Too ‘Gouda’ to Be True Cornbread Cakes with Pancetta-Laced Seafood Cream Sauce
Pamela Gelsomini won the 2017 National Cornbread Cook-Off with this recipe. Serves 6-8.
combine the Martha White Cornbread Mix, egg, milk, corn and cheese to form a batter. Heat a large Lodge Cast Iron Skillet over medium heat with the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Working in two batches of three, make 6-inch pancakes (I use an ice cream scoop to get consistent size). Let cook until you can see the bottoms starting to brown, about 1-2 minutes, and flip to brown the other side. Cakes should be fluffy and golden brown. Place on a cookie sheet, covered with foil, and place in a 200-degree Fahrenheit oven to keep warm. Heat your Lodge skillet, over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle scallops with teaspoon salt, teaspoon of the black pepper, the garlic powder and paprika. Lightly massage the scallops so the seasonings are evenly distributed. Place each scallop in the very hot skillet, careful not to crowd, and sear for 11⁄2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside. Add another tablespoon each of olive oil and butter to the pan and sear shrimp until they turn pink, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining olive oil and butter to the pan. Saute onions and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add mushrooms and pancetta and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until pancetta renders fat and mushrooms begin to brown. Add jalapeno, green bell and red bell peppers to the skillet and saute until just soft, about 3 more minutes.
In a large bowl,
Add corn, cream and Dijon mustard to the skillet and bring to a boil and let reduce until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in shredded Gouda and lemon juice. Serve one Gouda corn cake topped with seafood sauce and garnish with parsley.