This is what happens when Martha Stewart inspires you way too much. I try not to watch her show much anymore because I am the type of person that sees her do something and then I become obsessed with the idea and have to try it. The problem is that I only complete about 50% of the things that I see her do. Sure, I made this Thanksgiving cornbread in the special turkey pan she used, but still lingering are projects that I haven’t done, like making wax initials with a letterpress, wax sticks and a glue gun, glittering some pine cones for a crystal bowl I have on my dining room table and embossing my velvet Christmas stockings with a faux bois finish. I’m serious, I actually have everything you need to do these projects. They are in my hall closet. However, the only thing I don’t have is time. Oddly enough, when I do have the time, I just don’t have the energy. I see Martha wincing now.
I turned on Martha’s show only once leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. It was the show where she made these cornbread turkeys. I was obsessed and knew that it was happening again….the urge to make something beautiful that she made. I ran to my computer and frantically searched for the right turkey mold pan. I found it on Amazon.com. I had it sent via overnight FedEx, which cost me about as much as the pan. I received the pan late Wednesday evening and knew that it was perfect for the recipe to be made on Thanksgiving morning. I was right on schedule.
The cornbread recipe to fill the mold was very simple to make. The cornbread is actually a little more dense than the cornbread recipe I usually make, but still very delicious. The addition of the jalapeno peppers and the cheddar cheese was a nice addition to the cornbread recipe. They both gave the bread a little punch. Here’s how I did it:
Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 cups fresh (from about 3 ears) or thawed frozen corn kernels
- 3 jalapeno chiles, minced (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired)
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 large eggs
- 2 1/4 cups buttermilk, well shaken
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 5-cup turkey-shaped pans with cooking spray. Melt 1/2 cup butter and let cool.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high. Cook corn, jalapeno, and shallots, stirring occasionally, until soft, 4 to 6 minutes.
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add eggs; whisk eggs into flour mixture.
Whisk together melted butter and buttermilk; stir into flour mixture, along with corn mixture and cheddar. Mix until well combined.
Divide the batter evenly between prepared pans; smooth tops. Transfer to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly before inverting onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Christmas is right around the corner. I know Martha will do something that I will see or hear about and the free-for-all will begin all over again. What will it be? Hand felted Santa suits, carve your own reindeer antlers, a simple dinner for 100? If you find out, please don’t let me know. Well, maybe just a hint is fine. Do you stalk have a favorite famous personality that you like and follow?