Ross's Shrimp & Grits with Honey Jalapeno Cornbread

I absolutely love shrimp & grits. Unfortunately they're hard to find in NYC, so I really only have them when I go home to Charleston. But when I have a craving and need them in between trips, I'll have my mom send me a bag of white stone ground grits. My brother Ross happens to make killer shrimp and grits, here's his recipe:
Render bacon in olive oil until super crispy, remove and drain, caramelize hot Italian sausage (links cut into bite sized pieces) in the bacon fat, remove and drain. Caramelize onions and red bell pepper (cut into strips) in the bacon/sausage fat. Season with garlic, salt and pepper, then remove from bacon/sausage fat. Add butter to fat (sounds disgusting but makes it oh so good) and combine. Add flour to fat/butter and make into a roux. When the roux has developed a deep chocolate color add chicken stock to thin the mixture into a gravy. Add shrimp to the gravy (season shrimp with salt, pepper, etc. Add peppers/onions/sausage when you turn the shrimp, serve over grits, garnish with bacon and scallions.
Grits: Add stone ground grits to boiling chicken stock, once cooked add butter, salt, pepper and cream.


He recommends pairing this with his honey jalapeno cornbread:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus butter for baking dish
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup roasted corn
1/2 cup seared jalapeno
6 tbsp honey
2 tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add roasted corn and seared jalapeno in the batter.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk, and butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and fold together until there are no dry spots (the batter will still be lumpy). Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake until the top is golden brown and tester inserted into the middle of the corn bread comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Upon removing the cornbread from the oven poke small holes in the top. Drizzle 2/3 honey, 1/3 butter mixture over the tip. Let cool then slice.