New Mexico Style Chile Cheese Cornbread
Servings 6 people
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) cornmeal (if you can’t find cornmeal masa harina or polenta in a real bind works as an ok sub)
- 1 cup (250g) plain white flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda or bicarb
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup (50g) unrefined sugar Golden caster, brown coconut sugar etc. Refined is fine unrefined isn't available
- 1/2 cup (125g) butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (125ml) sour cream or crème fraîche
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) whole milk or buttermilk if available
- 1/2 cup medium heat Hatch green chiles, (or 1 tin if fresh is unavailable) diced
- 1 cup (250g) sweetcorn kernels, fresh or frozen/tinned if not in season
- 1 cup (250g) grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Grease or line a 9×9 inch or 23cm baking dish with parchment paper (larger if a drier texture is desired).
- Then, in a large bowl mix together the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda or bicarb. In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until smooth. Then add the sour cream or crème fraîche and eggs – one at a time- to the butter/sugar mixture until smooth and well combined.
- Slowly into the wet mixture, stir in 1/3 cup milk or buttermilk, then 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Continue to mix, alternating between milk and flours until all of both have been added thoroughly combined Lastly stir in as much green chile as you like (feel free to use more than my recipe suggests for more heat), corn kernels, and grated cheese.
- Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until the top, is golden brown, the center is firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool for about 10-15 minutes before removing from tin and serving. Resist temptation! Removing it any sooner and you run the risk of the bread completely falling apart.
Notes
- I have intentionally toned down the heat for my young children (we're working up to it slowly). If it were just me eating this I’d add more heat… so take that into account when deciding how much you want.
- This recipe also creates a very moist and cake-like cornbread. If you want yours a bit drier to use for scooping up beans or soup or what have you, simply use a slightly bigger baking pan so the heat will reach and absorb more of the moisture from the batter.