Ina's Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

Last week we had an amazing bout of "cold" weather complete with rain. My baby wore a long sleeved shirt to lunch for Memorial Day and a woman stopped us on the street and said, "You'd better take a picture, He'll never wear long sleeves on Memorial Day in Arizona again!" With the one last respite from the heat before summer sets in, I made some soup and some cornbread.

As usual, I loved Ina's recipe. I only halved the recipe and I made muffins instead. Half a recipe yielded 11 big muffins. They were pretty mild and my mom was surprise to hear there were jalapeños in the muffins. Next time, I'll add more jalapeño and keep some more of the membrane and seeds in for more heat.

These were super tasty and easy to put together- they would taste awesome with a bowl of chili or Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home, 2006
3 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. yellow cornmeal
1/4 C. sugar
2 T. baking powder
2 t. kosher salt
2 C. milk (I used a bit extra to compensate for the milk)
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten (I just used large since that's what I always buy)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted (I used 3/4 of what she recommended)
8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
1/3 C. chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish (I used about 5 or 6 scallions)
3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeño peppers (I would keep some of the membrane and seed since they weren't hot at all)

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate 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 Cheddar, the scallions and jalapeños, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan. (I used muffins and sprayed the pan with Pam with Flour. They baked for 25 minutes.)

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.