cornmeal Archives - Wood & Spoon

Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits

Biscuits are the ultimate comfort food in our house. I keep a stockpile of homemade ones in the freezer to pop into the toaster oven at a moment’s notice. They serve as breakfasts, snacks, and additions to supper, and I kinda think it will end up being one of those things my kids remember about life in the home they grew up in- Mama and her freezer full of biscuits. I love it. These cheddar cornmeal biscuits are a rendition of the classic ones we regularly prepare. With the addition of cornmeal, cheddar cheese, and the optional dried herbs, these Southern beauties are like a crossbreed of cornbread and biscuit- flavorful, textured, flaky, and super buttery. Let me tell you how to make them.

Making the Biscuits:

These cheddar cornmeal biscuits start like any other biscuit. The dry ingredients of flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt get tossed together in a large bowl. You have the option to add some dried herbs if that’s you’re thing. Next, we cut in loads of ice-cold butter, stir in the cheddar cheese, and bring the whole mixture together with milk. Once a shaggy dough forms, pat the dough out into a rectangle and begin layering the dough by cutting it into thirds and re-stacking those pieces one on top of another. We repeat this process a few times and then gently pat it out into a flat sheet of dough. Use a floured biscuit cutter to trim out rounds and then space them out slightly on a prepared sheet pan. The biscuits get baked until they’re golden brown and crisp around the edges.

I like to add an extra bit of butter to the tops of the biscuits to make them even more golden and savory, but this is optional. As always, be sure to use ice-cold ingredients where indicated to ensure that the biscuits fluff up nicely in the oven. If at any point your dough gets warm, you can pop it into the fridge or freezer to get cold again before baking. For reheating, I recommend a toaster oven or a traditional oven at 350 until the biscuit is warmed throughout and the edges have crisped again.

Enjoy making these treats this weekend! I’ll leave a few other favorite biscuit recipes down below for you to check out, too! Happy Friday to you all, and, as always, happy baking!

If you like these cheddar cornmeal biscuits you should check out:

Mini Buttermilk Biscuits
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Biscuits
Honey Nut Biscuits
Maple Oatmeal Biscuits
Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits
Buttermilk Biscuit Sandwiches
Peaches and Cream Biscuits

Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits

Print Recipe

★★★★

4 from 2 reviews

These cheddar cornmeal biscuits feature buttery layers, cheddar cheese throughout, and loads of texture thanks to the addition of cornmeal! Consider these your cornbread biscuits!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 16
Category: Breakfast

Ingredients

1–1/2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup ground cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter, cold plus 2 additional tablespoons of melted butter
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¾ cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (If desired for herb biscuits)

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir to combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda (Add in the Italian seasoning here too if you want herbed biscuits!). Use a pastry cutter or the backs of two forks to cut the butter into the dry ingredients, working quickly until pea-sized clumps exist throughout. Stir in the cheddar cheese. Pour in the milk and vinegar and use a rubber spatula to stir until a shaggy dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough.
Gently and quickly work the dough together and pat out to a 1” thick rectangle. Cut the dough into 3 equal-sized rectangles and stack them on top of one another. Gently press or roll out again to a 1” thick rectangle. Repeat the cutting and stacking process two more times and then roll out to ½-2/3” thick. Use a 1-1/2” round biscuit cutter to trim out rounds of dough. Flour the cutter well and press down straight being careful not to twist the cutter at all. Re-flour and continue cutting out until all the dough has been used. You can gather leftover piece and gently form back together to trim out more circles. Place the biscuits about ¼” apart on the baking sheet or dish. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes or until the tops are golden and the biscuits have risen. Brush with the melted butter if desired. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying and reheat in the toaster oven as needed.

Stone Fruit Skillet Cobbler

8 Comments / Confections and Candies, Pies and Tarts

Today’s post is all about a summertime staple that should make your life easier. With so much going on, I think we should simplify these summer days so that we can spend a little more time actually enjoying them. If you’re up for taking a load off your proverbial plate in a beautiful and delicious way, look no further than this stone fruit skillet cobbler.

For starters, I just want to say “LOL” to the summer. It wasn’t long ago that the term “summer break” induced visions of binge-watching “Full House” and drinking Diet Cokes by the pool with my friends. Summer used to be primarily about tan lines and an extended curfew, those days when the biggest concern to be had was whether or not that bottle of Nair would destroy your bikini area. Let’s just have a moment of silence for the easy days of our youth, shall we?

