Directions:

1. Cornbread: Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix together buttermilk, whole milk, 2 eggs, and melted butter. Mix wet and dry ingredients together until they are well-combined.
3. Prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with pan spray. Pour batter into the pan. Bake until cake tester comes out clean – approximately 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Let cool, then chill overnight in refrigerator to set.
4. Pudding: Preheat oven to 300°F. Remove crust from cornbread and dice into 1⁄2 inch cubes. Spread cornbread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast cornbread in the oven until it is dry. Remove from oven and reserve. Raise the oven temperature to 375°F.
5. Rub chile peppers with oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until skin blisters – approximately 15-20 minutes.
6. Remove chile peppers from the oven and place in a bowl. Wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap until skin loosens – approximately 10 minutes. Remove the skin and set aside to cool.
7. Divide chile peppers in half. Puree 1⁄2 in the blender and finely dice the other 1⁄2. Reserve.
8. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup buttermilk, heavy cream, 5 eggs, pureed and diced peppers, cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. Add the cubed cornbread and gently fold into the liquid, being careful not to break down the cornbread. Allow mixture to sit for 1-2 hours before baking. This allows the bread to soak up the ingredients and allows for a much better pudding.
9. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with pan spray. Pour pudding into pan and bake in water bath until cake tester comes out clean – approximately 45 minutes. Rotate pan halfway through cooking time. Pudding should be firm but not dry.