Chicago Style Pizza

Dough Time: 10 minutes
Rise Time: 60 minutes
Sauce Prep: 20 minutes
Sauce Cook: 30 minutes
Laminate: 10 minutes
Rise Time: 40-50 minutes
Assemble: 10 minutes
Bake: 20-30 minutes
Rest: 10 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2010) 
I have always lived in Chicago-land area (and for a while in the city) so I do know Chicago pizza. I'm not partial to this style of pizza though, I like all kinds really. The one thing I would say about the style is that it has a buttery crust. Some of them seem like they have cornmeal in them, but I've heard that is not really true. I am not a purist though so I just wanted to try it and see if it was good.

It was good. Very good actually. Maybe not a true replication of any specific restaurant around here but close enough. The crust seemed closest to Lou Malnati's I thought, because of the buttery flavor.

It is a bit more work than a regular pizza, but it made two pies. I wrapped one pan in foil and froze, then baked a few weeks later. That one was as good as the first.

I thought the sauce was a little too sweet so I would skip the sugar next time or use less. Otherwise it was a very good recipe.

Favorite Chili

Prep Time: 70 minutes
Cook Time: 90-120 minutes

Grade: B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2011)
Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen TV Season 12

You can get recipe (and video) with free subscription at ATK website for the next year.

This was not as good as I hoped. And it was more work than I wanted. The flavor was not quite what I expected. That may be because I used slightly less chili's - I'm not sure. The meat was good and the beans were good, but the overall flavor just wasn't great enough to warrant 70 minutes of work. I could probably do it faster, but it would still take a while, so I probably won't do this one again.

I wouldn't say that other people shouldn't try this recipe though. The flavors may appeal more to others.

Blueberry-Orange Cornmeal Muffins

Prep Time: 13 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes
  
Recipe Source: Everyday Food  (Video with recipe)

I tried a "healthy" blueberry muffin recipe from Everyday Food a month or two ago and was underwhelmed. But this seemed quite different, so I tried it and really liked them. I used lemon instead of orange because I didn't have an orange. Not surprisingly, that worked fine.

The mixture is quite thick, but I was warned in the video (from link) that this would be the case, so I didn't worry. I did skip adding the flour to the blueberries for that reason though.

These have a nice little glaze on top and a slightly crunchy texture. These are not the "best" blueberry muffin, but good if you want something different and like cornmeal.

Chili and Cornbread

Emeril's Turkey Chili
Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B
Make Again:No

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011) 



Cornbread
Prep Time: 6 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Grade: A
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2011) 

The cornbread recipe is not on Martha's website yet, but I will check back later, but most of the recipes end up there.

The chili was fine, but nothing special. I think I will stick to the Cook's Illustrated version, which takes longer to cook, but isn't anymore effort.

The cornbread was very good. It should be with a stick of butter and 1/3 c. of sugar in it. As much as I love cornmeal, I don't always love the cornbread recipes I try, so I will probably make this one again.

Tamale Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: C
Make Again: No  

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2004)

This was kind of a disaster. I don't know if I can blame the recipe, or if it was just me. The recipe had good reviews on Martha's site, and it was something I have wanted to try since I saw the recipe in the magazine in 2004.

I have made tamale pies before, but in the past, I put the cornmeal crust on the top, instead  of on the bottom of the dish, as this recipe calls for. I guess I didn't cook the cornmeal enough and let it get thick enough. It was entirely runny in the finished dish. There was nothing crust like about it, and it was somewhat unappetizing looking look a cornmeal mush, which mixed in with everything else.

The topping of the dish was good and tasted fine, if not exciting. I made another mistake by not using tomato sauce, instead of crushed tomatoes, because that is what I had in my pantry.  So the top was a little more runny also.

The problems with this recipe were probably from me, both bad substitutions and execution, but I think I will just go back to my old way of making Tamale pie. I don't know if I can find that recipe, but I can probably improvise.

Cornmeal Biscuits

Prep Time: 23 minutes
Bake Time: 13-15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2009)

This taste great, although most biscuits do.  I've never had cornmeal biscuits before, but I love cornmeal, so I knew I would like these.  However, even though you soak the cornmeal, I still found the biscuits to be a tad gritty.

Also, I feel like 12 T of butter is a lot, even for biscuits.  Most biscuits use 8 T per 2 c. flour, and still taste quite buttery. 

I did struggle with the dough a bit - it was too sticky for me to knead.  I'm guessing that is the reason these didn't rise as much as they should have. 

I may make these again, but since they take a little longer than my other biscuit recipes, I'm not sure if it will happen or not.  Maybe if there is something that I think would really go well with the cornmeal flavor.  They would probably be great with Chili, of course, so maybe then.

Milk and Honey Corn Muffins

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Bake Time: 12-23 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

My bake times have a wide range, because I made these muffins in a muffin-top pan, and they baked very quickly.

I almost didn't make these, because I don't often like corn muffins, unless filled with lots of fat. But the "milk and honey" drew me in, and I'm glad I tried them. These are very, very good, with a little sweetness, but not too much. And you would never know they were made with whole wheat. I will definitely use this recipe again to go with soups.

Anadama Bread

Prep Time: 19 minutes
Rise Time: 90 minutes x 2
Bake Time: 40 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Restaurant Favorites at Home

I really like this bread recipe. It is has a nice texture from the cornmeal, but it is nice and sturdy like sandwich bread. It gets its pretty color from molasses. It is fairly easy to make, but you do need to sort of cook the cornmeal (medium grind) in some hot milk first, to keep it from being too grainy.

My first rise took longer than the 90 minutes even though I did do it in the slightly warm oven, but the 2nd rise was more timely.

Double Corn Cornbread

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2006)

This is good, but I might pick the CI/ATK version over this one - I'm not sure. I actually like the CI version with cheese and jalapeno in it the best.

Corn Fritters

Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

I guess I didn't let my oil heat enough, because it took longer than 1-2 minutes per side to brown. The ones at the end were better, and tasted great. I don't fry food too often, so not sure how often I will make these, but it was a fun way to use fresh corn. I will make sure to start oil heating earlier next time.

The recipe called for a shallot, which I did not have. Instead of using regular onion, I substituted regular table salt for Shallot salt (from Penzey's) which I think worked nicely.
Recipe Source: Cook's Country (August 2005)

Blackberry Cornmeal Cake

Prep Time: 17 minutes
Bake Time: 45 - 50 minutes
Cool Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (July 2005)

This is a great recipe. It is a nice rustic cake that is easy to make. The most time consuming part for me is the washing and checking of the fruit (since I am kind of obsessive about that.) You can make this with any favorite summer fruit. This time I made it with black raspberries, because they were cheaper at the Farmer's market this weekend than the blackberries.

I usually use a Turbinado sugar on the top, which gives a nicer crunch than regular granulated sugar.

When making this cake I always think that the fruit is too much, because you put a layer on the top, and it completely covers the top of the cake. But once the cake cooks, the fruit sinks some into the batter and it doesn't remain a solid layer on the top.