Bacon Beer Cornbread

My grandfather, who turns 90 next weekend, loves bacon. With his birthday approaching, that means I've been flagging quite a few bacon recipes in honor of him. With a Mexican casserole on hand, I thought cornbread would go wonderfully with it.

That reminded me of this Bacon Beer Cornbread from How Sweet It Is. If this isn't the perfect accompaniment to a (vegetarian) Mexican casserole, then what is?

Bacon Beer Cornbread
6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 1/2 cups finely ground cornmeal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 cup of your favorite beer
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375ºF. . Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. Heat a skillet oven medium heat, and add chopped bacon. Stir and cook until crispy and fat is rendered, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Turn off heat, but reserve bacon fat.

In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Add milk and eggs to dry ingredients, mixing until combined, and then add in sour cream and beer. Mix and add in butter and leftover bacon fat, mixing until batter is somewhat smooth but just combined. Fold in bacon.

Pour batter in loaf pan, then place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes, then remove from the pan and slice. Makes 1 loaf.