9. Cornbread

 Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! I just wanted to take a quick second and blog about my latest baking adventure- Cornbread, which happens to make the 9th item completed off my top 100 list.  After buying the cornmeal and seeing a recipe on the back of the package for cornbread, it seemed too easy-- as in no real challenge at all. Now, where would the fun be in that?

So, I decided to challenge myself and turn our traditional cornbread dressing/stuffing, made with store bought dehydrated cornmeal pieces, into a completely homemade dish. You are forewarned, after a long day of cooking and due to my love affair with dressing there are no pictures of the completed product.

Ready for the oven.

As for the cornbread itself, the true top 100 list item, it was just okay. It was good cornbread to turn into something else, but it was not too tasty all on its own. Do not get me wrong, it was adequate, but nothing sensational. (However, for the dressing it was wonderful). In the future I would use this recipe again, but I would definitely use butter instead of oil and probably more than the recipe recommended. When I make cornbread, I like to melt a whole stick of butter in the pan and just pour the batter into the hot melted butter. I know it is unhealthy, but it taste wonderful! And if I am going to eat cornbread, which I am not a huge fan of anyway, it needs to be delightful.

Cut into cubes...

Cornbread

(as adapted from the back of a Corn Meal Canister [I do not remember which one])
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg

Method
1. Mix together all dry ingredients.

2. Add wet ingredients to dry.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. Prepare with floured, non-stick spray a 9X13 pan (if making dressing) or a 9x9 or 8x8 if making plain cornbread to eat.

5. Cook for approximately 25 minutes for the 9x13 pan. Look for the bread to be golden brown in color, the sides to pull away from the pan, and a tester coming out clean when poked in the center.

...and toasted.

My dressing recipe is really free form, but I thought I would include what I put in my dressing, just in case you were interested. If not interested, you may stop reading here :-)

1. 1 pan of the corn bread recipe above, cut into cubes, toasted and set aside.

2. Sauté 1 shallot, 8 oz baby portabella mushrooms, and minced garlic together, in olive oil, until soft.

3. Dice two apple sage vegetarian sausages and add to pan.

3. Mix pan ingredients with cornbread cubes, salt, pepper, and two heaping handfuls of dried cranberries.

4. Add 1 box of veggie stock to mixture and spoon dressing into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.

5. Dot the top of the dressing with butter (or margarine).

6. Bake at 350, uncovered for approximately 30 minutes. I like my stuffing slightly crumbly and not in big massive, stick together bricks. This recipe produces said results. If your stuffing gets to dry add more stock and continue to let it cook. If the cornbread cubes are browning too fast, cover the stuffing with foil and continue to bake if not done.

The Savory Side of Crostata: November Daring Bakers’ Challenge

 The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

Rolled out crostata dough.  Look at those dill specks!

When I got this challenge, I was intent on completing it as soon as possible. I wanted to get it out of the way before Thanksgiving madness took over the kitchen and the grocery stores. The challenge recipe was released on Monday and I intended to bake my crostata on Wednesday, my day off. The only requirements of the challenge were to make the crostata dough following one of two recipes given and then fill the crostata with a filling of your choice.

Crostata fresh out of the oven, still puffed up.

For two days I poured over ideas in recipe books, internet sites, and my own thoughts. I could not come up with a flavor combination or any type of filling I actually wanting at that moment. I thought about a cranberry puree with orange zest, mascarpone cheesecake type filling, or a chocolate hazelnut pastry cream, just to name a few ideas. None of them stuck. I was just not feeling anything sweet at that moment.

Dough lined tart pan.

Let me give you a second to pick yourself up off the floor. I know, I was just as surprised by this revelation as you were. Me, the person whose names is synonymous with sweets, to the point where I am automatically placed under the dessert column for pot lucks, did not want something sweet. After I got over the initial shock, I decided I wanted something savory, but also not just veggies. I wanted savory custard, like a quiche but less egg-y.

Therefore, I created my own recipe for a Savory Dill and Cheddar Custard Crostata. I made a few adaption’s to the provide challenge recipe to account for the savory verses sweet filling. I was delighted with the results. The crust was flaky and delicious and the custard was creamy and satisfying. I would definitely make this again.

First glorious slice.

CRUST

235g - Flour

Pinch of Salt

1 stick butter/ grated/ super cold

1 large egg & 1 yolk, lightly beaten

Shot of Lemon Juice
3-4 Sprigs of Dill, chopped

Blind baked crust.  Notice the shrinking... I overworked it a tad.

1. Combine flour and salt.

2. Rub in butter until mixture is crumbly. Do not over combine.

3. Create well in the middle of flour mixture and add eggs.

4. Add lemon juice and dill to center of the egg well.

5. Mix wet ingredients into dry with a fork.

6. Flop mixture out onto a floured surface and knead until combine.

7. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.

8. Remove dough from fridge and roll out into a circle big enough to fill tart pan.

9. Place dough in tart pan, being careful not to stretch it to avoid shrinking in the oven. Trim off the excess dough.

10. Blind bake the crust at 375 degrees- 15 minutes with pie weights/beans and another 15 minutes without the weights until the crust is nice and golden brown. (I should have baked my crust a little longer. So shoot for a shade darker than the pictures of my crust.)

Cheddar cheese in crust awaiting its custard-y mate.

CHEDDAR DILL CUSTARD

3 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 cups - Heavy Cream

Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 cup – Grated Cheddar Cheese
4-5 spring of Dill, chopped

Ready for baking...

1. With a whisk beat together eggs and heavy cream.

2. Add salt and dill, whisking until combined.

3. Sprinkle cheese over the cooled crostata crust.

4. Pour egg mixture of over the cheese into the crust. The pan can be filled to almost the top of the crostata crust as the custard does not rise much. (Account for your dexterity in moving a full pie to the oven and any un-levelness in your oven.)

5. Bake the completely assembled crostata for about 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven until the center is just set.

... And it was good!

Be sure to check out the other Daring Bakers at http://www.thedaringkitchen.com/.