Roasted Jalapeno and Goat Cheese Cornbread

Y’all, I had SUCH BIG PLANS for gardening this year.  I dreamed of growing just the most successful container garden in the history of the world, with bushels of zucchini and tomatoes, basil and cilantro and mint galore, and thyme that I could use forever and ever amen.  Oh, and buckets of jalapenos.  BUCKETS OF ‘EM!

 

Alas, this dream did not come to fruition.  My zucchini didn’t get pollinated enough and the blossoms would bloom beautifully and then drop off the plant, totally dead.  I got ONE STINKING ZUCCHINI – and it was about 1-1/2 inches long at its peak.  I had 3 tomatoes, all delicious and all tiny.  I was successful with the basil and the mint, but the cilantro died off pretty quickly.  And the jalapenos?  I think I had 3 total?  And whaddaya know, all three are right here in this delicious cornbread!

Sigh.

 

So my gardening plans, although not super successful in the amount of food yielded, DID manage to make me want to garden more seriously next year.  Hopefully at that point we’ll be in a house that we can build large beds to plant in rather than using containers, and hopefully I’ll remember that I need to hand-pollinate my zucchini if it’s not near some kind of flowery thing.  I’m not saying it’ll be perfect, but the gardening bug has bitten me something fierce and I’ll keep working til we get it right!

 

Onward though – this cornbread is so good.  I have caught some flack in the past about using honey or sugar in cornbread and still calling myself a Texan, to which I will say I don’t care.  I’m still a Texan through and through, regardless of whether or not I put sugar in my cornbread or beans in my chili.  I think any true Texan knows that the measure of a Texan is the love they have for the state and not the adaptations of a recipe or two.  But you should probably love Tex-Mex, Texas country, bluebonnets and Dr. Pepper.  I’m sayin’ is all I’m sayin’…

 

This cornbread contains zero sugar.  It’s hearty and spicy and has little pockets of creamy goodness spread throughout from the goat cheese.  It’s incredible with a pat of butter and a fork, but it’s also pretty dang good crumbled into some chili, with or without beans.  And the roasted jalapenos?  Just a fair warning: I think you’re going to see more of these bad boys in the coming months.  Roasting peppers is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do, and the fact that these are tiny makes the whole process go a LOT faster, which I’m all for!

 

Y’all enjoy!

ROASTED JALAPENO AND GOAT CHEESE CORNBREAD

• 1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/4 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 3 jalapenos
• 4 ounces goat cheese

First things first, roast the jalapenos. Turn on your broiler and place the jalapenos on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place them directly under the broiler, rotating occasionally, until the skins are black and bubbly. Place the jalapenos in a bowl and cover with the foil they roasted on (no need for an extra sheet if you can use that one, right?) and let them sit for about 10 minutes. After the jalapenos have cooled slightly, carefully peel the skins off under running water. Remove the seeds and chop roughly.

 

For the cornbread turn the oven to 375 and pour the oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet (if you don’t have a cast iron skillet a 9 or 10 inch cake pan will be fine).  Place it in the oven to heat the oil + pan while you mix everything else.  In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, milk, and eggs. Fold in the chopped jalapenos and crumble in the goat cheese. Swirl the oil in the skillet, then add to the batter and stir together. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake the whole thing at 375 for about 25-30 minutes.  Serve hot!