Cornbread with honey butter

Pasos

1. Preheat the oven until it is very hot and butter a small pan or a home cast-iron skillet; the metal must be ready before the batter is mixed.
2. Melt the butter for the batter, then let it cool: it should remain liquid but no longer be hot to the touch.
3. Mix the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; the mixture should be uniform and without visible lumps.
4. In another bowl, whisk the egg with the buttermilk, then fold in the warm melted butter until smooth and glossy.
5. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix just enough to moisten the batter; it should remain thick and slightly lumpy, without being beaten for long.
6. Spread the batter into the hot or buttered pan, quickly smooth the surface, then bake until the top is golden and a knife inserted comes out clean with a few dry crumbs.
7. While baking, work the softened butter with the honey and fleur de sel until you have a smooth, glossy, and easily spreadable cream.
8. Let the cornbread rest for a few minutes out of the oven so the crumb stabilizes, then cut it into slices while still warm.
9. Serve each slice with a generous dollop of honey butter, which should begin to melt on the warm edges of the cornbread.