Asiago Cornmeal Cookies Recipes

TUSCAN CORNBREAD WITH ASIAGO BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a 10-in. cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, cook pancetta over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Reserve drippings in skillet. If necessary, add enough oil to measure 2 tablespoons drippings., In a large bowl, whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, basil and garlic until blended; stir in tomatoes. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in olives and pancetta., Place skillet with drippings in oven; heat 2 minutes. Tilt pan to coat bottom and sides with drippings. Add batter to hot pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in oil until blended; stir in cheese, green onion, basil, oregano and, if desired, garlic. Serve 1/2 cup butter mixture with warm cornbread (save remaining butter for another use).

POLENTA WITH SAUSAGE AND ASIAGO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Grate enough Asiago cheese to measure 1/4 cup. Cut remaining cheese into 1/2-inch dice.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and stir until golden, about 3 minutes. Add salami and stir 1 minute. Transfer pancetta mixture and pan drippings to bowl. Add sausages to same skillet; sauté until cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towels to drain.
• Bring 7 cups water to boil in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Reduce heat to low; cook until polenta thickens and starts to pull away from sides of pan, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Stir in pancetta mixture, diced Asiago cheese and 2 tablespoons butter. Transfer polenta to prepared baking dish. Arrange sausage over polenta; sprinkle with grated Asiago. Bake until polenta is set and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

CORNMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix softened BUTTER and sugar until creamy.
• Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.
• In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the cornmeal, Baking Powder, salt and flour.
• Add to the creamed mixture.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven about 15 minutes or until lightly brown.

CORNMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
• Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, about 2 inches apart, onto two large baking sheets; flatten slightly with floured fingertips. Bake until edges are golden, 14 to 16 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack; let cool completely.

"ACCIDENTAL" LEMON CORNMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium pan ,heat the honey with the lemon zest and lemon juice for about 5 minutes.Add the cornmeal and puffed wheat and continue stirring for another 5 minutes or until everything is well combined and the honey is absorbed.
• Remove from heat and let cool completely.At this point,I usually refrigerate the mixture (atleast an hour ) in order to allow the flavours to set in and blend together.It's also easier to work with this way because it will not be as sticky after refrigeration. If you decide to proceed with the rest of the steps immediately,then I think it would work as well,although I haven't tried it before. At your own risk :).
• In a separate bowl,combine the flour,salt,and baking soda and mix well.Gradually add this to the cornmeal mixture and work with you fingers breaking the mixture down until it resembles bread crumbs.
• In a separate dish,lightly beat the eggs and combine with the melted butter.Now slowly pour this into the cornmeal /flour mixture until well incorporated.I found it easier to work with my hands as the dough will be stiff and still a bit crumbly at this point.
• Finally,add the milk ,a tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds it's shape well and could be easily shaped into cookies.
• The first time I made these cookies,I simply shaped them into 1 inch balls and flattened them on the baking sheet.However,the second time around, I used a different technique ,which saved me a lot of time and which I found to be much better.What I did ,is I took some of the dough and rolled it ( approximately 1/4 inches thick) on a parchment paper right on the baking sheet ,until it covered most of the baking sheet forming a large rectangle.Then I sliced it into small squares and baked.
• Bake these cookies at 350 degrees F for about 10-13 minutes.
• After baking,if using the second technique for shaping the cookies,you will need to use a knife or a dough cutter to separate the cookie squares ,as they might stick to each other a bit.
• Let the cookies cool completely and store in a sealed container.

ROASTED ONION AND ASIAGO MICHE

Steps:

