Honey Spoonbread with Sliced Strawberries

Recipe courtesy of California Strawberry Commission.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups half-and-half
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups (about 1 pound) strawberries, stem medium and sliced
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)

Cooking Directions:

1. To make spoon bread, preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
2. In saucepan, bring half-and-half, butter, honey, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and salt just to a boil. Remove from heat; whisk in cornmeal.
3. Transfer to mixing bowl; cool, whisking occasionally. When cooled, whisk in egg yolks and baking powder.
4. In mixer bowl, beat egg whites at medium-high speed to soft peaks; fold into egg yolk mixture.
5. Pour into 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. Bake about 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; cut into 6 servings.
6. Meanwhile, sweeten sliced strawberries to taste with remaining sugar.
7. Place each serving of warm spoon bread in a shallow bowl and top with 1/2 cup sliced strawberries. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe and photograph courtesy of California Strawberry Commission. Used with permission.