Name: Whipped Honey Butter
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 8 tablespoons unsalted butter , room temperature (one stick); 1 tablespoon honey; 1 pinch table salt

Why This Recipe Works

The secret to a cornbread recipe with real corn flavor turned out to be pretty simple: Use corn, not just cornmeal. While fresh corn was best, frozen was nearly as good, and pureeing the kernels in a food processor made them easy to use while eliminating tough, chewy kernels. Since we couldn't assume that everyone would own the cast-iron skillet in which Southern cornbreads traditionally get their thick crust, we compensated by baking the bread at a higher than conventional temperature, producing a crunchy crust full of toasted corn flavor.

Before You Begin

Somewhere around the umpteenth batch of our All-Purpose Cornbread, we got it in our minds to make whipped honey butter for spreading on the warm cornbread. (If you're familiar with Marie Callender's restaurants, you know where this idea came from.) The combination was such a hit that we thought we'd pass along the recipe we devised.

Instructions

In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat 8 tablespoons (one stick) of room-temperature unsalted butter at medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds; stop the mixer and add 1 tablespoon of honey and a pinch of salt. Beat the mixture at medium speed until combined, about 15 seconds, then increase the speed to high and whip until very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.