Maple Jalapeno Cornbread, Cast Iron Skillets and Saving the Crisco…

Hi everyone. I need to sing the praises of Cast Iron skillets. They are so cool looking and retro, and you can cook on the stove top and then put the same skillet right into the oven. They make you feel like you live on a farm when you cook with
them and serve food in them. My mother had one my entire childhood and it was one of the few pans we used for everything-eggs, bacon, frying onions, etc.

Someone at a workshop I did gave me a great tip on seasoning them so that they become non-stick. She said to use Crisco and not oil because it makes them less sticky. This tip thrilled me because I have a HUGE vat of Crisco that I bought for a recipe but never want to use because of the hydrogenated oils-I have since found a brand at Whole Foods that does not contain hydrogenated oils.

I decided to re-season my rusting Cast Iron skillets today (I didn’t dry them well enough which you need to do immediately after washing) with the Crisco so now I don’t have to waste it (the pan or the Crisco, actually). Like the woman with the tip, I am hiding my Crisco under the sink so no one sees it and judges me…

Here is my homemade recipe for Jalapeno Maple Cornbread that looks great and tastes even better when you bake it in a Cast Iron Skillet. You can serve it for adults or for kids (without the peppers or with very few) with a taco dinner, chili or anything else.

Also, if you want to learn more about how to clean, season or salvage a seemingly destroyed skillet, go to this great website:

http://www.kitchenemporium.com/info/castiron.html

Maple Jalapeno Cornbread:

1 cup stone ground cornmeal (NOT cornbread mix)
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk (or just whole milk)
6 TBS melted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup of fresh or thawed frozen corn
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 jalapeno, chopped fine with or without seeds-seeds add more spice

Combine all dry ingredients in a big bowl and add all wet ingredients until mixed well. Bake at 325 degrees in an 8X8 inch pan for approximately 25 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Use parchment if you want no stickage and Enjoy!