Blue Cornmeal Sticks With Black Olive Butter Recipes

BLUE CORN BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Place a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet in the oven to warm for at least 5 minutes.
• Gently melt the butter and shortening in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the serranos and garlic, and sauté for 10 minutes. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat the eggs, lightly in a medium bowl. Add the serranos and garlic, and sauté for 10 minutes. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat the eggs lightly in a medium bowl. Add the serrano mixture and stir in the milk. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients; beat just until smooth. Add the cilantro.
• Remove the cast-iron skillet from the oven and brush generously with the oil. Reheat the skillet for about 2 minutes, then fill with batter.
• Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cornbread is lightly browned but still blue and springy to the touch.

ROASTED CORNISH HENS WITH BLACK-OLIVE BUTTER

Steps:

• Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 500°F.
• With motor of a food processor running, drop garlic cloves into processor to finely chop. Add shallot and pulse until finely chopped. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then add garlic mixture (do not wash bowl of food processor), pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic begins to turn golden, 3 to minutes. Return garlic mixture to food processor and add olives and capers. Pulse until olives and capers are finely chopped. Add 5 tablespoons butter and pulse until smooth.
• Brush baking pan with oil (1 tablespoon).
• Working with 1 hen half at a time, slide your index finger under skin on each breast and around legs, including drumsticks, being careful not to tear skin. Place 1 tablespoon olive butter under skin on each half hen, then massage skin over thigh, drumstick, and breast to distribute butter.
• Arrange hen halves, skin sides up, in baking pan. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in small skillet, then brush evenly over skin of hens. Sprinkle hens evenly with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt.
• Roast hens until golden and just cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer hens to a platter, then straddle baking pan over 2 burners and add wine. Deglaze pan by simmering over low heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon, 2 minutes. Transfer pan sauce to a small serving bowl and skim fat with a spoon. Serve hens with sauce.

BLUE CORNMEAL PANCAKES WITH BLUEBERRY BUTTER

Steps:

• Blueberry butter:
• Add the butter, blueberries, preserves, coriander, and salt to a food processor. Blend until smooth. (Store in the fridge, wrapped in paper or plastic, or in a butter keeper, for up to 5 days; or freeze for up to 3 months.)
• Tip: A stick of butter coming out of the fridge can take a surprisingly long time to come to room temperature. To speed it up, cut the butter into ½-inch pieces and leave on the counter; it should be at room temp in 10 to 12 minutes.
• Pancakes:
• In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and oil until smooth.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold together until just combined. Do not overmix. Allow the batter to rest for about 5 minutes.
• Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and grease lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using 2 heaping tablespoons of batter for each pancake. With the back of the spoon, gently spread the batter into a 3- to 4-inch circle. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown and the center of the pancake feels slightly firm to the touch, another 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining batter.
• Serve the pancakes hot with the blueberry butter and maple syrup.
• Note: *Judy Kuhn is a brilliant Broadway actor who also just happens to be the singing voice of Pocahontas. It should also be noted that Vanessa Williams did a great job with the pop version of the song, which played over the closing credits.

SOUTHWEST BLUE CORN STICKS

Steps:

• Use 2 T of the cornmeal to coat greased cornstick pans, or 1 1/2-inch muffin pans; set pans aside.
• Heat oil in a medium-size nonstick frying pan over medium heat.
• Add onion and chile; cook, stirring often, until onion is lightly browned (6-8 minutes); set aside.
• In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and remaining 1 cup cornmeal until well blended; set aside.
• In a medium-size bowl, combine milk and egg; beat with a whisk until well blended.
• Add milk mixture, cheese and onion mixture to cornmeal mixture.
• Stir just until dry ingredients are evenly moistened.
• Spoon batter into pans, filling almost to rims; bake in a 375° oven until cornsticks are lightly browned and feel firm when lightly pressed, about 25 minutes.
• Let cool in pans on a rack for about 10 minutes, then loosen carefully and remove from pans.
• Serve warm.

BLUE CORN CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
• Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Sift 3 times.
• Stir the eggs and milk into the cornmeal mixture. Place the butter in the prepared baking dish, and melt in the preheated oven. Mix hot, melted butter into the cornmeal mixture. Transfer cornmeal mixture to the prepared baking dish.
• Bake on center rack in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges of the cornbread pull away from the sides of the dish, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting.