Hand-Made Corn Tortillas

Makes 12- 6" tortillas

 

2 cups masa harina

1 teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cup hot water

 

      Combine masa and salt in food processor.  Add water and mix well.  Dough should not be crumbly or sticky.  Cover and let rest 1 hour. 

      Divide dough into balls about the size of a walnut.  To flatten, place each ball between sheets of waxed paper and flatten in tortilla press.  Can be frozen at this point.

      Bake each in hot pan for 1-2 minutes per side, until lightly browned and dry.  Place baked ones in moistened towel.  Can be warmed in microwave.  Serve with butter.

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Savory Tomato Bread Pudding

Serves 4 to 6                                                                          Gourmet, June 1995\

 

2-14 ½ ounce cans stewed tomatoes including liquid

2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

8 slices artisan bread, crusts discarded, cut into 1-inch pieces

Optional: 5 to 6 thick slices of fresh mozzarella

Parmesan cheese

 

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. In a small saucepan simmer tomatoes, brown sugar, Worcestershire and cayenne. Stir for 5 minutes. In a large bowl drizzle butter over bread pieces and toss to coat. Pour bread into standard-sized bread loaf pan. Distribute the mozzarella slices evenly into the center of the bread and top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is slightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool and firm up for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

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Cheese Bread

Serves 4

 

4 English muffins, halved

butter

Parmesan cheese

 

      Lightly toast muffins.  Butter and sprinkle with cheese.  Broil until brown.

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Mother's Famous Biscuits

 

2 ½ cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

3 (egg size) lumps Crisco

3/4 + cup buttermilk

butter, melted

 

      Sift first 4 ingredients together.  Add Crisco and mix with fingers.  Add milk.  Lift and fold with spoon until just moist. Kneed lightly for 30 seconds.  Dump onto floured board.  Press dough lightly with fingers to mold 1-inch high.  Cut out and set on cookie sheets, 2 thick, to prevent burning.  Top with melted butter.  (Freeze; bake for 15-18 minutes.)

      Bake 450 for 12 minutes on top of an additional cookie sheet.

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Cheese Puff Ring

 1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1 cup flour

4 eggs

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

 

      In heavy porcelain pot boil milk, butter, salt and pepper.  Take off heat and add flour all at once, beating with hand mixer until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms a ball. Beat in one egg at a time until mixture is smooth and well blended.  Mix in 1/2 cup cheese. 

      Using ice cream scoop, make 8 equal-sized mounds of dough in a circle on baking sheet covered with parchment paper, using about 3/4 of dough.  Each ball should just touch the next one. 

      With remaining dough, place a small mound of dough on top of each larger mounds.  Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over all.  Bake on center shelf at 350 for 55 minutes, or until puffs are lightly browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

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Borsain Crescent Rolls

Serves 8

 

1 package Pillsburry refrigerated crescent dough

1 package Borsain cheese

 

Spread dough with Borsain, roll and bake as directed.

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Crepe Batter

 

Full recipe makes 32-36 crepes

(1/2 recipe) makes 12 crepes

 

4 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

2 1/4 cusp milk

1/4 cup melted butter

 

      Blend 1 minute.  Scrape down sides.  Blend 15 sec.  Refrigerate at least 1 hr.

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Rosemary Focaccia

Makes one 15 ½ by 10 ½-inch rectangle or two 8-inch rounds                Cook’s

Dough:

1 medium baking potato, peeled and quartered

1 ½ teaspoon rapid-rise yeast

3 ½ cups unbleached flour

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 ¼ teaspoon salt

 

Topping:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

¾ teaspoon  coarse salt

 

Dough: 

      1)  Simmer potato in water for 25 minutes.  Drain; cool and rice.  Set aside.

      2)  In electric mixer bowl mix yeast, ½ cup flour, ½ cup warm water.  Cover tightly and set aside for 20 minutes.  Add remaining dough ingredients including potato.  Using paddle attachment, mix on low speed (#2) until dough comes together.  Switch to dough hook and increase speed to medium (#4); continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. 

