Cheddar Chive Spoon Bread

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8 by 8 inch square pan with butter or cooking spray. Heat the milk and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to boil. Decrease the heat to medium-low and slowly sprinkle in the cornmeal, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens a lot, about 5 minutes.
2. 2
   Remove the pan from the heat; whisk in the baking powder and salt. Note: Since the mixture was hot, I was really timid to add the beaten eggs as is, so I tempered them. To do so, add a bit of the cornmeal mixture to the bowl of your beaten eggs and whisk. This will bring the beaten eggs up in temperature. Then add them to the cornmeal mixture, whisking constantly.
3. 3
   Then fold in the cheddar cheese and chives. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly with a spatula.
4. 4
   Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden and puffy. (The bread will deflate somewhat as soon as it comes out of the oven.) Cut into squares or just serve with a spoon. Serve with salted butter. Holy yum!
5. 5
   Side note: This dish is best eaten once it comes out of the oven. It's lifespan isn't long, but it'll be gone in no time so all is okay.