I incorporate local ingredients as much as possible in my cooking, but also keep them in mind when I’m dining out. Canadian cheese like this award-winning Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar proves that we’re more than just maple syrup and Timbits – we produce world-class items that more people should enjoy!
This month, I decided to fuse my love of heat, alcohol, cheese and carbs. I rarely make breads, but I have made beer bread in the past and wanted to see whether I could pull off making cornbread in a similar way. Of course, I added some jalapenos for kick and to balance the nice, sharp flavour of the cheddar.
Jalapeno Cheddar Beer Cornbread
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar (shredded – I also used some aged cheddar here for contrast)
1 12oz beer bottle/can (stout/wheat beers do well here)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup corn meal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup milk
3 large eggs, beaten
3-4 stalks green onions (optional)
2 jalapenos, chopped (optional)
Procedure:
- Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt).
- In a second bowl, combine milk, eggs, butter and beer.
- Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients slowly and mix until just incorporated.
- Add cheddar and optional ingredients to the mix.
- Cover dough with a moist cloth and allow bread to stand for 25 minutes at room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease 2 round, dark pans.
- Pour batter into pans and smooth the top. Sprinkle extra cheddar.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked (I use a chopstick to poke a hole and see if it comes out clean).
- Serve warm and with butter.
For more information on Cows Creamery’s Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar, visit their website here: http://cowscreamery.ca
For more information on Canadian Cheese and to support local, be sure to check out the website here: http://canadiancheese.ca
