Cornmeal Crepes With Chevre And Hot Pepper Jelly Food

CORNMEAL CREPES WITH CHEVRE AND HOT PEPPER JELLY

Steps:

• Mix the flour, cornmeal, salt, cumin and cayenne in a mixing bowl or food processor. Add the milk, club soda, eggs and three tablespoons of the melted butter. Beat or process until blended and smooth. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• Heat a six- to seven-inch crepe pan over medium-high heat and brush it lightly with oil. Ladle a few tablespoons of batter into the pan and quickly tilt the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Cook until lightly browned on the bottom, about 30 seconds, turn the crepe and cook a few seconds more. Continue until all the batter is used, stacking the cooked crepes one on top of the other on a plate.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a baking dish with a little of the remaining melted butter.
• Place a slice of the chevre in the center of each crepe. Top with a teaspoon of the pepper jelly. Fold the sides of the crepe over the filling, making a small square bundle. Tie each with a blanched chive. Arrange the folded and tied crepes in a single layer in the baking dish. Drizzle with the remaining melted butter.
• Bake until heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. If desired, the filled crepes can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until shortly before serving time, then heated.

CORNMEAL CREPES WITH RICOTTA AND HAM

Steps:

• Make crêpes:
• Blend flour, cornmeal, cumin, salt, milk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter in a blender until smooth. Let batter stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Lightly brush a 10-inch nonstick skillet with butter and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir batter, then, holding skillet off heat, pour in 1/3 cup batter, immediately tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets before skillet is coated, reduce heat slightly for next crêpe.) Return skillet to heat and cook until just set and pale golden around edges, 10 to 15 seconds. Loosen edge of crêpe with a heatproof silicone spatula, then flip crêpe over carefully with your fingertips. Cook until underside is set, about 20 seconds more, and transfer crêpe to a plate. Make 11 more crêpes in same manner, brushing skillet lightly with butter for each and stacking crêpes on plate as cooked.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 13- by 9-inch (or 15- by 10-inch) shallow baking dish.
• Stir together ricotta, ham, egg, salt, and pepper. Put 1 crêpe, paler side up, on a work surface and spread 1 teaspoon pepper jelly in a horizontal line just below center of crêpe (toward end nearest you), leaving a 1-inch border on each side. Spoon 1/3 cup ricotta filling over jelly and fold in sides of crêpe over filling, then, beginning at bottom, roll up to enclose filling. Arrange crêpe, seam side down, in baking dish. Assemble 11 more crêpes in same manner, arranging them in 1 layer in baking dish.
• Bake, covered with foil, until filling is hot, about 30 minutes.
• Make topping just before serving:
• Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook white and pale green scallions, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add corn, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add scallion greens and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Spoon topping over crêpes.

SPICY RED-PEPPER JELLY

Steps:

• Sterilize jars and lids:
• Wash jars, lids, and screw bands in hot, soapy water, then rinse well. Dry screw bands. Put empty jars on a rack in a boiling-water canner or a deep 8- to 10-quart pot and add enough hot water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, covered, then boil 10 minutes. Remove canner from heat, leaving jars in water, covered. Heat lids in water to cover by 2 inches in a small saucepan until thermometer registers 180°F (do not let boil). Remove from heat. Keep jars and lids submerged in hot water, covered, until ready to use.
• Make jelly:
• Pulse bell peppers with red-pepper flakes in a food processor until finely chopped. (Mixture will measure about 2 1/2 cups.)
• Whisk together pectin and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl.
• Stir together pepper mixture, vinegar, butter, salt, and remaining 3 cups sugar in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot. Bring to a vigorous boil over high heat, then continue to boil vigorously, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Gradually add pectin mixture, whisking constantly. Return jelly to a vigorous boil, stirring constantly, and boil, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes (mixture will thicken slightly). Remove from heat.
• Carefully remove jars and lids with canning tongs, then drain jars upside down on a clean kitchen towel and quickly dry lids. Invert jars and immediately ladle hot jelly into jars, leaving 1/4 inch of space at top. (Last jar may not be full.) Run a clean plastic spatula between jelly and sides of jars to eliminate air bubbles. Wipe off rims of filled jars with a damp clean kitchen towel, then firmly screw on lids with screw bands.
• Seal and process jars:
• Put sealed jars on rack in canner or pot and add enough hot water to cover by 2 inches. (If you have a jar that is partially full, do not process it. Cover it with a lid and screw band, then keep in refrigerator.) Bring to a full boil, covered, then boil jelly, covered, 15 minutes. Transfer jars with canning tongs to a towel-lined surface to cool. Jars will seal; if you hear a ping, that means that the vacuum formed above the cooling jelly has made the lid concave. Remember that you may or may not be around to hear the ping. The important thing is for the jars to eventually have concave lids. Jelly will thicken as it cools.
• After jars have cooled, 12 to 24 hours, press center of each lid to check that it's concave, then remove screw band and try to lift lid with your fingertips. If you can't, the lid has a good seal. Replace screw band. Put any jars that haven't sealed properly in the refrigerator and use them first (along with jar that was only partially full).

PEPPER JELLY CORNMEAL CUPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Beat in cornmeal. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.
• Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly press the tip of your thumb into the center of each ball of dough. Fill each center with about 1/8 teaspoon of the jalapeno jelly.
• Bake in the preheated oven about 10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.

CORNMEAL CREPES

Steps:

• Sift flour, polenta, salt amd sugar in bowl.
• Add eggs, milk and butter.
• Whisk until smooth. (Or use a blender).
• Leave the batter to stand for 1 hour.
• Heat extra butter in crepe pan.
• Cook batter 1-2 minutes.
• Makes 16 crepes.