Meskin Cornbreads

preheat oven to 350F
preheat 8" skillet on stovetop or in stove, with 2T corn oil, shy of smoking, while you combine ingredients in a mixing bowl:

• 1C yellow cornmeal
• 1/2C AP flour
• 1T + 1t baking powder
• 1t salt

stir in:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C milk
• 1 small (7oz) can chiles plus liquid (we want the citric acid in lieu of buttermilk)
• 1T oil
• 1/2 C grated cheddar cheese (or more)
• Chopped onions, leftover corn, bacon bits, tootsie rolls, whatever you want to throw in so you can personalize it and re-post this recipe as your own.

Dump the batter into the hot oil in your skillet (this is how you get a nice crust). Make it a bit lower in the center and higher on the sides, it's gonna rise. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Loosen sides and turn it out onto a small plate, bottoms up. You'll notice there's no added sugar in this recipe. This was not an oversight. Don't go having people think poorly of you.

Cauliflower and Leek Gratin

This scratches the itch when I crave mac and cheese, but still want to eat my veggies.  You can play with various cheeses to get different flavors.  Tonight its gruyere and an aged gouda.

Roasted Cauliflower & Leek Gratin

Roasting the leeks and cauliflower (which you can do well ahead) brings out deeper flavor and a crisp-around-the edges texture. Serve as a side dish with roasted meat, or as a main course with salad and bread. If you don't feel like making the white sauce, gently warm 1 1/2 cups of cream in a saucepan until bubbles form around the edges, then stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Pour it over the vegetables.

• Roasted vegetables
• 2 small heads cauliflower, about 3 pounds untrimmed
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• -- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large leek
• Gratin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup (generous) grated Parmesan, gruyere or Manchego cheese
• -- Kosher salt and white or black pepper
• 1 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 to 2 ounces ham, cut into baton shapes (optional)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

To make the roasted vegetables: Preheat the oven to 400°.
Cut the cauliflower into florets that are 1 1/2 inches wide. In a large bowl, toss the florets with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and spread out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender with just a bit of bite and browned, 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic after 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove the coarse dark tops of the leek and cut lengthwise. Wash thoroughly, then cut each half into 2-inch lengths, discarding any more dark green ends and checking for hidden dirt.
Separate the layers and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and some salt, then spread out on another large rimmed baking sheet and roast until crispy in some parts and thoroughly soft throughout, about 15 minutes. (You can roast the vegetables several hours ahead and refrigerate before completing the dish.)

To make the gratin: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes, taking care that it doesn't brown. Whisk in the milk until smooth, then bring to a simmer. Maintain the heat so it's bubbling gently; stir often until the sauce thickens and the flour cooks, about 15 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of the Parmesan and stir until just melted. Remove from the heat and season well with salt and pepper, then stir in the mustard.

Follow-Up Pizza Dough

The pizza experiments continue and I feel like I'm dialing in my technique.  Here is the basic recipe I'm working with, just slightly modified to the previous posted recipe.

4 1/2 cups flour -
1 3/4 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 3/4 cup ice cold water
semolina flour for dusting

 Notes
I use 4 cups King Arthur All purpose flour and 1/2 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour which gives the dough a little 'bite' and flavor without tasting too 'wheat-y'.  I tried the super fine 00 flour but didn't get any better results than the all purpose stuff.  The purists believe in the 00 flour though...Also make sure your flour is fresh.  Yes flour goes rancid, especially whole grain, and especially if you live in warm climates.  I keep my flour in the freezer and try to only buy what I will use in the next 3-6 months.  If your dough tastes flat, try some fresh flour.

Don't scrimp on the salt or yeast, I'm always a little easy on the salt, but found you need both for full flavor.

Pay attention to the wetness of the dough.  It changes every time I mix it up.  I use an electric mixer with a dough hook.  As described in the initial recipe, the sides should not stick to the side of the bowl, but the bottom should.

 I split the recipe into 4 parts, putting 2 dough balls into plastic ziploc bags into which I'd previous poured a Tablespoon of olive oil.  The ziploc bags go into the freezer and the 2 remaining go into my magic wooden pizza box.

Wooden Box - So I got the idea for the wooden dough box from Tony's in North Beach, who make the best Margherita pizzas, hands down.  I asked the chef the other day and she told me the wood helps manage the moisture in the dough.  I found a guy on eBay who made poplar cigar boxes and ordered one on faith.  Three benefits I've found from my 'magic pizza box'   

       1.) The dough proofs up better, don't know why exactly, but it both tastes better and the stretch is easier to work with.

       2.) The cigar box size fits 2 dough balls perfectly for proofing and I can put the flour directly into the box for when I roll the crust before stretching.  This helps contain the flour mess.  Also the lid allows me to slide it into the fridge without taking up an entire shelf.

3.) The lid serves as my cutting board once the pizza cooks.  How's that for a pizza system?

A final note on cooking temperatures - get it as hot as you can, really.  My new favorite method for Margherita pizzas is to grill them on a gas grill.  After stretching the dough, toss down directly onto the grill, again make sure it is hot!  Pizza wants 800+F if possible.  The crust will crisp very quickly.  As soon as it is firm enough, flip the crust with a pair of tongs.  Then, carefully, and quickly, add toppings.  Close the lid and let the pie cook, usually no more than 6minutes.   

If I can't grill the pizza I still get good results with my gas oven set on broil and using the pizza stone.  I sprinkle sufficient semolina flour on my 'peel' which is really a flat cookie sheet and slide the pie directly onto the stone to cook.  My oven seems to get to about 600F on the broil setting which still gives perfectly good results.  Again, I've learned to be careful to not lose too much heat when opening and closing the oven.  Move quickly.  Enjoy!  Its taken me a while to get the hang of the dough, but it is now def worth it.