One of my favorite possessions is my grandmother’s cast-iron skillet. It’s more precious to me than the antique bone china that I also inherited. To think of all the fried chicken and cornbread it has held is amazing. Several years ago, I returned home to Georgia after living in New York City, and I carried my treasured skillet in a blanket on my lap practically the whole trip. It is almost like my sacred talisman. No one will dare touch it when we are cleaning up from dinner. If I leave the room, I return to a spotless kitchen with a dirty cast-iron skillet on the stovetop. No one wants the responsibility. It sounds severe, but a little fear is fine with me. When properly seasoned over time, cast iron develops a virtually nonstick surface that only improves with use. To clean cast-iron cookware, wash with a nonabrasive sponge and warm soapy water. Rinse it well. To prevent rust, make sure the piece is completely dry before you store it. As insurance, I usually place mine in a warm oven for a little while to fully dry out. Cast iron is great for baking cornbread, pan-frying, and sauteing. It is a little slow to heat up, but once it does, it heats evenly and stays hotter longer. Cast iron is inexpensive and can be found at hardware and cookware stores.

　　

Ingredients

makes one 10 1/2-inch skillet bread

　　4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

　　1 cup all-purpose flour

　　1 cup white or yellow cornmeal

　　1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

　　1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

　　3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

　　1 1/4 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (about 5 ounces)

　　1 1/4 cups buttermilk

　　2 large eggs, at room temperature

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the butter in a 10 1/2-inch cast-iron skillet and heat in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

　　

Step 2

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese.

　　

Step 3

Remove the skillet from the oven and pour the melted butter into the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk and eggs and stir to combine. Pour the batter back into the prepared skillet and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the bread is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Just before the cornbread is done, remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly before serving.

　　From Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories From Three Generations of Southern Cooking, © 2008 by Virginia Willis. Reprinted by permission of Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Abe Books.