Chives are abundant now, their cheery blossoms blooming in my yard and waving from curbside gardens as I take walks around our neighborhood. The sturdy green stems burst with delicate onion flavor and enhance salads, eggs and any dish they are snipped into.
When I saw this month’s #baketogether challenge, I knew chives had to play a role. Abby Dodge shares her delectable recipe for Cornmeal Buttermilk Muffins and invites us to play around and get creative – always fun!
My thoughts were already on a savory track with the chives, so drawing on a favorite omelet combination I sliced baby bella mushrooms and grated Parmesan cheese. Whenever possible these days, I swap out flours to try different ones. This time I included barley flour with the cornmeal and all-purpose flour.
I recently found a couple of brioche pans at a local thrift store, so I baked the batter as a loaf rather than muffins. Let me just say, this is like cornbread elevated to new heights! The loaf is extremely moist, studded with mushrooms and flecks of chives, rich with Parmesan and a bit of zip from lemon zest. When sliced, it makes a nice little appetizer to nibble on with a glass of white wine. Perfect for a summer afternoon!
Chive and Mushroom Cornmeal Loaf
Adapted from Abby Dodge’s Cornmeal Buttermilk Muffins
Makes 1 loaf (serves 8)
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (your choice of mushroom)
Olive oil to sauté
3/4 cup barley flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup ground cornmeal
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup snipped chives
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
6 tablespoons canola oil
Zest of 1lemon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a brioche or loaf pan and set aside. In a medium sized pan, warm a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat high and sauté the mushrooms until they release juices and begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Stir in the chives and Parmesan cheese. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and canola oil. Pour over the dry ingredients and add the mushrooms. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold until just blended (don’t worry if there are a few lumps). Do not over mix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden and a skewer comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and serve in wedges.
