Bacon Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread

Bacon Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread 1 cup cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature 1 egg, whisked 1 tablespoon honey 5 slices bacon, cooked and diced (1 tablespoon bacon grease reserved) 4 ounces (1 cup) shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1 jalapeño, seeds & membranes removed and minced (more or less, to taste) Preheat oven to 400°F. Place a tablespoon of bacon grease (or butter) in the bottom of an 8-inch cast iron skillet and place in the oven to melt. In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter, buttermilk, egg, and honey. Mix in diced bacon, shredded cheddar, and minced jalapeño. Using a pot holder, remove hot skillet from the oven. Pour cornbread batter into center of skillet, allowing melted bacon grease to spread to the edges. Smooth the top and bake for 20 minutes, or until surface is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool skillet for 5 minutes before slicing and serving cornbread warm. Tips, Tricks, & Variations Instead of a cast iron skillet, you may bake this cornbread in an 8-inch round pan or in 12 muffin cups. If doing so, generously grease the pan/muffin cups with butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray (in lieu of preheating in the oven with melted butter). You may use regular all-purpose white flour in this recipe, or whole wheat pastry flour, or a combination of the two. I used half white flour and half whole wheat pastry flour for the cornbread in these photos. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, make your own by putting a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into the bottom of a glass measuring cup. Fill the cup to the 1-cup line with milk, stir, and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, after which the milk will have thickened and curdled like buttermilk.