The National Cornbread Festival is set to go off April 29-30 2017 in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.

It’s the 21st edition.

Five-time Tennessee State Fiddle Champion Jim Wood will be sawing good and hot at the event.

A Miss Cornbread will be on hand to illustrate the beauty of Tennessee women, some of the fairest in the USA.

Of course there will be a cooking competition. 10 contestants will wade into battle in the cornbread dome with only one emerging with their life:

Ashlyn Morgan, Englewood, Tenn., cornbread Cuban sandwiches with mojo sauce

Robin Kessler, Sarasota, Fla., butternut and sage sausage skillet tart with mushrooms and smoked gouda

Pamela Gelsomini, Wrentham, Mass., cornbread crusted catfish jambalaya

Devon Delaney, Westport, Conn., seared steakhouse cornbread crepes with horseradish caper sauce

Felice Bogus, Raleigh, N.C., smokey chicken tinga street gorditas

Hidemi Walsh, Centreville, Va., chili shrimp and coconut cornbread

Sherry Kozlowski, Morgantown, W.Va., seafood pot pie

Shauna Havey Roy, Utah, steak and eggs cornbread dutch baby

Mary Edwards, Long Beach, Calif., Cajun spoon bread

and Michele Kusma, Columbus, Ohio, shakshuka-topped cornbread skillet

Grand prize is $5k

Last year’s winner was Ronna F. of Rockville, Maryland

Here’s her winning recipe:

CORNBREAD-TOPPED CORDON BLEU SKILLET

Ingredients:
1 large egg

cup milk

¼ cup sour cream

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 package Martha White® Cotton Country Buttermilk Cornbread & Muffin Mix

1 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced

1¼ cups bottled Alfredo sauce

1 4-ounce can of mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

2 ounces thinly sliced deli-style cooked ham, roughly chopped

4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

cups panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, using a wire whisk, whisk together the egg, milk, sour cream and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Blend in cornbread mix. Set aside.

In a 10-inch Lodge cast iron skillet, combine chicken, Alfredo sauce and mushrooms. Lay the spinach leaves over the chicken mixture. Scatter the ham over the spinach. Sprinkle the Swiss cheese on top of the ham. Spoon the cornbread mixture evenly over the top.

In a small bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs, remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the cornbread.

Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes until topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cornbread comes out clean. Cut into wedges.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Map of South Pittsburg