Masa Cornbread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm really fond of baked goods that use masa as an ingredient. With barbecue season reeving up, I thought it would be nice to have a masa flavored cornbread to serve with some of our grilled meals. Masa, a flour made from corn, adds distinctive flavor and texture to baked goods  and I've found it adds an unmistakably Southwestern flair to cornbread. I stumbled on two recipes, found here and here, that use it as an ingredient and I was able to cherry-pick from them to come up with the recipe I'm featuring today. This is very easy to make, but I have found that the amount of milk needed to make the cornbread can vary from one occasion to the next. If you find the batter is too stiff to work, add additional milk, a spoonful at a time, until it is of spreadable consistency. I prefer my cornbread unadorned, but chiles and cheese can be added to the batter if you'd  like yours to have a bit more kick or flavor.  This was a welcome addition to our table today. I had planned to grill, but the weather turned cold and we are back in heavy sweaters and ended up having chili for dinner. This was a perfect accompaniment. I think those of you who try the cornbread will enjoy it. Here's the recipe.

Masa Cornbread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Bon Appetit and Chow.com

Ingredients:
1 cup masa harina
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 3 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup or 1/2 stick) butter, melted plus 1 tablespoon for skillet

Directions:
1) Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet on center rack of oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2) Whisk masa, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large bowl.
3) Whisk milk, eggs and 4 tablespoons butter together in a small bowl.
4) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir to combine. Do not over-mix.
5) Film bottom and sides of hot skillet with reserved tablespoon of butter. Spoon batter into skillet and smooth top.
6) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges are browned and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan or on a rack slightly before serving. Serve war. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.










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Cream Scones with Blueberries, Cardamom and Masa

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have been working my way through the gift basket and recipes that I received from McCormick for participating in their Flavor Forecast this year. As often happens, I find it hard to drop a good thing when I'm on a roll, so, despite the fact that my obligation to them had been met, I continued to test and experiment with the new flavor combinations when time permitted. I was intrigued by McCormick's suggested pairing of blueberries with cardamom and corn masa and it immediately called to mind a recipe for cornmeal scones that I had originally seen on the the blog, Joy of Baking. I really liked the scones and the recipe lent itself to a simple ingredient swap that would allow me to test the new combination. So, corn masa replaced stone ground cornmeal, frozen blueberries took the place of currants, and cardamom was added to the dry ingredient list. The changes to the recipe were minimal but the flavor profile was completely different. While the addition of cardamom took these scones to another level, they still retained the nuttiness and hint of grittiness that was characteristic of the original recipe. Because of the temperature at which these bake, the scones have a crisp crust that belies their soft and tender interior. They really are lovely, though less sweet than many might prefer. These are very easy to make and can be on the table within an hour. They will not disappoint. Here's the recipe for those of you who would like to give this new flavor profile a try.

Cream Scones with Blueberries, Cardamom and Masa...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Joy of Baking and McCormick Flavor Forecast 2012

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup masa harina (instant corn masa flour)
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup half and half or whipping cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze: Cream

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place oven rack in center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, masa, sugar, baking powder, salt, cardamom and orange zest. Add frozen blueberries to flour mixture and stir well. In a small measuring cup, whisk together cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Add this to flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together.
3) Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat, or roll, dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1-1/2 inches thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place scones on baking sheet. Brush tops of the scones with a little cream.
4) Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 8 scones.

You might also enjoy the recipe for Blueberry Cardamom Corn Muffins on the blog, Jersey Girl Cooks. They sound delicious.









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