Hello 2019

February 12, 2019 § Leave a comment

It has been a while, and as you can see on my recent posts, we’ve been traveling. So between trips and work, I’ve had very little time to explore the kitchen. I have to be honest. This recipe has been sitting in my draft box for quite a while. And while I organize my travel notes, let me share this simple corn muffin that is so easy to make and jazzed up with sharp cheeses and spicy jalpeños. This make-ahead marvel is perfect as a side dish, an appetizer, or even a snack. I love that is moist, slightly sweet, delightfully salty, marvelously cheesy, and somewhat spicy.

Credits: JSprague “The Final Tally” template; papers from Sepia Lane and Sept Blue CT

Cheese and Jalapeño Cornbread

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living October 2014 issue

What You Need:

¾ stick unsalted butter, melted, plus more, room temperature, for pan
1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsps. baking powder
½ tsps.. baking soda
2 tsps. coarse salt
1 ¾ cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 3 cups) – I combined with Gouda
2 oz. or 50g Jalapeno peppers in juice/syrup

What You Do:

Preheat oven to 200°C. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. In a bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, and eggs.
Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in cheese and chilies with juices until evenly distributed. Transfer to baking pan and smooth top.
Bake until golden brown along edges and a tester inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs, 20-25 minutes.
Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack, then invert onto another rack, top side up. Let cool at least 15 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut into small wedges. Serve warm or room temperature.

Bacon Cheddar Scones

June 1, 2014 § 2 Comments

After baking this scones a few years ago, bacon lover that I am, I had intended to make a savory one with bacon and cheese (because really, you can’t go wrong with bacon and cheese).

Months dragged into years, lo and behold, I finally got around to make it! I never forgot, mind you. It’s just that time flies so fast and when I tried to look for my scones post, I was horrified at how long that was already. Where did the years go?

Anyway, I saw this new recipe (below) and decided that this was a good time to make some scones. I am incidentally going on a road trip tomorrow and these babies are going with me.

What You’ll Need:

For the scones:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. ground black pepper (depending on your preference)
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped or crumbled into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk (plus up to ½ cup extra, if needed)

For the egg wash:

1 large egg
2 tbsp. water

What You’ll Do:

Preheat the oven to 200° C.
In the bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper; mix briefly to combine. Add the cubes of butter and using a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are about the size of small peas.
Add in the grated cheese and mix just until incorporated.
Mix in the bacon and 1 cup of the buttermilk into the flour-butter mixture. Stir by hand just until all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is too dry to come together, mix in the remaining buttermilk a tablespoon or two at a time until the dough can be formed into a ball.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat the dough into an 8-inch disk. Slice the dough into 8 to 10 wedges.
In a small bowl combine the egg and water and whisk together. Brush each wedge lightly with the egg wash.
Transfer the scones to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.