Bacon Parmesan Cornbread

Just say “yes” to bacon.

And while you’re add it, invite cheese to the party, because cheese should be welcome at any party (even the strange party known as the Apple Oatmeal Swiss Cheese Muffin).

(But really: bacon. The Husband and I went to Baconfest a couple of years ago and indulged in like 50 stations of bacon- different chef’s interpretations of how to enhance one’s life with the help of pig pieces. Best memory [other than the Bacon Bloody Mary] was for sure the Bacon Grenade- pork belly wrapped in bacon then dipped in bacon batter, then deep fried. Nod with me.)

Cornbread is pretty basic, so it provides a great canvas to try new things. I usually throw a few frozen corn kernels into the batter, and maybe a tablespoon of Cholula (hot sauce) to keep things interesting. Once I stirred in a few tablespoons of my favorite barbecue sauce, which I was quite proud of myself for. But this time, well. Bacon and cheese speak for themselves. My only regret is that I didn’t stir 150% more into the batter itself, rather than just sprinkling it across the top of the cornbread. So the recipe below accounts for my horrific error of not enough bacon & cheese and requires you to stir and sprinkle liberal amounts of both- in respect of what bacon and cheese can do for a simple, tasty cornbread.

This recipe is gluten-free. Adapted from food.com’s recipe…

2 cups cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 tablespoon bacon grease*

3/4 cup bacon, cooked & coarsely chopped

3/4 cup parmesan cheese, coarsely grated
1. Preheat oven to 425° and grease a 9 x 9″ baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk cornmeal, baking powder, baking side and salt until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, butter and bacon grease together. Pour wet mixture into cornmeal mixture and stir until combined. Stir in half of bacon and cheese.
4. Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle remaining bacon and cheese overtop. Bake for about 20 minutes (until golden brown on top and a cake tester used in the middle of the cornbread pulls out fine crumbs). Allow to cool slightly on a cooling rack; serve while still warm.
Tips:
- Prefer the plain Jane recipe? No bacon or cheese for you? Okay, I admire a purist (surely you love the Classic Shortbread Cookie?). Skip the extras and just bake the cornbread without the bacon & cheese. But do butter before eating… just because. Oh- and you might want to add a tablespoon of sugar in with the dry ingredients. Trust me.
- Want a different cheese? A sharp cheddar would be fantastic, or a pepper jack of course. Or manchego. Or swiss, for sure. And I’m forgetting mozzarella… (I think you’re grasping that any cheese will do. Not brie, though. Or soft goat cheese.)
- No bacon grease? If for some reason you don’t have any left after making your bacon (or you just don’t use bacon), then use a full 3 tablespoons of melted butter in the recipe instead.
- Muffin fan? Bake these in a lined & greased muffin pan for about 15 minutes, and check for doneness. Totally portable breakfast!
- Enjoy!
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December 4th, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Breads & Muffins, Gluten-Free, Savory