Pimiento Cheese, Bacon, and Jalapeño Cornbread
MAKES 1 (10-INCH) LOAF
Ingredients
- 7 slices thick-cut bacon, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2½ cups whole buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup Classic Pimiento Cheese (recipe follows)
- 2 large jalapeños, seeded and sliced
- 1 tablespoon diced drained pimientos
- Hot honey, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon, and let drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet and 2 tablespoons drippings in a medium bowl. Reserve ¼ cup bacon in a small bowl. Turn off heat, but keep skillet on stovetop.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Make a well in center.
- Add buttermilk and eggs to reserved 2 tablespoons drippings in medium bowl, and whisk until combined. Add buttermilk mixture to cornmeal mixture, whisking until combined. Sprinkle remaining bacon onto batter. Drop Classic Pimiento Cheese onto batter by tablespoonfuls; gently fold into batter. (Pimiento cheese doesn’t have to be completely mixed into the batter.) Pour onto reserved 2 tablespoons drippings in hot skillet. Top with reserved ¼ cup bacon, jalapeños, and pimientos.
- Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in skillet on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm with hot honey.
Classic Pimiento Cheese
Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) block mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimientos, drained
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
- Crostini, crackers, mini tricolor sweet peppers, pickled okra, and cherry tomatoes, to serve
- Garnish: paprika or ground red pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together Cheddar, cream cheese, pimientos, mayonnaise, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground red pepper until well combined. Serve with crostini, crackers, sweet peppers, okra, and tomatoes. Garnish with paprika or ground red pepper, if desired.
