Three Cheese Cornbread Muffins with Chipotle-Honey Filling

Ingredients

 Makes 8

60g mature Cheddar

60g Pecorino 

200g sweetcorn kernels, fresh, frozen or tinned      

65ml whole milk      

160ml buttermilk or yoghurt 

2 eggs 

100g plain flour          

120g quick-cook polenta       

1 tsp fine salt           

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp cayenne pepper, optional

65g melted butter     

2 small spring onions, finely chopped    

For the filling:

60g goat’s curd or Philadelphia cream cheese

2-3 tsp runny honey  

2-3 tsp chipotle paste (en adobo) 

Recipe

These light cornbread muffins with their smoky, cheesy filling with chipotle and honey, come out of the oven smelling insanely good.  I like to make them for brunch and eat them warm from the oven but you can easily re-heat them in a low oven.  Eat with butter and more cream cheese and chipotle.  I like to throw in a tray of cherry tomatoes drizzled with pomegranate molasses, olive oil and salt and pepper while they are cooking to serve on the side with a poached or fried egg.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.  

Grate the cheeses onto a plate. Put the sweetcorn and 80g of the cheese mix in a food processor and blitz until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the milk, buttermilk or yoghurt and eggs.         

In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and stir into the wet mix, along with the spring onions and melted butter. If not using the cayenne pepper season with cracked black pepper.       

Thoroughly grease a muffin tray and divide half the mixture amongst the muffin tin holes. Spoon tablespoons of the cream cheese mix into each muffin, topping with a drizzle of honey and a smear of chipotle.  Cover with the rest of the muffin mixture, smooth over and sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the rest of the grated cheeses. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden on top and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, then eat immediately or leave to cool on a wire rack.