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• Padma Lakshmi’s Top Recipes!

• Mexican Cornbread with Jalapeno and Chorizo

  INGREDIENTS

  1 cup yellow corn meal
  1 cup all-purpose flour
  ½ cup granulated sugar
  3 teaspoons baking powder
  ¼ teaspoon salt
  ½ teaspoon baking soda
  ½ teaspoon cayenne
  2 large eggs
  1 cup whole milk
  1 tablespoon olive oil
  1/3 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
  ½ cup chopped pickled jalapenos
  1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained or 1 pound frozen corn kernels
  1/3 cup diced chorizo sausage
  2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  1 teaspoon sumac (optional)

  DIRECTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Ina large bowl, mix together the corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cayenne.
  3. Separately, in a smaller bowl, thoroughly beat and mix together the eggs, milk, and olive oil. When this mixture is as uniform as possible, add the Monterey Jack cheese, jalapenos and the corn, and mix further.
  4. Add the diced chorizo to the egg and cheese mixture, and mix in. To add this egg mixture to the dry flour mixture, clear the center of the flour bowl to make a well, carefully pour in the egg mixture, and mix together with a fork. You must amalgamate all of the flour, including the powder on the sides of the bowl. Add the dill, and continue to vigorously mix.
  5. Pour this batter into a Bundt, round, or square baking pan 8 or 9 inches across, coated with a little olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. When done, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool for about 20 minutes before carefully flipping the corn bread onto a cake plate.
  6. Just before serving, dust the sumac powder over the top of the bread for some added color and spice.

  SERVES 8

  INDIAN RIVER JULEP

  Makes 1 drink

  INGREDIENTS
  12 fresh mint leaves, plus 1 sprig for garnish
  ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
  Ice
  3 ounces chilled Tropicana Pure Indian River Grapefruit
  Club soda, chilled

  DIRECTIONS
  Bruise mint leaves with sugar in a 12 ounce glass. Fill glass with ice; add grapefruit juice and enough club soda to fill. Stir and garnish drink with a mint sprig.