By April 2023 and the catering season was building toward a big month. Art had three events booked in April and May, and he'd asked me to take on more of the sourcing—finding the right dried corn, the right bean varieties, the right sumac and wild onions from the people who were still harvesting them traditionally. It meant more phone calls, more driving, more relationships with growers and harvesters I didn't know yet. I found it more interesting than I expected.
There was a woman near Stilwell who had been growing the specific bean varieties used in traditional Cherokee bean bread for forty years. Art knew of her but hadn't established a direct relationship. I drove out on a Thursday morning and spent two hours at her kitchen table while she told me about the varieties she maintained and the history of how she'd gotten them and what she thought about people's interest in traditional foods these days. She was skeptical and warm at once, which is the appropriate combination.
She sold me four pounds of dried bean bread beans and a quart of dried corn that she'd processed herself. She said if the food I made from them was good she might be interested in supplying more. I said I'd come back and show her. She said she'd hold me to that.
Made bean bread from her beans that weekend. The difference was real and specific—a depth and sweetness that the grocery-store pintos don't have. I called her on Sunday and left a message that said: the bread is good. You grow something important and I'll be back. I hope she heard the weight in that. She probably did.
The bean bread I made from her beans that weekend was the real thing, and it reminded me that corn and beans are never really separate in this tradition—they belong together the way the grower and the seed do. I wanted something I could bring to Art’s prep table that honored that pairing without pretending to be what it wasn’t, and these mini corn muffins with a spicy cheddar center felt right: small, honest, built around good cornmeal, and the kind of thing that disappears fast because people mean it when they reach for a second one. Make them with the best stone-ground cornmeal you can find—it matters here just like the beans mattered there.
Mini Corn Muffins With Spicy Cheddar Filling
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 24 mini muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 24 small cubes (about 1/2-inch each)
- 1 to 2 fresh jalapeños, seeded and finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin thoroughly with butter or non-stick spray, making sure to coat the edges well.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne, and smoked paprika until evenly combined.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter, and honey together until smooth.
- Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined—a few small lumps are fine. Fold in the minced jalapeño. Do not overmix.
- Fill the tin. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of batter into each mini muffin cup. Press one cube of cheddar into the center of each, then top with just enough additional batter to cover the cheese and bring each cup to about 3/4 full.
- Bake. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the edge (not the cheese center) comes out clean.
- Cool and serve. Let muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm. The cheese center will be melted and slightly spicy—best eaten fresh.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 88 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 10g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 112mg