In my humble opinion, taste is everything. I like sparkling over subtle, innovative over obvious. And of course, the hotter the better. This preference for extra-spicy everything manifests itself boldly in both my personality and my cuisine.
I am also completely obsessed with corn – sweet corn soup, summer corn ravioli, grilled corn salad, fried corn fitters, I could expound endlessly in the marvels of maize… Needless to say, when I encountered a paring of my favorites in Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for Jalapeno-Cheddar Cornbread I knew that the medley of corn + spice would become an instant go-to recipe.
The Barefoot’s spin on the Southern classic is, like everything else she creates, superb. Where it lacks in elegance, it shines in flavor – the cheddar evens out the sweetness of the corncake, while the jalapenos add delectable pizzazz. It’s also a wonderfully versatile complement to main courses: I serve this cornbread with everything from hearty winter chili to tangy seared ahi salad. If you aren’t sure about your guests’ tastes, honey butter (1 stick butter + 4 tablespoons honey) serves as the perfect embellishment to mellow the spice.
The best part of spoiling yourself with this crowd-pleasing carb indulgence? It is practically diet fare – I’m told that spicy foods serve as a natural metabolism enhancer that can shed up to ten pounds off your frame per year! xx tt
Recipe – adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients
· 3 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 cup yellow cornmeal
· ¼ cup sugar
· 2 tablespoons baking powder
· 2 teaspoons kosher salt
· 2 cups milk
· 3 extra-large organic eggs
· 2 sticks unsalted butter (plus more to grease pan)
· 8-ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese
· 3 scallions
· 3 jalapenos
Instructions
· Preheat oven to 350 degrees
· Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan
· Chop scallions (white + green parts, except for the top third of the green portion)
· Cut jalapenos in half, then de-seed them with your fingers under running water (DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES UNTIL YOU HAVE WASHED YOUR HANDS SEVERAL TIMES)
· Mince jalapenos
· Grate cheese
· In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder
· Beat eggs lightly
· In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, and melted butter (microwave butter for 1 minute to melt)
· With a wooden spoon, stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until most of the lumps are dissolved
· Mix in cheese, jalapenos, and scallions
· Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes
· Pour mixture into greased pan
· Bake 30-35 minutes