Cornbread Salad with Buttermilk-Lime Dressing

This is another one of those recipes that I have had bookmarked forever, but still hadn't got around to making. After I had my plane ticket home, I knew that I would be doing a TON of cooking back in Florida so I was sure to add this recipe to the menu.

The salad was quite scrumptious and the dressing added a multitude of delicious flavors from the many herbs as well as the sweetness imparted from the honey offset by the tartness of the vinegar and lime. Additionally, the texture the peeled tomatoes provide is really something beautifully different. The cornbread itself is really tasty and I would definitely bake up some of it again just to nosh on with a little butter smeared on a piece piping hot from the oven!

Cornbread Salad with Buttermilk-Lime Dressing

recipe from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from here

Cornbread Salad:

ingredients:

• 1 recipe Crispy Cornbread, 3 cups of 1 inch cubes (see below)
• 1 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes (I used heirloom)
• 6 cups roughly-torn, sturdy lettuce (such as Bibb or Boston)
• 1 large Vidalia onion, sliced into very thing rings
• 1 recipe Buttermilk-Lime Dressing (see below)

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Scatter the cornbread in a single layer on a baking pan and bake until the pieces are lightly toasted, about 7 minutes.
2. Cut an X in the bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water for 10 seconds. Immediately transfer to an ice bath to cool. Pell the tomatoes and chop them.
3. Place lettuce greens, cornbread, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and toss to combine. Drizzle with dressing and season with salt and pepper. Toss once more and serve immediately.

Crispy Cornbread:

ingredients:

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 12-inch skillet with 1 tbsp of butter and place into the oven.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg until frothy and then whisk in the buttermilk.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Melt the remaining butter in the microwave and mix into the batter.
6. While the butter in the skillet is smoking, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and swirl the butter around to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Pour the batter into the skillet; it should "sizzle alluringly."
7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top of the bread is golden brown and the edge has pulled away from the sides of the skillet.
8. Let cool and reserve for salad.

Buttermilk-Lime Dressing:

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 5 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup finely minced fresh basil
• 1/4 cup finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup finely minced green onions
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until combined.
2. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to two days.