JALAPENO COCONUT CORNBREAD
Shinin' Times at The Fort
by Holly Arnold Kinney
This bread is one of the most requested dishes at the Fort, and for good reason. We spike it with jalapenos and enrich it with coconut milk, admittedly not a common ingredient in the Old West! Indigenous people across the continent introduced settlers from Europe to corn and all its uses, and so today, cornbread is as commonplace in New England as New Mexico. I love this with a hearty soup or stew.
serves 6
INGREDIENTS
• 1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup yellow or white cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder (1½ teaspoons at high altitudes)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1/3 cup minced fresh jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed
• 1/2 cup well-drained, canned, golden corn kernels
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch heavy cast-iron skillet or square baking pan with 1½ teaspoons vegetable oil.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, jalapenos, corn, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. With a wooden spatula, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and place on the middle rack of the oven.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until the bread is a pale golden brown. Do not overbake.
Serve cornbread warm with sweet butter.
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