Buttermilk Polenta Cornbread with Whipped Jalapeño Butter

This easy Buttermilk Polenta Cornbread is perfect to make in British kitchens, freezes well, and is delicious served with a light and tangy whipped jalapeño butter.

📝 Ingredients

• 200 g (7 oz) ground polenta
• 160 g (5 1/2 oz) plain (all purpose) flour
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 green chillis
• large pinch salt
• 260 ml (9 oz) buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 120 ml (4 1/4 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 150 g (5 1/4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 25 g (3/4 oz) pickled jalapeños, from a jar
• 2 tbsp jalapeño pickling juice, from the jar

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees (320 fahrenheit).To make the cornbread, stir together the polenta, flour, sugar, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl until combined.Deseed and finely chop the chillis and stir them into the mixture.
2. 2Measure the buttermilk out into a large jug and beat in the eggs, followed by the melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until combined.
3. 3Grease a large cake tin (square or round, whatever you’ve got) well and line the bottom with a piece of baking parchment. Spoon in the prepared batter and smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean and the top feels firm.
4. 4Meanwhile, make the whipped jalapeño butter by blitzing all the ingredients in a mini chopper or food processor – it may feel like it is not coming together at first whipping liquid into fat, but suddenly it will just come together and have a beautifully light texture.
5. 5Serve the cornbread warm with the whipped jalapeño butter on the side.