Of course in adulthood that reality changes as work schedules and managers and deadlines really don’t take a break. Even then, it’s easy to take the occasional long weekend or beachside snooze because you are on your own schedule. Instead, for me, it took having kids to remember that summer is no longer about beach lounging and googling things like, “where is Johnathan Taylor Thomas after Home Improvement,” because now you’re on kid schedule, and let me tell you- kid schedule is way more complicated.

Let’s say you have a couple of hours to kill and you want to take your kids to the pool. Once you factor in time for applying sunscreen, feeding them snacks, trips to timeout for stealing someone else’s diving rings, and then reapplying sunscreen, your time spent swimming is actually, well, none. This is also assuming that the trip wasn’t cut short at the hands of a diaper explosion or a sunscreen-in-the-eyes meltdown. If so, factor in a deficit of thirty minutes for time spent in that disgustingly wet public bathroom. RIP your daily morale.

Or let’s say you want to have an afternoon picnic, get out of the house for some exercise. If so, I sincerely hope you live somewhere north of the Mason/Dixon line or have chosen a cloudy day for this adventure, because your kid will not be having it. They’re going to be hot! They’ll be sweaty! Their legs will hurt, they’ll need some ice water, they’ll want to go home to collect 103 very important items that they left behind. Summer adventures with kids, in my experience, turn into misadventures, so just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Lest you feel discouraged at the outlook of summers with kids, let me say that I do think this will all end up being worth it. The opportunity to watch those littles experience the freedom and newness of each summer for the first time makes for a memorable experience. I’m going to keep taking photos and biting my tongue when I want to freak out because there is sweetness in this season, even if it is in the midst of a little stress. And in the meantime, I’m working to scale back in other ways, a de-clutter of my to-do list, so that I can really try to focus on enjoying the moment I’m in, ya know?

First up is this stone fruit skillet cobbler. This is an adaptable recipe that you can modify to fit whatever fruit you pick up at the farmers market or find lying in the nether regions of your freezer. You can make the dough for the biscuity/scone-like topping a few hours, days, whatever in advance and plop it on your fruit filling when the craving hits. The topping here is a combination of my favorite scone and my biscuit recipe. It’s tender, almost cakey, but super delicious in flavor. In place of some of the flour, I’ve added cornmeal for texture and to compliment the sweet fruit. When baked, this topping has crisp, buttery edges and a soft biscuit-like center that goes splendidly with a juicy fruit filling.

I opted to use peaches, cherries, and plums for this particular stone fruit skillet cobbler, but you can really use whatever fruit you have on hand! The most important part is making sure to add the right amount of sugar. If you’re working with super sweet fruit, like strawberries, figs, or blueberries, you will likely require less sugar to add to the filling. In my case, the addition of tart plums required a smidge more sugar, so just be sure to adjust the recipe by a tablespoon or two as needed. I love to take whatever fruit is threatening to die in my fridge and throw it in mini, ramekin-sized portions for individuals treats as well. Just make sure your baking container is large enough to avoid an overflow of fruit syrup burning on the bottom of your oven. I learned this the hard way.

Moms, I’m giving you a badge of courage for taking these summer days in stride. As a reward, enjoy this stone fruit skillet cobbler and just give yourself a pat on the back for being freaking awesome, okay? Happy baking, y’all!

If you like this stone fruit skillet cobbler you should check out:

Cherry Gateau Basque

Cherry Lime Hand Pies

Peach Berry Pie

Peach Crumb Muffins

Chocolate Budino

Stone Fruit Skillet Cobbler

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This stone fruit skillet cobbler is a simple way to use up fresh summer produce and can be easily adapted for a variety of your favorites!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 45
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 6
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the filling:

Two pounds of cored stone fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, etc)
About ½–1 cup (100 gm-200 gm) sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

For the topping:

3/4 cup (105 gm) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar
1–1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons (70 gm) unsalted butter, cold and chopped
½ cup (120 gm) heavy whipping cream
Extract sugar for sprinkling
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

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Instructions

To prepare the cobbler:

