The Mason-Dixon Line

As I have recently discovered, my wintertimes in Oklahoma City were a breeze (literally) compared to the arctic and blustery weather here in Chicago. Nevertheless, to ease us through those colder months of January through late March, my mom would often fix a large pot of pinto beans flavored with nothing but onions and ham hock.

The best part of the meal was the pan of cornbread she'd fix in her 8 inch, well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Mom would first (and most importantly) heat the skillet in the oven as she mixed the corn bread: cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, milk, eggs. After heating the skillet, mom would scoop butter flavored crisco into the hot skillet, pour the cornmeal batter into the hot skillet, and 25 minutes or so later, a crispy cake of cornmeal emerged from the oven. To loosen the bread, mom always gave the skillet a good shake before turning loose the cornbread, bottom side now up, onto a plate. The brown and crispy bread was ready to be cut into wedges, buttered with Country Crock, and served with the thick, meaty pinto beans. To have sweetened this delightfully savory cornbread with just a pinch of sugar - sacrilege!

Here I am, years later and newly married to a true country boy (I declare enviously, as he grew up in a more rural area). When the weather turned cold enough for cornbread (this time with chili), I did my best to replicate my mother's method (butter replacing both the Crisco and the Country Crock). To my chagrin, my country boy, my true Okie requested that I add jalapenos, sugar, and a bit of flour to my cornbread. This suggestion makes the cornbread more akin to his grandmother's cornbread. Knowing I cannot in anyway compete with Shane's grandmother (even my heart attack worthy cinnamon rolls cannot compare to her pecan rolls), I have fine-tuned my corn bread recipe for my palate and his. The result is a beautiful, red-chile speckled corn muffin, heavy on the (fine) yellow cornmeal and light on the all purpose flour and sugar.

I served these corn muffins with a chicken chili featured in the April 2007 Gourmet. The chili was good, but the consistency needs some adjusting. I plan on making the chili again soon, specifically to fiddle with the chunky to smooth ratio but also because Shane was not able to fully taste the chili because of his lingering cold.

Adapted from Southernfood.about.com

Soaking the chile peppers in warm milk infuses the milk with the flavor of the peppers. Both the milk and the peppers in mixed into the muffin batter creating red-speckled, mildly spiced muffins. For more heat, do not remove all the seeds from the peppers.

INGREDIENTS:
2 dried New Mexico Chile Peppers, stemmed and seeded
2 cups sour milk, warmed
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 cups yellow corn meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 - 2 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled
2 eggs, beaten

PREPARATION:
Soak peppers in warmed milk for 15 minutes. Remove peppers and set milk aside. Coarsely chop peppers and set aside.

Sift dry ingredients together; cut in butter until mixture is coarse like meal. Combine eggs and milk; stir into cornmeal mixture. Carefully fold in chopped peppers being careful to not overmix. Spoon into greased muffin pans and bake at 425° for 25 to 30 minutes.

Makes 18 muffins