Chef Bernard's Crawfish and Jalapeno Cornbread

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bacon, small dice
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup grated Cheddar
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup diced jalapeno
• 1 pound peeled cooked crawfish tails
• 2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet and add the bacon. Cook, stirring often, until the most of the fat has rendered from the bacon and the bacon is crispy, 7 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and reserve. Transfer the skillet with bacon drippings to the oven. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients with the Cheddar. In a second mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and jalapeno and add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. Season the crawfish tails with the Essence and fold them and the bacon into the cornbread batter. Remove the hot skillet from the oven and add the cornbread batter to the hot pan. Bake until light golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William Morrow, 1993.