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Cast Iron

Savory Ham and Swiss Cornbread Bake

by:
April  4, 2013
5
3 Ratings
Photo by Vickie Marshall
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

With my one year blogiversary approaching in over a week, I find it fitting that I should share another skillet cornbread recipe.

As I described in my inaugural post, Garlicky Shrimp and Spinach Cornbread, my whole passion for recipe development started when I was chosen to be a finalist in the National Cornbread Festival Cook-Off in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. From the moment the announcer said “Ladies, start your ovens”, I knew I was…well, you can read the rest of that story here: Garlicky Shrimp and Spinach Cornbread.

But what I didn’t mention was that I actually sent in several recipes for the contest. And after I started blogging, I had intended to share them; but after a year, I somehow hadn’t managed to do it till now. That’s surprising to me, because they’re pretty darned tasty!

For example: Savory Ham and Swiss Cornbread Bake–chunks of ham, sweet/grassy bites of asparagus, and hard boiled eggs, smothered with a swiss cheese sauce on a cornbread crust.

Whoa, back up. Hard boiled eggs?

Yeah, I got the idea from a casserole that my aunt always makes at Easter time, with asparagus, cheddar cheese, eggs and mushroom soup. The only problem with her version is that she uses canned asparagus. Can we say muuuuushy?!?! Her kids finally convinced her not to make it this year. I’m not sure why they didn’t convince her to just make it with fresh asparagus! Nonetheless, I felt like the dish had great potential to be converted into a skillet cornbread meal. Plus, it’s a great way to use up Easter leftovers.

One disclaimer though: When I made this the first time, I put the sauce on the bottom and the everything else on top of it. The ham and asparagus fared okay, but the eggs? They were like chewing on pencil erasers. So I switched things up a bit and put the sauce on top. That way everything remained all cozy and moist underneath. But I kept the picture from the original batch, so that it’d be easy to see what’s inside. Therefore, if you make it, yours will not look the same — but it will taste fabulous! —Sherry K-Jazzy Gourmet

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Ingredients
  • Crust:
  • Filling:
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 8 ounces swiss cheese, shredded or cubed
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch white pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups diced ham
  • 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
  • 8 asparagus spears, grilled or sauteed with olive oil and salt, and cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1/2 cup crushed swiss cheese flavored crackers
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degreesš F.
  2. Prepare the crust: In a medium bowl, mix together melted butter, cornbread mix, water, egg and sour cream. Set aside.
  3. Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and whisk in the milk, a little at a time. Cook until thickened, about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low; add cheese, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is mostly melted (I like to leave some chunks of unmelted cheese).
  4. Spread cornbread mixture into greased 10-inch cast iron skillet. Place ham, eggs and asparagus over cornbread. Pour cheese sauce over the asparagus. Top with crushed crackers. Bake at 375 degreesš for 35-40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and middle is set. Remove from oven and cool 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into wedges.
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1 Review

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Karen April 29, 2014
Delicious! Except......you forgot the ingredients for the crust. I improvised with 1/2 cup Miracle Whip instead of the sour cream I didn't have and two tablespoons melted butter. On top I used a mixture of crushed Ritz crackers and French's onions.