• One day before making the dough and 2 days before baking the bread, make the sponge. Mix together the barm, water, and flour in a bowl until the flour is completely hydrated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for 8 hours, or until the sponge is very bubbly. If it is a cool day and the sponge is fermenting slowly, you can leave it out overnight. Otherwise, put it in the refrigerator when it foams and is bubbly.
• Remove the sponge from the refrigerator about 1 hour before making the dough to take off the chill.
• To roast the onion, preheat the oven to 500°F and line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Coarsely chop the onion and toss the pieces in a bowl with the olive oil. Spread the onions on the sheet pan. Sprinkle the pepper and salt over the onions. Bake, stirring every 3 to 5 minutes, or until the pieces turn golden brown or even begin to char slightly. This will take 15 to 20 minutes (or sauté them in a hot skillet; it will take about the same amount of time). Remove the onion from the pan and set aside to cool, then refrigerate until needed.
• To make the dough, stir together the flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl with a large metal spoon. Add the water and the sponge and stir until all the ingredients are evenly distributed and the dough forms a ball. Let sit for 5 minutes, then add the salt and olive oil and stir to distribute. Add half of the grated cheese and all of the chives and scallions.
• Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead the dough for about 4 minutes, or until all the ingredients are evenly distributed, adding additional flour as needed to make a soft, tacky, but not sticky dough. The dough should pass the windowpane test (page 58), register about 74°F, and be very supple. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Ferment at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, or until the dough nearly doubles in size.
• Line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment, mist with spray oil, and dust with semolina flour or cornmeal. Dust the counter with flour and transfer the dough from the bowl to the counter, taking care not to degas the dough. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and gently shape them into large boules, as shown on page 72. Place a round of dough on each pan. Mist the dough with spray oil and slip each pan into a large food-grade plastic bag or cover loosely with plastic wrap.
• Place the pans in the refrigerator overnight.
• Remove each pan from the refrigerator 2 hours before you plan to bake (you can hold them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, baking each pan on a different day, if you wish). Proof the dough for approximately 2 hours at room temperature.
• Prepare the oven for hearth baking as described on pages 91-94, making sure to have an empty steam pan in place. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil and, using your fingertips, make dimples all over the dough, pressing almost to the bottom of the loaf and creating a series of ridges and pockets all over the surface. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top of each loaf. Divide the roasted onion pieces into 2 portions and evenly distribute them over the top of the cheese. Let the dough rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal and very gently transfer the loaves, with or without parchment, to the peel or pan. Slide the loaves onto the baking stone (or bake the loaves directly on the pan). Pour 1 cup hot water into the steam pan and close the door. After 30 seconds, open the door, spray the walls of the oven with water, and close the door. Repeat twice more at 30-second intervals. After the final spray, lower the oven setting to 450°F and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the bread 180 degrees, if necessary, for even baking and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes. The bread should be golden brown and the cheese melted and brown. The internal temperature of the bread should exceed 195°F, and the loaf should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. If the cheese seems too brown, but you still need more baking time, cover the top with aluminum foil or a piece of baking parchment to protect the top to gain a few more baking minutes. You may also turn off the oven and let the residual heat continue baking the bread for an additional 10 minutes (again, covering the tops to protect the cheese from burning).
• Transfer the finished bread to a rack and cool for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.
• Enriched, semi-rustic dough; indirect method; mixed leavening method
• Day 1: 8 hours sponge
• Day 2: 1 hour to de-chill sponge and prpare onions; 15 minutes mixing; 2 to 3 hours fermentation and shaping
• Day 3: 2 1/2 hours proofing and final shaping; 35 to 50 minutes baking
• This bread takes 3 days to make from start to finish, though the amount of time actually spent on the dough is not that long. Mise en place, as always, is vitally important. Having everything prepared in advance, such as the onions and cheese, will save you from unnecessary stress. Please read the instructions thoroughly before starting, and plan out your steps accordingly.
• This dough is made from a wet starter that, in turn, is built from a small amount of barm. This is a large, round, dimpled loaf with lots of big holes in the crumb between the dimples. It requires an oven-roasted onion, baked in a very hot oven, that can be prepared a day or two in advance (or substitute sautéed onions).
• The dough is too large for most mixers (other than a Magic Mill), so it is best to make it by hand.
• Roasted Onion and Asiago Miche: %
• (Sponge)
• Barm: 17.8%
• Water: 71.1%
• Bread flour: 100%
• Total: 188.9%
• (Dough)
• Sponge: 66.4%
• Bread flour: 100%
• Instant yeast: .78%
• Water: 56.3%
• Salt: 3.1%
• Olive oil: 4.7%
• Cheese: 50%
• Chives: 6.3%
• Scallions: 6.3%
• Roasted onion: 25%
• Total: 318.9%

ASIAGO CORNMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 deg F.
• Lightly grease your cookie sheets. If you wish, you could line them with parchment paper instead.
• In a medium bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients.
• In another small bowl, beat together the melted butter, egg and water.
• Mix the wet ingredients into the cornmeal mixture until well incorporated.
• Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto the greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 400 deg F for about 12-14 minutes until the tops are slightly golden.
• Remove and cool on a wire rack.
• Store in an airtight container, and enjoy!