Preheat the oven to 375 and prep the filling. Core and chop fruit into 1/2” pieces and be sure that any peaches have been peeled. You can keep the skin on plums, cherries, and nectarines. Toss the fruit with the remaining filling ingredients and sugar to taste. I like to start with ½ cup sugar for ripe, sweet fruit. If you’re using any tart or not fully ripened fruit, you’ll likely need about ¾ cup of sugar instead. Only add the full cup of sugar for really sour fruit. Dump the fruit mixture into a 1-1/2 quart baking dish and set aside while you prep the topping.
Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter or the backs of two forks to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until pea-sized clumps form. Add the heavy whipping cream and stir together until a dry dough comes together. Use a medium cookie scoop or your hands to make little flat rounds of dough to place directly on top of the fruit in the baking dish. Sprinkle with a little extract sugar and baking in the preheat oven for about 35 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the fruit underneath is bubbling. Allow to cool slightly before serving with a scoop of ice cream.

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Blueberry Galette with a Cornmeal Crust

13 Comments / Pies and Tarts

Happy (almost) Fourth of July! If you’re reading this from the States, I hope you’re feeling more patriotic than Mel Gibson circa the Benjamin Martin days. I hope you’re sporting your baddest jean shorts, your stars and stripes bikini top, or maybe a super slick handlebar mustache. Spit some watermelon seeds, fire up the grill, soak up all the sun and PBR that your body can tolerate. Just be sure that if you’re looking for something red, white, or blue to make on this razzle dazzle of a day, you consider this blueberry galette with a cornmeal crust.

Summer Treats

Something about the Fourth inspires me to berry-filled desserts. The colors, the ripe and juicy fruits, and the illusion that you’re choosing something “healthy” for bathing suit weather just makes me want to saddle up to every pie, turnover, and trifle that comes my way. Popsicles, ice cream cones, and cookie sandwiches are great, but on this most American of holidays, we need something that feels like a down-home, true-blue dessert. This blueberry galette is just the ticket.

Blueberry Galette

Ok, ok, I know some of you are thinking, “A blueberry galette? What about a pie? What about hand pies?” Yes, I hear you. But galettes are totally in the mix for a number of reasons. First, the prep and bake time for this galette is far less complex than a traditional double-crusted fruit pie. No crimping edges, no messy lattices, nothing. Just fold up the edges of your galette and you’re done. Second, we bake this galette in the oven, so there’s no fussing with a pot of hot grease for hand pies or turnovers. And third, the top of the galette is open and exposed, so we get to admire all of the fresh summer goodness that we’re about to enjoy. It leaves very little to the imagination, but honestly, I’m totally okay with that.

If you’ve never made a galette or pie before, this is the perfect way to get your feet wet. They’re faster and must easier to prepare, but still offer the delicious tastes and textures of a traditional pie. Sounds like a win to me.

How to Make a Galette

To make this blueberry galette, we start with prepping the cornmeal crust. I adapted the recipe for this dough from my cheddar cornmeal crust that I use to make the world’s most decadent pot pie. It’s nothing more than a little flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and fat… just what the doctor ordered. If you prefer a traditional pie crust, I’ve got you covered on that right here. This cornmeal crust is completely make-ahead, so you can prep it and store it in the fridge for a few days, or pop it in the freezer for a later time. The cornmeal may sound unusual, but just know that it pairs spot on with the blueberries. The flavor and texture difference is subtle, but that buttery crust flecked with little crunchy bites of cornmeal is a texture like no other.

Cornmeal Crust

Once our cornmeal crust is made, we get started on the filling for the blueberry galette. Toss a few cups of blueberries with some lemon zest, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Dump that filling into the center of your rolled-out pie dough and fold up the crust over the edges of those sweet berries. A brush of egg for color and a sprinkle of sugar for crunch and this blueberry galette is ready for the oven.

The hardest part of making this blueberry galette is waiting for it to cool off enough to eat it. We want the filling to set up a little so that we don’t have a soupy mess on our hands, but if you’re eager to dive in, there’s no shame in getting dirty. Cut into it quickly and you’ll have some spillage, but it will still taste fantastic. Scout’s honor. I like to top each slice of my blueberry galette with little scoops of ice cream or dollops of whipped cream, but take it dairy-free if you’d prefer. There’s enough delicious flavor, texture, and sweetness to admire in this galette all on its own, so you won’t miss the addition of cream.

Let’s take that all-American dessert of pie and make it even better with this fuss-free, mouth-watering blueberry galette. Less time spent in the kitchen means more time celebrating, watching fireworks, and loving our people, so let’s just do it, okay? Happy Fourth of July to you and happy baking!

