Orange Cornmeal Shortbread Food

CITRUS CORNMEAL SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and zest. Mix until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, 2 tablespoons cornmeal, and salt; mix until well combined, about 3 minutes. Halve dough; shape each into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place remaining 1/4 cup cornmeal on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll log in cornmeal to coat. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and space them 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until pale golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on sheet on a wire rack.

ORANGE CORNMEAL SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and zest. Beat well, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. With mixer on low speed, mix in flour, 2 tablespoons cornmeal, and salt until well combined, about 3 minutes. Form dough into two logs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place remaining 1/4 cup cornmeal on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Remove plastic from chilled dough; roll logs in cornmeal to coat. Slice into 1/4-inch rounds. Place on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until pale golden all over, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with sugar.

SHORTBREAD, 10 WAYS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse together flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some of the crumbs start to come together, but don't overprocess; the dough should be somewhat crumbly. (You can also mix the dough in a bowl using two knives or a pastry cutter.)
• Press dough into an even layer in an ungreased 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan, or a 9-inch pie pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes for the 9-inch square or pie pan, 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares, bars or wedges while still warm.

ORANGE CORNMEAL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil until blended. Beat in eggs, yogurt, orange juice and zest. In another bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually beat into sugar mixture. Pour into a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet., Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs, 40-45 minutes., Meanwhile for glaze, in a microwave-safe bowl, combine sugar, orange juice and butter; microwave on high 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Place cake on a wire rack. Slowly drizzle 1/2 cup glaze over warm cake; let stand 5 minutes. Slowly drizzle remaining glaze over cake; loosen sides from pan with a knife. Cool completely in pan. Cover and let stand overnight. Remove rim from pan. Serve with whipped cream and, if desired, orange zest.

CRISP ORANGE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Beat the butter, then cream it with the sugar and orange zest until light. Stir in the flour and baking powder and mix together to form a dough.
• Divide the mixture into 10 balls, arrange on a baking sheet. Press each ball fl at with the tip of a round-bladed knife. Chill for 15 mins, then bake for 12-15 mins until light golden. Leave on the baking sheet for 2 mins before releasing with a palette knife. Slide onto a rack to cool. Will keep stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

ROSEMARY-CORNMEAL SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• 1. Lightly grease a 9 1/4-inch (23 cm) fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl until well blended. 2. Put the butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer fitted with wire beaters). Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the rosemary and vanilla and beat on medium until blended and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until the dough forms moist clumps. Dump the dough into the prepared pan. Using lightly floured fingertips, press the dough into the pan to form an even layer. Make sure to press the dough into the scalloped edges to form a clean edge. Sprinkle the fleur de sel or sanding sugar, if using, evenly over the top. 3. Using the tip of a knife or a bench scraper, score the dough all the way through, forming 16 wedges. With the tines of a fork, prick each wedge twice all the way through, starting at the widest part of the wedge and spacing them about 1/2 inch (12 mm) apart. Lightly flour the tines of the fork as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. Slide the pan into the freezer or fridge for about 10 minutes while the oven heats. 4. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C/gas 2). 5. Bake the shortbread until the top looks dry and very pale brown, 39 to 41 minutes. Move the pan to a rack. Using a small paring or serrated knife (I don't use a bench scraper for this because it compresses the cookies' edges), immediately recut the wedges using the scored lines as a guide. Let the shortbread cool completely before removing them from the pan. 6. Serve the cookies with a dusting of confectioners' sugar.
• Instead of the rosemary, use one of the following combinations: Double ginger: 2 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger + 1/3 cup (1 3/8 oz./39 g) finely chopped crystallized ginger (add both with the vanilla). Cinnamon toast: 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon added to the flour + 1 Tbs. granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon sprinkled over the shortbread and pressed lightly into the dough before baking. Espresso chip: 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder (dissolved in the vanilla extract) + 1/3 cup (2 oz./57 g) finely chopped bittersweet chocolate.
• To make rectangular cookies: Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan (the straight-sided type makes for a cleaner-looking cookie) with parchment. Prepare the dough as directed. Using lightly floured fingertips, press the dough into the pan to form an even layer. Using the tip of a knife or a bench scraper (my tool of choice), score the dough all the way through, forming 1 x 2-inch (2.5 x 5 cm) bars. With the tines of a fork, prick each bar two or three times all the way through, spacing them evenly and on the diagonal. Lightly flour the tines of the fork as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. Proceed as directed.
• To make round cookies: Have ready two cookie sheets lined with parchment or nonstick liners. Prepare the dough as directed. Arrange a large piece of parchment on the work surface and scrape the dough onto the center. Cover with another piece of parchment and press down on the dough to flatten. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough between the parchment to a 1/4-inch (6 mm) thickness, turning, lifting, and repositioning the parchment and lightly flouring throughout the rolling. Slide the dough onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Remove the top piece of parchment from the chilled dough. Using a 2 1/2-inch (6 cm) round cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Using the end of a straw, punch out three holes in the center of each round. Arrange about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Stack the scraps, gently press together, reroll, chill, and cut as directed. Slide the cookie sheets into the fridge while the oven heats (at least 15 minutes). Bake, one sheet at a time, until the tops look dry and very pale brown, 26 to 28 minutes.

