Jalapeño Beer Cornbread

I have returned from Mexico! Some friends and I headed south of Tucson until we hit the Pacific to get SCUBA open water certified. It was a great trip, and much needed after this semester. We camped on Himalaya Bay. We pitched our tents mere yards from the ocean (In the morning, I'd open the flap to see pelicans flying across the water's surface). We dove and snorkeled in crystal clear water, and encountered amazing sea life: eels, slugs, sting rays, fish, coral, sea cucumbers, crabs, urchins, jellyfish... We watched amazing sunsets. We gathered 'round the campire at night. Suffice it to say, I did not want to come back to landlocked Arizona.

  

 

           

The water really was that blue... I've got a fever in this 100-something-degree weather, and the only prescription is more ocean. I also really, really, really want a fancy underwater camera case that I cannot afford in the foreseeable future. It's a whole other world beneath the surface. A photo could never capture the true wonder and tranquility of swimming at depth, but I wish I could share just a little piece of it with you.

 

           

I made this recipe for a going-away-dinner for our dear friend Emily, who is too smart and fancy to hang around Tucson anymore and is headed to Princeton. Emily can be sweet, corny, and spicy (red head - the girl has some sass) and loves beer, so this Jalapeño Beer Cornbread with a Honey Glaze seemed only fitting for my ex-neighbor. I also recently found these nifty cast iron pans at the thrift store for only a few dollars, so this was a good excuse to take them for a test drive.

This cornbread is buttery, sweet, spicy, moist, and beer-y (just roll with it). What more could you ask for in a cornbread? Whole corn kernels, diced jalapeños, and a beer-butter-honey glaze -- Yes, please. The cornbread can be made in the oven or on the grill. If you are afraid of the spice, simply omit the peppers, but in my humble and open-minded opinion that would just be foolish. I used a Hefeweizen, but feel free to use your favorite beer, because you might have to drink the rest of it while the cornbread is cooking. Darn. This recipe is sure to reappear in my kitchen this summer. I hope you find it as delicious and satisfying.

 

Jalapeño Beer Cornbread
adapted from Huffpost Living (Canada)

yields 1 10-inch round pan of cornbread

Ingredients:
Cornbread
3 ears grilled corn kernels, or 1 cup of canned corn
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup of your favorite beer
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded, membrane removed, and finely diced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter

Glaze
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1/4. cup honey
1/4 cup of your favorite beer

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together eggs, milk, beer, jalapeños, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Add 1 cup of corn and enough extra beer (if necessary) to moisten batter.

Melt butter and coat entire inside of pan. Pour in batter.

Place pan in oven for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove cornbread from oven and let cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Unmold cornbread from pan. Brush all over with glaze. Serve.

Enjoy.


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Seahorses & Sea Scallops (Lemon Poppy Seed Sugar Cookies)

I miss the ocean. Don't get me wrong - the desert is full of beauty, and Tucson sure does know how to set a sun - but nothing quite beats a sea breeze rolling off from the seemingly-infinite, blue horizon...

I have one of those conch shells on my nightstand, and it teases me with the sounds of the ocean. So I was left no choice but to roll out my longing on a lightly floured surface, and squeeze out my wanderlust through a pastry bag. The result are these cute little seahorse and sea scallop cookies.

The base is a lemon poppy seed sugar cookie - a perfect flat canvas for whatever creation you have in mind. With plenty of lemon zest, this sand dollar packs a refreshing punch.

I've traded sand between the toes for poppy seeds between the teeth, but there are worse second-bests... I hope these cookies bring a smile to you, as they do to me :)

Lemon Poppy Seed Sugar Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart

yields about 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on the size of the cookie

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:
In the bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. While the mixer is running, add the egg, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and poppy seeds, and mix until well combined. Turn the mixer down to low and gradually add the flour, salt, and baking powder, and mix until just combined.

Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into 2 discs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper;.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, and transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch in between. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut twice more. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes, but do not allow to brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Decorate with royal icing, if you fancy. Enjoy.


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