Masa Harina Food

CREPES WITH MASA HARINA

Steps:

• *NOTE: If using cornmeal in this recipe, whirl in a clean, dry coffee mill or food processor until the cornmeal has the texture similar to farina.
• Blend flour, masa harina, (cumin), salt, milk, eggs, (sugar), and 2 tablespoons butter in a blender until smooth. If batter is too thick to pour, add a little bit more milk for a thin, but not watery consistency.
• 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.

HOMEMADE MASA DOUGH USING YELLOW FIELD CORN

Steps:

• Rinse 2 cups of dried field corn in cold water. Remove any stones or struggling kernels.
• Add 1 tablespoon of calcium hydroxide to 8 cups of water in a non-reactive pot (I used stainless steel). Combine well. Add the corn to this mixture.
• Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. When the skins of the kernels slip off easily then it's had enough cooking time.
• Remove from heat, cover, and let sit overnight at room temperature.
• The next day (or at least 6-8 hours later) drain the corn and massage it under running cold water. Use your hands to remove the skins from the kernels. Change the standing water a couple times until it starts to run clear.
• Drain the corn and add to a food processor. You'll need 1 teaspoon of salt and approximately 1/2 cup of water for the whole batch (as photographed above I ground it in two batches in a smaller food processor). Wipe down the sides of the food processor occasionally. It will need approximately 4-5 minutes to thoroughly combine, you can add splashes of water if it's not combining well.
• Use immediately or cover with plastic/foil and store it in the fridge.
• If you want to make tortillas with the masa dough, adding some masa harina to it will make it easier to handle. I added about 1/2 cup to this batch.

MASA HARINA CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place the butter in a 9x9-inch square glass baking dish and put in the oven to melt. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn!Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.Measure out the milk and maple syrup in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Add eggs and whisk well with a fork. Gradually add melted butter to the milk mixture, making sure to leave 2 tablespoons in the bottom of the baking dish.Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until the flour is all moistened. Scrape the batter into the buttered baking dish and spread it out with a spatula. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are beautifully golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.

MASA PANCAKES

Steps:

• If using masa harina, combine in a medium bowl with ½ cup hot water and, using a rubber bowl scraper, stir and mash together until no dry spots remain. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap and let cool, about 30 minutes.
• If using fresh masa, crumble into a medium bowl.
• Melt 5 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour in buttermilk and remove from heat. Set aside.
• Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl to combine.
• Add eggs and sugar to masa and whisk until only a few lumps remain. Add half of buttermilk mixture and whisk until homogeneous. Add remaining buttermilk and whisk again to combine. Add to bowl with dry ingredients and mix until no dry streaks remain.
• Heat a large griddle or 2 cast-iron or nonstick skillets over medium; brush with butter. Working in batches, scoop ¼-cupfuls of batter onto griddle and cook until bubbles form on the surface and undersides are golden brown, about 3 minutes. If undersides are browning too quickly, reduce heat to low. Flip pancakes and cook until golden brown on the other sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer pancakes to individual plates or a platter. Serve with butter and maple syrup. Do ahead: Masa harina dough can be made 3 day ahead. Once cool enough to handle, wrap tightly in plastic and chill.