Apple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cakes

Although Gourmet is sadly no longer a monthly periodical, Gourmet did recently release a special issue, Gourmet Quick Kitchen, which is a compilation of recipes from over the years that almost all take 30 minutes or less to prepare. In a show of support and solidarity of Gourmet (and a deep hope that it will return to its former glory), I picked up a copy, though I balked slightly at the price. With my current obsession with apples, I immediately bookmarked this recipe. This past weekend I visited the most adorable and authentic-feeling apple orchard I've been to, Appleberry Farm. Although it doesn't look as authentic as other orchards I've been to, such as Eplegaarden, which had many rustic old farm buildings and equipment, this orchard just felt genuine.

These cakes are delightful, individually-sized desserts that are a snap to make and a combination of classic flavors, sure to be a crowd-pleaser. If you like apple cake, you'll probably like these adorable little cakes too. If you're not a fan of nuts, leave them out; almonds and pecans would also work well in this recipe and pears would make a nice substitute for part or all of the apples. Although the recipe suggests serving with slightly sweetened whipped cream, I think vanilla bean ice cream would be another excellent accompaniment.

Apple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cakes
from Gourmet
serves 6

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces, plus additional for greasing
3 Gala apples
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (1 3/4 oz)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup whole milk

Special equipment: a muffin pan with 6 (1-cup) muffin cups
Accompaniment: lightly sweetened whipped cream

1. Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Butter muffin cups. Peel and core apples, then cut into 1/3-inch dice.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook apples, brown sugar, and lemon juice, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a glaze and apples are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Stir in walnuts and divide apple mixture among muffin cups.

4. Pulse together flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.

5. Whisk together egg and milk in a large bowl. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined.

6. Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center of a cake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

7. Run a paring knife around edge of each cake to loosen. Invert rack over muffin cups, then invert cakes onto rack. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream.

Honey Polenta Cornbread

I've been craving cornbread for a few weeks and with the advent of fall and football season, I decided to kick off a season of Packer games with some chili and cornbread. When I decided to make cornbread, I went to my current favorite baking book, Good to the Grain, and sure enough I already had the recipe for Honey Polenta Cornbread bookmarked. And just like everything else in this cookbook, this cornbread is amazing, the best I've ever had. The delectable crust and swirls of honey butter throughout the batter make this cornbread almost feel like dessert, but not so much so that it isn't perfectly at home dunked into a big bowl of chili. The whole grain flours make the taste much more complex and flavorful, as does the polenta, which also creates a wonderful texture.

Honey Polenta Cornbread
from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce
serves 8

One day, faced with a large amount of cooked polenta, I though to stir some into a batch of cornbread for dinner. It was the best pan of cornbread I'd ever made, moist, with a nice grainy chew. So this recipe calls for par-cooked polenta, which means an extra step in your kitchen, but you'll find it's well worth the effort. I tested this recipe with purchased, precooked polenta, just to see if I could eliminate a step, but it wasn't successful. So just make your own, and eat any extra with some wilted greens and a bit of grated cheese.

This cornbread is delicious-wholesome with a fine crumb and swirl of honey butter throughout. When the cornbread is hot from the oven even more honey butter is brushed over the top as a glaze, which gives the crust its sheen and an extra sweet-bite.

Butter for the pan

1 cup coarse polenta grains, or cornmeal
1/4 t. kosher salt

Dry Mix:
1.5 c. graham flour 
1 c. millet flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 t. kosher salt

Wet Mix:
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 c. whole milk
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses
3 eggs

Glaze:
 2 T. (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 c. honey
1/4 t. kosher salt

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2.5-quart baking dish.

2. Make the polenta: In a medium pot, bring 3 cups of water and the salt to a boil. Sprinkle in the polenta grains, stirring constantly to prevent clumping. Turn the heat to low. Continue cooking, stirring occassionally, until the polenta is thick and creamy, about 10 to 15 minutes.

3. To make the glaze, melt the butter, honey, and salt in a small saucepan. Whisk the glaze until smooth and set aside.

4. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back into the bowl any bits of flour or other ingredients that may remain in the sift, and set aside.

5. As soon as the polenta is done, measure 1 cup of it into a medium bowl, add the butter, and stir until the butter is melted and the polenta is smooth. Add the milk, honey, molasses, and eggs to the polenta bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.

6. Using a spatula, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, folding the batter and mixing until just combined. Pour half of the batter into the pan and smooth, drizzle a third of the honey butter over the batter, scrap the rest of the batter over the glaze, spread the batter evenly and smooth the top. Drizzle more of hte honey butter of the top, reserving the last third to brush over the finished cornbread.

7. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, the edges have pulled slightly from the side of the pan, and a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

8. While the cornbread is hot, brush the last of the glaze over the top crust. The cake can be eaten warm or cool from the pan, or it can be cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic, and kept for up to 2 days.

Blueberry Corn Muffins

This past week I made a trip to TJ Maxx and scored three cookbooks at an amazing price-The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook-The Original Classics, The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook-The New Classics, and Martha Stewart's Cooking School. Whenever I get a new cookbook, I go through it page by page, bookmarking recipes that I'd like to try with Post-It notes. So far I've gone through the two Martha Stewart Living cookbooks, and I'll flip through Martha Stewart's Cooking School soon. A lot of techniques in the book are ones I'm well-acquainted with, but I'm hoping that I'll pick up a few tips and good recipes. Here's the first of many recipes I'll be trying out from my new cookbooks.

Blueberry Corn Muffins
from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook-The Original Classics

makes 6 muffins

Note: You will need six 2 3/4x2-inch pastry rings, which gives these muffins a unique shape. Jumbo or oversize muffin tins can also be used. Frozen blueberries may be used instead of fresh.

1 c. (2 sticks) plus 2 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c. sugar, plus 2 T. for sprinkling
3 T. honey
2 large eggs
3 c. all-purpose lfour
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 T. plus 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
1 c. blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; place six 2 3/4x2-inch pastry rings on it. Cut a sheet of parchment into six 10x3-inch strips; use them to line the rings (the paper will extend above the rims).

2. Place the softened butter, 3/4 c. sugar, and the honey in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs; beat one minute more.

3. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder together in medium bowl; add to the butter mixture in the mixer bowl. Beat until combined. Slowly pour in the milk, beating on low, just until combined. Fold in the blueberries. Divide the dough among the rings (do not pack too firmly; each will take about 1 cup). Brush the tops with cold water; sprinkle 1 t. sugar over each.

 

4. Bake until the tops are browned and a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the pans 5 minutes. Tie kitchen twine around the muffins to hold the parchment in place, if desired, or remove the parchment. Serve immediately.