Poached Fruit With Cornmeal Cookies Food

CORNMEAL PORRIDGE

Steps:

• In a medium pot, add the cornmeal along with the milk, water, salt and cinnamon stalk.
• Turn on the heat to medium, and keep stirring (I use a whisk).
• Cook the cornmeal until it thickens and has a porridge consistency (for around 10 minutes). Add the sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla extract and cook for 30 seconds more. Remove from heat, and serve in bowls topped with fruit and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, lemon peel, and 5 cups water. Place over medium heat, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Gently place nectarines in the liquid. Add more water if needed to cover nectarines. Place a square of cheesecloth over the fruit, and top with a small plate to keep fruit submerged.
• Increase heat to high, and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until nectarines are tender but not soft, about 5 minutes. Remove nectarines from liquid, and allow to cool
• Return liquid to a boil, and cook until reduced to a syrup that will coat the back of spoon, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and cool.
• Cut nectarines in half, and remove pit. Place two halves on serving plate. Drizzle with syrup. Top each half with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of mint.

POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Peel and dice fruit. Place Riesling in saucepan, add sugar, basil and fruit. Simmer slowly until fruit is tender. Cool and serve over ice cream.

PERFECT POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Place the vin santo, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla bean, and zests in a large, shallow saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact, and scoop out the seeds from the bottom with an apple corer or melon baller. Lay half the pears on their sides in the poaching liquid and simmer for 20 minutes, carefully turning the pears once with a spoon. Remove with a slotted spoon. Poach the remaining pears in the same liquid. Snip off the hard stems from the figs with scissors. Add the figs, apricots, prunes, and the first batch of poached pears and simmer 5 to 10 more minutes, until the pears and the dried fruit are all tender.
• Chill the pears, dried fruit, zests, and poaching liquid. Remove the cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla bean before serving if you like.

THE MOST ADAPTABLE ONE-BOWL CORNMEAL POUNDCAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan. (Or grease and line it with parchment.)
• In a big bowl, add the sugar, and grate the zest from the orange, lemon or lime into the bowl. If you need a little aromatherapy, work the zest into the sugar with your fingers. (This technique is supposed to infuse the citrus into the sugar.)
• Add the fat, eggs, and yogurt to the bowl, along with the extract and nutmeg, if you like.
• Whisk in the salt, baking soda, baking powder and cornmeal. Once smooth, whisk in flour.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Let it (mostly) cool in the pan. Then slice off a thick piece, butter it and let yourself be soothed.

CORNMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix softened BUTTER and sugar until creamy.
• Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.
• In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the cornmeal, Baking Powder, salt and flour.
• Add to the creamed mixture.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven about 15 minutes or until lightly brown.

POACHED FRUIT WITH CORNMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Mix in the egg. Stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture, mixing just to combine. Mix in the raisins.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out as many cookies as possible, using a 2-inch round cookie cutter. Place on the lined baking sheets. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Bake the cookies in batches until lightly browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool. Sift confectioners' sugar over the tops. Set aside.
• To make the fruit, combine the wine, orange juice, vanilla, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and sugar in a large, nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the pears, lower the heat so the liquid barely simmers and poach until the pears are soft but not falling apart, about 20 to 30 minutes. Lift out the pears with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl and set aside.
• Add the plums and poach until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Lift out the plums and add to the pears. Add the figs, make sure liquid is barely simmering and poach for about 8 minutes. Lift out the figs and add to the pear mixture. Raise the heat and simmer the poaching liquid until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Gently stir the blackberries into the fruit mixture and pour the hot syrup over all. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Divide the fruit evenly among 4 bowls, spooning the syrup over the top. Serve immediately with the cookies, about 3 per person. You will have cookies left over.