sweet onion and slow-cooked it with some butter until it caramelized, then I stirred it into the batter along with some shredded cheddar cheese and diced jalapeno, poured it into the skillet, and popped it in the oven. It was...absolutely delicious. Crispy around the edges, warm, cheesy, salty, sweet, soft in the middle, basically all the flavors and textures that the human palette enjoys. I made it this morning, and 4 and 1/2 hours later we've eaten 3/4 of it (update: by 10 pm that evening it was completely gone. Probably should've parceled it out more.) Jeremy said it was his favorite savory recipe I've made yet! It was definitely comforting, and felt great to just lay on the sofa eating cornbread after days of ceaseless physical and mental activity. So the next time you're feeling stressed or tired or completely run down, pop this little baby in the oven and let yourself enjoy the moment.

Click Here For Printable Recipe 

Ingredients:

(1) 8.25 Ounce Can Creamed Corn

1 Jalapeno, finely diced

1/2 of a Small Sweet Onion, diced

1 Cup Corn Meal

3/4 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese plus 1 Tablespoon, grated

1/2 Cup Flour

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Milk

  6 Tablespoons Butter, melted

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small pan heat up 2 tablespoons of the butter and add the diced onions and stir so that the onions are coated in the butter. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Allow the onions to cook for about 40-50 minutes, stirring every ten minutes or so, until they are a dark golden color. Remove them from the heat and set them aside.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the corn meal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda until well blended. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the sour cream, milk, creamed corn, and remaining 4 tablespoons of butter until completely combined. Stir in the dry ingredients, onion-butter mixture, jalapeno, and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. Pour the mixture into a greased cast iron skillet (mine is about 7 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep) and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the cornbread.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cornbread comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes, cut into slices, and serve.