August 20, 2005
CORN AND CHILES GO TOGETHER... JUST CUZ THEY DO: RECIPE FOR JALAPENO CORNBREAD
There's just something about corn and chiles together. It just works. Habanero Corn Salsa. Serrano tamales. Hell, I'll even throw a can of corn in my chili sometimes just cuz. And cornbread and chili! Oh yeah... cornbread and chili. Let's marry those two.
Let me say right out of the gate: I'm not a baker. I'm a damn fine cook (if I do say so) but baking is an entirely different skill. One which I have enormous respect for, mind you. But one that I don't possess personally. My philosophy on baking was perfectly articulated by my brother Kurt, himself a professional chef. He said "Scott, the thing I hate about baking is that you can't fix it." And he's right. Baking is like a science project: you carefully measure and mix, you cook for a very specific time at a very specific temperature. And if you miss something, or need a little more of something else... its too late. If the cake doesn't work, you can't exactly add another egg to it after you pull it out of the oven, right?
So after a fair share of hits and misses, here's my recipe for Jalapeno Corn Bread:
JALAPENO CORN BREAD
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup whole milk
1 extra large egg
6 slices bacon
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbs garlic powder
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 minced red jalapenos
8 oz can whole yellow corn (drained)
METHOD
Preheat oven to 425.
Cook bacon in pan. Reserve bacon grease. Eat bacon after remaining preparation.
In a large bowl, mix buttermilk, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons of bacon grease, sugar, salt, garlic powder and baking powder. Mix in flour and cornmeal. Blend in jalapenos and corn. Grease cast iron skillet or pan with remaining bacon grease. Place mixture in skillet/pan.
Put skillet/pan in the oven, reduce temperature to 375, and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Questions? Comments? Email scott@urbanchiles.com
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