If you like this blueberry galette, check out the following:

Berry Almond Streusel Pie

Peach Berry Pie

Strawberry Pretzel Tart

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars

Blueberry Cornbread

Strawberry Almond Skillet Cake

Blueberry Galette with a Cornmeal Crust

Print Recipe

This blueberry galette is a juicy summer dessert scented with lemon and folded into a buttery cornmeal pie crust.

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 30
Cook Time: 45
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust:

1/2 cup (60 gm) cornmeal
1–1/4 cup (160 gm) flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
6 tablespoons (85 gm) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/3 cup (70 gm) shortening, cold and cubed
3–4 tablespoons ice water, more if needed

For the filling:

3.5 cups (525 gm) of blueberries
1–1/2 teaspoons lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons (75 gm) sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons sparkling or turbinado sugar (optional)

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Instructions

To prepare the crust:

In a food processor (or a large glass bowl) combine the cornmeal, flour, salt and sugar, stirring until combined. Pulse (or cut) in the butter and shortening until well integrated and pea-sized clumps form. Add 2 tablespoons of ice water at a time, pulsing (or folding in) until the pie crust clumps together. Add the water little by little so as not to make it too moist. Be sure not to overwork the dough. Flatten the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge until well chilled, at least 1-2 hours. You can make this ahead and freeze wrapped in tin foil as well.

To prepare the galette:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a flat baking sheet or stone with a piece of parchment paper.
Combine the blueberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, cornstarch, and salt, tossing together to combine.
Roll the cornmeal crust to a rough 12-13” diameter circle. Move the rolled out crust to the parchment paper.
Pour the filling into the center of the circle, leaving a 2” border around the rim of the circle.
Carefully fold up the edges of the galette towards the filling, pulling the crust barely over the top of the outer edge of the blueberries. Fold them edges up over themselves, wrapping it up like a present.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Use a pastry brush to paint the visible tops of crust. Sprinkle the crust with the sugar, if desired.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the insides of the blueberry filling is bubbling and looks slightly thickened. Allow to cool prior to slicing and serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Notes

Allow the galette to cool well prior to slicing. This will help to ensure it sets up properly. You can speed this process up by letting it cool in the fridge.
Fresh berries may taste better and will look prettier, but frozen fruit is just fine here. Try it out!
You can substitute butter and shortening for each other in this recipe but it will affect the final outcome of the pie’s texture and color.

Cheddar Cornmeal Chicken Pot Pie

16 Comments / Food and Drink, Pies and Tarts

Full disclosure- it’s 65 degrees outside. I can almost promise that there’s not a single person in the state of Alabama that is actually interested in eating this cheddar cornmeal chicken pot pie right now. But sometimes we do weird stuff on this blog, so let’s not shy away from it. Let’s just go for it.

Growing up, I can remember eating those personal pot pies that came frozen in a tiny foil pie pan. I’d pick out the peas and hide them under the rim of my bowl until the dog got close enough to eat them out of the palm of my sticky little paw. Now, as an adult, I appreciate pot pie for its comfort. A thick and buttery stew, bubbling with chunks of chicken and diced veggies, all topped with a flaky pie crust, somehow feels cozier than a cable knit sweater. Pot pie dinners feel like home.

Cheddar Cornmeal Chicken Pot Pie

This, my friends, it not your average pot pie. This cheddar cornmeal chicken pot pie is the sexy, Southern cousin of the regular ole’ pot pie that swoops in from out of town, steals your boyfriend, and sends everyone running to the store for cheddar cheese so that they can be cool like the new kid.

The Filling and Crust

The filling, adapted from Ina Garten’s famous recipe, is unassumingly delicious. Carrots, peas, chicken, onions, and enough butter to grease up Danny Zuko and the rest of the T-Birds, comes together in one pot to make a thick and creamy filling. The surprising part of this dish- the part that would make you slap yo mama and sing the Hallelujah Chorus- is the crust. Cornmeal and sharp cheddar cheese are the stars of this show, providing a crunch and creamy tang with every bite. Spiced with black pepper, garlic, and a few savory herbs, the crust on this cheddar cornmeal pot pie is like a pie crust meets Southern cheese straw. If that doesn’t shoot this dish to the top of your dinner menu, then I don’t know anything, apparently.

