In my kitchen, we love hot and spicy food – so each year when the holiday rolls around, I find a way to celebrate. What holiday you ask? Of course its International Hot and Spicy Food Day held on the 16th of January. Here’s this year’s winner from our hot and spicy dinner!

Spicy Hot Cornbread

• 4 OZ Unsalted Butter, Melted
• ¼ Cup Raw Sugar
• 2 TB Honey
• 1 Large Egg
• 2 Large Egg Whites
• 1 Cup Light Buttermilk
• 2/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/3 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• ½ Cup Coarse Grind Cornmeal (Bobs Red Mill makes a good one and it’s easy to find)
• ½ Cup Fine Grind Cornmeal
• ½ Tsp Baking Soda
• ½ Tsp Fine Sea Salt
• 1 ½ Cups Frozen Corn, defrosted for a few minutes in the microwave
• 2 Jalapeños, ribbed seeded and chopped finely
• 3 TB Hot Sauce, your choice like Sriracha, Gochujang or other, plus 2 tsp for topping

Step One

Turn the oven to 375F. Oil a 9” cast iron skillet with grapeseed or avocado oil Place the skillet in the oven to preheat with the oven.

Step Two

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, honey, eggs and whites and buttermilk and stir until smooth.

Step Three

Sift the flour, fine cornmeal, baking soda and salt together in another bowl. Whisk in the coarse cornmeal.

Step Four

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl ½ cup at a time, making sure no lumps remain. Stir in the corn, jalapeños and hot sauce.

Step Five

Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour in the cornbread batter. Drizzle the remaining 2 tsp of hot sauce over the top in four lines. Then use a toothpick and run it through the four lines of hot sauce to let others know this is a spicy cornbread! Return to the oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until just set and not jiggly in the middle. Remove and cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

Cheers!

We enjoyed a Finger Lakes Riesling with our Spicy Cornbread and loved it with the rest of our dinner, too!