Emeril's Modified Skillet Cornbread

So I was watching the Food Network's All-Star Thanksgiving Special from 2004 the other day, and was inspired to try creating Emeril's Skillet Cornbread. It's got jalapenos and bacon in it, amongst other things, and seeing it reminded me of the jalapeno cheddar scones that I had while on my family's Alaska trip this summer on a Wilderness 4x4 off-road adventure on Kruzof Island near Sitka, AK (check out the company that runs the program here). Emeril's original recipe can be found here.


I modified it a bit because neither I nor my roommate currently owns a cast-iron skillet. Instead, I found 2 12-count muffin tins that I used...the recipe provided by the website allowed me to fill 20 of the muffin holes. Since muffins bake in a shorter amount of time than a whole skillet of batter, they ended up taking only about 15 minutes instead of 25. Also, after the first 10 minutes or so I pulled the muffins out, spread some grated cheddar cheese along the top of each muffin, and returned it to the oven for the remaining time (basically, until I decided that the cheese was sufficiently melted, but not runny).

Result was overall positive, though the jalapeno taste didn't come through very well, I would have liked to taste a bit more of the heat from the peppers. Next time I may not be so meticulous in removing all the veins and seeds, to preserve more of the heat.