Since coming up with this dish, my somewhat critical eater of a husband has said that this is the single best dish in active rotation at our house, so I tend to make it quite a bit. Thankfully, this is a dish that requires little active cooking time, and the cheddar cornmeal crust can be made (or even frozen!) ahead of time. I haven’t tried freezing and reheating a whole pot pie yet, but I have high hopes that there’s potential there. If anyone tries this out, please, do inform.

If you’re somewhere cold or in need of a dose of comfort food, you should definitely give this cheddar cornmeal chicken pot pie a try. Although, if you’re reading this from Alabama, maybe just wait until we’re back to the regularly scheduled January weather. Or not. No one is judging, so if you make it now, I won’t care. Cheers to you and Happy Tuesday!

Cheddar Cornmeal Chicken Pot Pie

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This cheddar cornmeal chicken pot pie is a traditional chicken pot pie, filled with chicken, carrots, peas, and buttery onions, all topped with a cheddar, cornmeal, black pepper, and herb crust.

Author: Kate Wood
Cook Time: 120
Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

For the cheddar cornmeal crust

1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary (optional)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/3 cup shortening, cold and cubed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer sharp cheddar)
2–4 tablespoons ice water, more if needed

For the pot pie filling (adapted from Ina Garten)

2–1/4 cups chicken stock
1 chicken bouillon cube
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1–1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
3–1/2 cups of diced cooked chicken (I use cooked breast meat)
1 cups small diced carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves (you can substitute a reduced amount of dried parsley)
Salt and Pepper
1 egg

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Instructions

To prepare the cheddar cornmeal crust

In the bowl of a food processor, whiz together the cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, pepper, and dried herbs and seasonings for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and shortening and pulse in the processor until marble sized clumps form. Add the cheese and pulse a few more times until well combined and the pea sized clumps forms. Add 2 tablespoons of the ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together, adding an additional tablespoon of water or two if needed. Do no over-process.
Dump the dough crumbles out on to the counter and form into a round, flat disk. Cover in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or up to three days.

To prepare the pot pie

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a small saucepan, warm the chicken stock and bouillon cube over medium heat, but do not boil. In a large dutch oven or pot, add the butter and onions, cooking over medium heat and stirring frequently until the onions are translucent (about 10 minutes). Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the while. Add the chicken stock mixture and continue to cook while stirring for an additional minute. Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken, carrots, peas, parsley, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well and turn the heat off.
Pour the pot pie filling into a 10″ cast iron skillet, or another glass/ceramic baking dish that the pot pie can nearly fill to capacity. Whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water and brush the mixture on the lip of the pan. This will help the pot pie crust to stick to the pan, but is optional and may not be necessary depending on your pan.
On a floured surface, roll your crust out until it is 2 inches wider on all sides than the size of your pan. Be sure to keep your surface and pin well floured to keep from sticking. Transfer the crust to the skillet (I roll the dough loosely back on to the rolling pin and then gently roll it back out on top of the pan), trimming the edges, and crimping them as desired. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and cut a few vent slits on the top of the pie. Place in the oven and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling underneath. If the crust or edges are golden or burning before the filling is bubbling, cover loosely with a piece of foil. Allow to set for about 20-30 minutes before serving.

Notes

The herbs and seasonings in the dough are optional but highly recommended as they add tremendous flavor!
I have tested many variations of this dough, and this is the one I was most pleased with. I have attempted using all butter, and while the taste is terrific, the texture is not as preferable to me. It’s quite delicate and may be somewhat crumbly crye shaping it for the pot pie lid, but the taste is worth the effort.

cornmeal

Making the Biscuits:

If you like these cheddar cornmeal biscuits you should check out:

Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits

Ingredients

Instructions

If you like this stone fruit skillet cobbler you should check out:

Stone Fruit Skillet Cobbler

Ingredients

For the filling:

For the topping:

Instructions

To prepare the cobbler:

Summer Treats

Blueberry Galette

How to Make a Galette

Cornmeal Crust

If you like this blueberry galette, check out the following:

Blueberry Galette with a Cornmeal Crust

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Cheddar Cornmeal Chicken Pot Pie

The Filling and Crust

Cheddar Cornmeal Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

For the cheddar cornmeal crust

For the pot pie filling (adapted from Ina Garten)

Instructions

To prepare the cheddar cornmeal crust

To prepare the pot pie

Notes

Notes

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