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.
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.
