For New Years Day, I made Broiled Ham with Mustard Glaze, Hoppin' John, sauteed cabbage and the BEST cornbread on the planet! The cornbread stole the show for me! I am typically a "sweet" cornbread kind of gal but I decided to break out of my box and try something different for a change. This recipe comes from celebrity chef Ina Garten, who I happen to be a big fan of and love trying all of her recipes. This one has been in the file for awhile and I thought I would give this one a try. Oh my...moist, rich, light in texture, melt in your mouth kind of good - I do declare- "Heaven on a Plate!"When I made this recipe I was a bit nervous, like I said I am "sweet" cornbread kind of gal and I only put one jalapeno it- wrong! Next time full jalapenos!! And I used regular cheddar cheese and not extra sharp because that is what I had on hand. Ina stated that if you actually want to taste the cheese to use extra sharp and she was right we could only taste the cheese on top. Extra-Sharp next time.
Now I would say that this recipe for cornbread would be a special occasion cornbread for the amount of calories it unfortunately contains- but if you really want to impress someone and knock their socks off this is it! Use it! It's easy too. Can one really dream of cornbread....?
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
3 cups all pupose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 T. baking powder
2 t. kosher salt
2 cups milk
3 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
8 oz. aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
3 scallions, chopped- plus extra for garnish
3 T. seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers (2 to 3 Peppers)
Combine the flour,cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a seperate bowl, combine the milk, eggs and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated cheese, the scallions and jalapenos and allow the mixture ot sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and sprinkle with remaining cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool and cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.
