Jalapeno Cranberry Skillet Corn Bread
Jalapenos are the most popular chile peppers in the US. This is probably due to the availability and versatility of the chile. Jalapenos have a balanced combination of flavor and heat.
The demand for these have caused breeders to develop a broad range of varieties. You can now get jalapenos with various heat level and sizes. These can be used in salsas, stuffed, or eaten straight with cheeseburgers (my personal favorite).
JALAPENO CRANBERRY SKILLET CORN BREAD
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoon cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
2-3 jalapeno pepper (or as many as you want), finely chopped and pounded
2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander/cilantro
1/2 cup dried cranberries, (or as much or as little as you want)
2 tablespoon honey
1/4 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
about 8-10 turns of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon milk (a little bit more or less- enough to make cake like batter)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2.5-3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted or or any cooking oil
a cast iron skillet (if you do not have one, use a thick bottomed oven proof skillet)
Instructions:
I used a small 5″ skillet, so I divided the batter in two. If you are cooking in one big skillet, you will not need to divide it.
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
In a bowl, sift the all purpose flour with baking powder, black pepper and salt. Stir in the cornmeal.
Pound the jalapeno and the fresh cilantro/coriander leaves until it is coarse paste. Add the cranberries to the flour and toss for them to be coated. Whisk the milk, butter, honey and eggs in a different bowl and stir in lightly with the flour mix. Add the paste of jalapeno and cilantro/coriander. Add the melted butter and stir just until blended. Add 1/2 tablespoon oil to the cast iron skillet and heat the skillet over the stove top or in the oven until the oil shimmer and is really hot. When the dough is added to this, it should sizzle loud.
Remove skillet from the stove top or the oven and scrape half of the batter into the hot skillet. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the center springs back when gently pressed. The bread should be golden brown and crispy at the edges. Repeat the same process as above with the rest of the batter, if you are using a small skillet like I did. Turn the corn bread out onto a rack to cool and slice only when cooled.
*Shelf Life: The bread will stay in the room temperature for about 2 days, so this is great for making ahead.
* Serving Ideas: Enjoy the bread as is by itself or as a side. If you are using the bread for stuffing or a corn bread salad (and with the heat and the cranberries, it is a really good one to use), coarsely crumble or chop the corn bread.
From ecurry.com Cooking Time: Approx. 30 minutes