Spicy Jalapeño-Cheddar Cornbread

Name: Spicy Jalapeño-Cheddar Cornbread
Yield: Makes one 8-inch Square
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups, unbleached all-purpose flour, (7 1/2 ounces); 1 cup, yellow cornmeal (5 1/2 ounces), see note; 2 teaspoons, baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon, baking soda; 3/8 teaspoon, cayenne pepper; 1 , medium jalapeño chile, cored, seeded, and chopped fine; 1/2 teaspoon, table salt; 4 ounces, sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups); 2 tablespoons, packed light brown sugar; 3/4 cup, frozen corn kernels (3 1/2 ounces), thawed; 1 cup, buttermilk; 2 , large eggs; 8 tablespoons, unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 2005

Desserts or Baked Goods

Brushing regional differences aside, we wanted both a tender, fluffy crumb and a thick, crunchy crust. But what we wanted most of all was sweet corn flavor.

SERVESMakes one 8-inch Square

TIME1¼ hours

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

The secret to a cornbread recipe with real corn flavor turned out to be pretty simple: Use corn, not just cornmeal. While fresh corn was best, frozen was nearly as good, and pureeing the kernels in a food processor made them easy to use whi...

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