      3)  Transfer dough to lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat with oil, and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Let rise in warm area, about 1 hour.

      4)  With wet hands, press dough flat into generously oiled 15 ½ by 10 ½-inch jelly roll pan. Or, half and flatten into 8-inch round on large (at least 18-inches long) generously oiled baking sheet.  Cover dough with lightly greased plastic wrap; let rise in warm area until dough doubles, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

      5)  Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 425-degrees.  With two wet fingers, dimple risen dough at regular intervals.

 

Topping:

      6)  Drizzle dough with oil and sprinkle evenly with rosemary and coarse salt, landing some in pools of oil.

      7)  Bake until bottoms are golden and crisp, about 20-23 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack to cool slightly.  Cut into squares or wedges; serve warm,.  Can be reheated or frozen up to 1 month.

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Jalapeno-Cheddar Corn Bread

Serves 6-8

1 cup coarse cornmeal

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons, melted butter

1-2 jalapenos, finely chopped

1 cup green onion, minced

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

 

       Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat to 425-degreen. Grease a 9-inch square metal pan.

       Whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt together in large bowl. Push dry ingredients up side of bowl to make a well.

       Crack eggs into well and stir lightly with wooden spoon, then add buttermilk and milk. Stir wet and dry ingredients quickly until almost combined. Add melted butter and remaining ingredients until just combined.

       Pour batter into greased pan. Bake until top is golden brown and lightly cracked and edges have pulled away from side of pan, about 25 minutes.

       Transfer pan to wire rack to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Cut cornbread into squares and serve warm.

       To serve at a later date: Thoroughly cool bread. Wrap pan in foil (for up to 1 day). Reheat at 350-degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

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Basic Popover

 

Makes 4 large  Popovers

 

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

7 ounces flour

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature

 

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.  Grease popover pan. Place all ingredients in bowl and whisk for 30 seconds. Fill cups ¾ full (you may have batter left over.). Bake on middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the popovers to a cooling rack and pierce each in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape. Serve Warm.

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Irish Soda Bread

Serves 10                                                                    Bon Appétit, October 2002

 

5 cups flour

½ cup sugar (original recipe called for 1 cup)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

2 ½ cups raisins, plumped

3 tablespoons caraway seeds

2 ½ cups buttermilk

1 large egg

 

Preheat oven (full convection) to 325-degrees. Generously butter heavy ovenproof 10-inch skillet with 2 to 2 ½-inch sides.  In food processor, mix the first 5 ingredients. Add butter and pulse until texture of coarse crumbs.  Pour into a large bowl and stir in raising and caraway seeds. Wisk in buttermilk and egg. Gently fold into flour mixture until well incorporated. (Dough will be very sticky.) 

Transfer dough to prepared skillet, mounding slightly in center.  Using a small sharp knife dipped into flour, cut in-inch deep X in top center of dough. Bake until bread is cooked through, turning pan halfway into cooking time, and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. (Check towards end of cooking time and cover lightly with foil if the top getting too brown.)  Cool bread in skillet 10 minutes, Turn out onto rack and cool completely. Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in foil, store at room temperature.

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Raven Toast

Serves 2

 

4 thick slices bread

butter

¼ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

4 teaspoons parmesan cheese

1 t minced parsley

½ teaspoon salt

 

Spread butter on one side of bread slices. Mix together other ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture on bread. Broil until browned.

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Diana’s Thanksgiving Stock & Dressing

Serves 10

Turkey Stock: Monday

1 package turkey necks, chopped

1 package turkey giblets, sliced

left over parts from whole turkey

olive oil

2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth

celery, onion, parsley, thyme, pepper

 

Dressing: Tuesday

28 ounces Franz bread cubes (do not use herb package)

1 pound sweet Italian sausage or

Jimmy Dean sage sausage

2 medium onions, chopped

4 to 5 stalks celery, peeled and chopped, about ½ the amount of the chopped onions

1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon butter

14 ounces crimini mushrooms, stems removed and chopped

2 to 4 tablespoons minced fresh sage

¼ cup minced thyme leaves

8 cups turkey stock

1 cube butter