A while ago, I would like to make some corn tortillas, asked husband to shop some corn flour, he didn’t bought the right one. Now I have still this beautiful bag of yellow corn flour lying around in the kitchen. The texture is fine like flour, so it isn’t suitable for polenta either. Anybody has some good usage of it? Thanks.
Well - pumpkin pie. My mom didn’t like pie crust & pumpkin pie was the only pie I ever recall her making. In lieu of a traditional crust she buttered the pie plate & dusted it with the kind of cornmeal you have. She poured the filling in & baked it. When baked, the cornmeal became a kind of skin on the bottom so you could lift the slices out cleanly. She also used half white & half brown sugar & doubled the spices. I make pumpkin pies the same way. I don’t care for traditional pumpkin pie - it’s way to sweet for me.
It’ll probably take you a few Thanksgivings to use up a whole bag.
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Waffles! Works well to support savory toppings - ham w/mustardy bechamel & greens
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Corn flour makes good muffins.
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Is this bag the pre-cooked variety or the ground variety. My answer would changed based on this.
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You don’t like cornbread?
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@smtucker
No, not the pre-cooked version. Like wheat flour.
@ratgirlagogo
Why not? Recipe?
@jammie
I was thinking about that too, do you just replace flour or any proportion change? I saw a recipe uses half cornmeal half flour
This is interesting, didn’t know that the pie crust becomes non stick. The sweetness of corn matches well with pumpkin, thanks for the idea.
Around here, this cornmeal would scream johnnycakes, served with maple syrup. There is no reason that you can’t make cornbread, or even better blueberry-corn bread. What a great flavor combination. I like fine cornmeal as part of my breading mixture for anything from the sea, but especially clams and squid. Toss with some hot peppers, serve with a johnnycake [without the syrup], some fresh tomatoes and maybe a green or cabbage salad and you have a New England summer feast.
I do have my great-grandfather’s johnnycake recipe floating around on an ancient piece of paper if you would like me to write it down for you.
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That will be a big honour. 
Yes I think the standard recipe calls for 1/3 corn flour 2/3 all purpose. I like to toss in a little stone ground corn meal (coarse) for chew.
I’m sure you’ve seen entire threads about cornbread. (Team Honey, Team Bacon Drippings, Team Green Pepper - there are regional and national cornbread leagues.) You can make a fine crumb cornbread with half corn flour half coarse meal. I don’t think cornbread is very picky. After the second day you can slice it, drizzle w butter or olive oil and grill it.
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First the original. Such an old-fashioned way to write a recipe. I often substitute buttermilk with a bit of baking soda for the milk.
And, as I have translated it into Pepperplate.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Indian Water Ground White corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup All Purpose White flour
2 tsp sugar
1 scant teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
cold milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine corn meal and salt, scald with 1 cup boiling water.
- Add flour, sugar, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Mix together with enough cold milk till consistency of cake dough.
- Drop on hot buttered griddle and fry. You will have to test about milk and see how you like them.
- Some people like them 1 inch thick, then cook 5 minutes to side. We like them 1/2 inch thick- about 2 1/2 minutes to a side. Our comes out moist inside but not gooey. Do not cook too quickly quickly or hot. Cakes are about 3 inches in diameter.
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This olive oil cake calls for the flours to be sifted, so i think your fine corn flour is perfect for it. And david lebovitz knows what he is doing.
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Google the Virginia Willis recipe for Corn Spoon Bread, which is souffle-like and calls for fine corn flour.
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From my unpublished cookbook, (Single Dad’s Guide to Cooking):
Cornbread Casserole
Preheat oven to 400’.
Brown 1 lb ground beef in a skillet along with 1/2 onion chopped coarsely. When browned, drain off excess fat, and add one can corn, drained or equivalent of frozen or fresh, (but not popcorn!).
Add 1 can Rotel Tomatoes or similar.
Add 1 Tbsp each chili powder and ground cumin.
Blend well and heat through.
While heating, mix:
1 Cup of your Cornmeal
1.75 Cups AP Flour
2 Tbsps Baking Powder
Smidge of Baking Soda, (more than a pinch, but less than a dash)
.5 Tsp salt
2 Tbsps Sugar, (Optional)
1 Egg lightly beaten
1.25 cups Milk
.5 Cups coarsely grated or cubed Cheddar or other cheese.
1 Jalapeno coarsely chopped, (Optional)
.5 Cup Melted Butter, *Warm, not hot
Mix together until it just mixes together - don’t overmix.
Pour meat mixture into casserole dish and smooth out.
Pour cornbread mix over meat mix.
Pop into oven uncovered and baked for twenty to twenty five minutes. Use the toothpick trick to test for doneness.
Very versatile. Add what you got. Want to sneak in some veggies? Add chopped carrots and peas to meat mixture. Add beans if that’s your thing. Mushrooms getting old? Toss 'em in.
(Why should I care?)
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Jalapeno and fresh corn hush puppies:
Hush puppies are found on menus throughout the Southern US, but found more often at home. A hush puppy is a sweet cornmeal dough that is fried until golden brown.
The recipe here is adapted from Craig Claiborne, a Mississippi native, his Southern Cooking is my Bible for all things Southern.
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups white or yellow cornmeal
4 teaspoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Salt to taste, if desired
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup grated onion or chopped scallions
2 jalapenos fresh chopped
2 ears of fresh corn or 1 cup frozen kernels
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup rapidly boiling water
Fresh corn oil to cover
PREPARATION
Remove kernels from fresh corn. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, grated onion, jalapenos, fresh corn and egg and blend well. Add the water rapidly while stirring. The water must be boiling when added.
Heat the oil to 370 degrees. Drop the mixture by rounded spoonfuls into the oil. Cook until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
These are traditional with fried fish, especially cat fish, but also go well with barbequed or grilled meats. They are also served as appetizers with remoulade. I could also see them going well with Asian dishes as part of an Indian, Chinese or Vietnamese menu.
I love hush puppies.
Another name for these is HO cakes.
I’m serious.
"Hoecake
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term hoecake first occurs in 1745, and the term is used by American writers such as Joel Barlow and Washington Irving.[12] The origin of the name is the method of preparation: they were cooked on a type of iron pan called a hoe. There is conflicting evidence regarding the common belief that they were cooked on the blades of gardening hoes.[13] A hoecake can be made either out of cornbread batter or leftover biscuit dough. A cornbread hoecake is thicker than a cornbread pancake.[14]"
From Wikipedia
I would also consider making a tamale pie.
I love a good tamale pie, it is maybe the best thing in Texas next to bbq.
Here is a recipe for Tamale Pie, again from Craig Claiborne Southern Cooking pp. 180-181.
