Cornbread Sandwiches

This recipe was inspired by a trip with a girlfriend to Jefferson, TX. We went for the day to shop and have lunch together. It was such a nice day. Jefferson has lots of antique stores to explore. I found lots of Fiesta to drool over and my friend was on the hunt for carnival glass. I came home that day with two Fiesta cream soup bowls and an appreciation for cornbread sandwiches. See we had lunch at Kitt's Kornbread Sandwich and Pie Bar. It was one of the places my girlfriend said was a must. Boy was she right! Kitt’s is a cute little sandwich shop that makes all their sandwiches on cornbread. You can get the original which is ham or turkey or you can get some specialties like “The Texan” which is chili and cheese. They let you choose from plain or broccoli cornbread. I had a veggie sandwich. It was delicious. My friend and I discussed trying to make it at home.

Well I just got around to giving it a try Sunday. I decided to try making a jalapeno cheese cornbread for my sandwiches. All along I knew the hard part would be baking the cornbread. You want it to be thin, fluffy but not crumbly. I think I got the thickness right. When you slice it in half, each half is the thickness of sandwich bread. The flavor was wonderful not to spicy or cheesy and big corn flavor. The texture I want to experiment with a little more. It was moist and not crumbly, it sliced just perfect. But next time I want to try to use a little more flour and less cornmeal. I want to try to make it a little fluffier. But all in all, I was very pleased with the out come for my first try.

Now for the sandwiches, the first sandwich I made was veggie. It had layers of American cheese, tomato, red onion, mayo and spinach. It was very good. Then dear sister came over and I made hers with the addition of smoked turkey. It was amazing! Like sister said, “There is just something about the smoky turkey that sets it off.” I agree the turkey was my favorite. But just think about it, there are so many possibilities for more cornbread sandwiches. I am sure this is not the last time I will give them a try. I hope you will give it a try too. Or maybe plan a trip to Jefferson and go visit Kitt for the original Kornbread Sandwich.

Cornbread Sandwiches

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the cornbread:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup 1% milk

1 large egg, beaten lightly

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup 2% sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1 green onion, thinly sliced and divided

1 Tbsp sliced pickled jalapenos, minced (plus 4 slices for the garnish)

For the sandwiches:

3 Tbsp. light mayonnaise

4 slices American cheese

12 thin slices of smoked turkey or ham

1 tomato, sliced

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

Fresh baby spinach leaves

Kosher salt, to taste

Directions

In a bowl stir together the flour, the cornmeal, the sugar, the baking powder, and the salt. In another bowl whisk milk, egg, and butter. Add wet ingredients to dry; stir the mixture until it is combined. Add half of the cheese, half the green onion and 1 Tbsp. minced jalapenos; stir to combine. Spread the batter in an even layer in a greased 8-inch-square baking pan. Top with remaining cheese, green onion and 4 slices of jalapeno. Bake the corn bread in the middle of a preheated 425° oven for 20 minutes, or until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and the top is golden. Let cornbread cool and invert it onto a cutting board.

Cut the corn bread in half and cut each half in half again (each about 4 by 4 inches). Halve each piece horizontally with a serrated knife and spread the bottom halves of the corn bread with some of the mayonnaise. Season the tomato and onion with a little salt. Layer the bottom halves with cheese, ham or turkey, tomato, red onion and spinach. Cover the sandwiches with the top halves of the corn bread and serve.

Note: The sandwiches are great room temperature, but they are also delicious re-heated. Just pop the cornbread open faced with a slice of cheese in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then assemble with your choice of ingredients. Yum!

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo 
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
Memories by the Mile: Tuesday Trivia and Link Party - Nebraska
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Sandwiches