CITRUS CORNMEAL SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Put butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and zest. Mix until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
• Reduce speed to low. Add flour, 2 tablespoons cornmeal, and the salt; mix until well combined, about 3 minutes. Halve dough; shape each into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Place remaining 1/4 cup cornmeal on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll logs in cornmeal to coat. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and space rounds 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until pale golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on sheet on a wire rack. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

CORNMEAL SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add the powdered sugar and mix in. Add the vanilla extract and mix in. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended.
• Roll into 1 1/2-inch logs and roll in cornmeal to coat. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least one hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Slice shortbread dough thinly and bake on a silpat or parchment paper for 12 to 15 minutes. The shortbread will still be blonde, and they will crisp once cool.

ORANGE-CORNMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in center and lower third. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, orange zest, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating until combined and smooth after each addition. Add flour and cornmeal, and beat on low speed until just combined.
• Spoon one-third batter into a pastry bag fitted with a start tip (Ateco No. 825). Pipe batter into S shapes, each about 3 inches long, onto prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
• Place in oven, and bake until edges and bottoms are golden brown, about 22 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. transfer to a wire rack; let cookies cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

CORNMEAL SHORTBREAD DOUGH

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Whisk together yolk, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside.
• Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in yolk mixture and orange zest until combined. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes or up to 1 day, before using.

ICEBOX SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• With an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. With mixer on low speed, add flour, mixing just until a dough forms. Stir in desired mix-ins.
• Divide dough in half; place each half on a piece of floured waxed or parchment paper. With floured hands, gently roll each into a 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Dividing evenly, sprinkle logs with desired coating if using, rolling log (to help coating adhere) and pressing in gently. Wrap logs tightly in the paper, and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (To store longer, wrap log and paper tightly with plastic wrap.)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap logs; with a serrated knife, slice dough 3/8 inch thick (if dough crumbles, leave at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes). Arrange slices, about 1 inch apart, on baking sheets.
• Bake until lightly golden around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

CORNMEAL LIME SHORTBREAD FANS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grate 1 teaspoon zest from the limes. (You can usually get 1 teaspoon from 1 lime, but you may need to grate some zest off the other.) Add to a food processor.
• Add flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt and pulse once or twice to combine. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some of the crumbs start to come together, but don't overprocess the dough. It should be somewhat crumbly and not form a ball. (Alternatively, you can mix this in a bowl using two knives, or use a pastry cutter to mix the butter into the flour.)
• Press the dough into an even layer in an ungreased, fluted 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom or in a 9-inch pie pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 40 to 50 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Using a butter knife, cut the shortbread into 12 wedges while still warm.
• Make the glaze: Halve the zested lime and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice into a small bowl. Whisk in confectioners' sugar and, if you like, more lime juice to taste. (More lime juice will make the glaze thinner and more tart, while less lime juice yields a thicker, sweeter glaze.) Drizzle glaze over the cooled shortbread, then zest the second lime over the icing before it sets. (Use a citrus zester, if you have one, or a regular zester, if you don't.)