For me the summer means BBQs and outdoor eating. Our allotment will often have BBQs through the summer months when we can all get together for a chat and a cold drink.
I spent a few years living in Chicago and a staple BBQ side dish that I fell in love with was the cornbread muffin. If you add some chopped chillies as well you get the perfect balance of sweetness from the muffin and heat from the chillies. Often jalapeños are used as the chilli of choice. I love an Aji lemon chilli in them but use whatever chilli you love.
Mix it up – You can also throw in some chopped chives or any fresh herbs you have growing. Go ahead and make your own fantastic and fresh combination.
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
160g cornmeal (also called polenta)
145g plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
100g caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
240ml milk
60g butter, melted
2 large eggs
60 ml honey
2 jalapeños, finely chopped (or your favourite chillies)
Instructions:
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan.
• In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together – cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter and honey.
• Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined and there are no lumps.
• Gently mix in the chopped chillies.
• Grease the muffin tin, or line with muffin cases and fill 2/3 full with the mixture.
• Place the muffin tin on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown and you can insert a skewer and it comes comes out clean.
• Allow muffins to cool for a couple of minutes in the tin, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
• Best eaten warm but can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.
- Ingredients:
- 160g cornmeal (also called polenta)
- 145g plain flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 240ml milk
- 60g butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 60 ml honey
- 2 jalapeños, finely chopped (or your favourite chillies)
- • Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan.
- • In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together - cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- • In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter and honey.
- • Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined and there are no lumps.
- • Gently mix in the chopped chillies.
- • Grease the muffin tin, or line with muffin cases and fill ⅔ full with the mixture.
- • Place the muffin tin on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown and you can insert a skewer and it comes comes out clean.
- • Allow muffins to cool for a couple of minutes in the tin, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
- • Best eaten warm but can be stored in an airtight container for a few days