CORNBREAD WITH CHILIES & CHEESE
22 may 2006

so i've been thinking that maybe i should take a break from the less-than-successful main dishes & go back to my roots: baking! i'm really good with baked goods! so i found this cornbread recipe & thought it'd be good with my now-standard weeknight fare of bell pepper-&-cheese quesadillas.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 (4-ounce) can chopped (mild) green chilies, well drained
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil

METHOD
preheat the oven to 400 degrees. butter an 8x8-inch baking pan. in a large bowl thoroughly combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, & sugar. stir in the corn, chilies, & cheese until well coated. beat the eggs in a medium-size bowl. beat in the milk & oil. pour into the cornmeal mixture & stir just until evenly moistened. scrape the batter into the prepared pan. bake 30 minutes. let cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before cutting into squares. serve barely warm or at room temperature.

DEVIATIONS & OBSERVATIONS
no, no, no. i stuck to the recipe exactly. i even included the corn -- which i happen to find pretty much revolting. it's a texture thing.

shoulda left out the corn. baking it into bread did not improve the texture. i just wasn't sure how to make up the extra volume.

other than the whole corn kernels, i thought it was quite good. daniel thought it was a little bit spicy, but he said he'd eat it again, so take that how you will.

"Cornbread with Chilies & Cheese" from Vegetarian Classics: 300 Essential Recipes for Every Course and Every Meal by Jeanne Lemlin, © 2001.