Thanksgiving 101 (23 page)

1.
Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.

2.
In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse meal. Mix in the buttermilk until combined. Knead lightly in the bowl to make a soft dough. Do not overwork the dough.

3.
On a lightly floured work surface, pat out the dough with floured hands to a ¾-inch thickness. (Or lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it out.) Using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter, cut out biscuits and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Gather up the scraps, knead gently to combine, pat out again, and repeat the procedure to get a total of 12 biscuits.

4.
Bake until the biscuits are risen and golden brown, about 15 minutes. (The biscuits can be baked up to 8 hours ahead, cooled, and stored at room temperature. To reheat, wrap the biscuits, 6 to a package, in aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 minutes.) Serve hot or warm.

Anadama Rolls

Legend says that these cornmeal mush–molasses rolls are named for a New England fisherman’s curse on his wife: “Anna, damn her!” Regardless of what she may have done to upset her spouse, she was a great baker. These rolls are mildly sweet, with a satisfyingly substantial crumb.

1.
Bring 1 cup water, the milk, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. In a steady stream, whisk in the cornmeal and return to the boil. Cook, whisking constantly, until the cornmeal is thick, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the molasses and butter. Transfer to a large bowl (or the bowl of a standing heavy-duty mixer). Let cool to lukewarm (105°F or below), whisking often.

2.
Meanwhile, pour the warm water into a small bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand until the yeast looks creamy, about 10 minutes.

3.
Whisk the dissolved yeast mixture into the lukewarm cornmeal mixture. Gradually mix in enough flour to form a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough on a floured work surface, adding more flour as needed (the dough will remain slightly sticky) to keep the dough from clinging to your hands and the work surface. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
      To make the dough in a heavy-duty mixer, attach the bowl with the cornmeal-yeast mixture to the mixer. Attach the paddle blade and turn the speed to low. Gradually add enough of the flour to make a soft dough that barely pulls away from the sides of the bowl, being careful not to add too much flour (the dough will remain slightly sticky). Transfer to the dough hook and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

4.
Form the dough into a ball. Butter a large bowl well. Add the dough, turning the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm draft-free area until doubled, about 1¼ hours.

5.
Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans. Punch down the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand 10 minutes. Divide the dough in half. Roll each piece of dough into a 9-inch log and cut each log into 9 equal pieces. Form each dough piece into a taut ball, and place 9 rolls in each pan smooth side up. Cover each pan with plastic wrap. Let stand until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.

6.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush the tops of the rolls with the melted butter and sprinkle with the seeds. Place the pans of rolls in the oven, and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until the rolls are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve warm. (The rolls can be prepared the night before serving. Completely cool the rolls. Store airtight at room temperature. Rewarm the rolls wrapped in foil in a 350°F oven, about 10 minutes before serving.)

Southern Corn Bread

More solid and crumbly than Yankee Corn Bread (at right), this is the one to use for dressing, or if your tastes run to firm corn bread. Use white or yellow cornmeal, according to what your Granny taught you.

1.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9 × 13-inch baking pan.

2.
In a large bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt well to combine. Make a well in the center, and pour in the milk, melted butter, and eggs. Stir just until combined. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

3.
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. (The corn bread can be baked up to 8 hours ahead. To reheat, cool and cut it into serving pieces. Wrap in aluminum foil, about 6 pieces to a package, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 minutes.)

4.
Cut the corn bread into serving pieces, and remove from the pan with a spatula. Serve warm.

Note:
Corn bread for stuffing can be baked up to 1 month ahead, cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and an overwrap of aluminum foil, and frozen. Or bake up to 2 days ahead and store at room temperature.

To use for stuffing, crumble the corn bread onto baking sheets. Let stand overnight at room temperature to dry out. Or bake in a preheated 350°F oven, stirring occasionally, until slightly dried out but not toasted, about 20 minutes.

Yankee Corn Bread

Northerners like their corn bread on the sweet side. Some bakers increase the sugar to ¼ cup in this recipe, but I prefer to use a lighter hand. With the minimum of sugar, you can make two excellent variations: one with chiles and cheese, the other with bacon.

1.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

2.
In a large bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda well to combine. Make a well in the center. Pour in the buttermilk, 4 tablespoons of the melted butter,
and the eggs. Stir just until smooth. Do not overbeat.

3.
Pour the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a 9 × 13-inch baking dish and place in the oven. Heat until the butter is very hot but not browned, about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the hot pan. Bake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. (The bread can be baked up to 8 hours ahead. To reheat, cool and cut the corn bread into serving pieces. Wrap in aluminum foil, about 6 pieces to a package, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 minutes.)

Cut the corn bread into serving pieces, and remove from the pan with a spatula. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Southwestern Chile and Cheese Corn Bread:
Stir 1½ cups (6 ounces) extra-sharp Cheddar cheese and 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced, into the batter.

Old-fashioned Bacon Corn Bread:
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook 6 strips of bacon until crisp. Reserving the bacon drippings, transfer the bacon to paper towels; cool and chop the bacon. Combine ¼ cup of the bacon drippings with ¼ cup melted butter and substitute for the 8 tablespoons melted butter in the batter. Fold the chopped bacon into the finished batter; do not overmix.

Rosemary and Cracked Pepper Corn Sticks

Savory with rosemary and cracked peppercorns, this is corn bread with a delicious difference. You’ll need cast-iron corn-stick molds to make these. Before any cast-iron utensil is used for the first time, it needs to be “seasoned” according to the manufacturer’s instructions to build up a patina of oil on the cooking surface. And after baking, never wash the molds with soap and water or you’ll wash off the seasoning and have to season them again. If you don’t have corn-stick molds, the batter can also be baked as muffins, according to the instructions following this recipe.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

1.
Position a rack in the top third of the oven and place the corn-stick molds in the oven to heat while the oven is preheating. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, rosemary, baking powder, salt, and pepper to combine. Make a well in the center. Pour in the milk, melted butter, and egg. Beat the egg to break it up, then stir the wet ingredients into the dry, just until combined. Do not overbeat.

3.
Carefully remove the hot molds from the oven and spray with the oil. Spoon the batter into the molds (they will almost fill the molds completely). Return the molds to the oven. Bake until golden brown and the corn sticks pull away from the sides of the molds, about 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then unmold. (The corn sticks can be baked up to 8 hours before serving. Cool completely, then wrap in aluminum foil, 6 corn sticks to a package. To reheat, bake in a preheated 350°F oven until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.) Serve immediately.

Old-fashioned Corn Sticks:
Delete the rosemary and cracked peppercorns. Add 1 tablespoon sugar to the batter.

Rosemary and Cracked Pepper Muffins:
Spoon the batter into 9 buttered muffin tins. So the muffins will bake evenly, add about 2 tablespoons water to each empty tin. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Spiced Yam and Pecan Muffins

Yams (call them sweet potatoes, if you wish) add their distinctive taste and color to these not-too-sweet muffins. When preparing mashed yams to use in batters and doughs, yams that have been baked are better than those that have been boiled or steamed. Baked yams have more flavor and are drier than boiled ones, which can get waterlogged and throw off the liquid measurements. Even so, the moisture in these muffins makes them bake longer than typical recipes. Use nonstick muffin cups or paper muffin liners, so muffins unmold easily.

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly butter 12 nonstick muffin cups (butter them even though they are nonstick) or line with muffin cups.

2.
Pierce each yam a few times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Cool until easy to handle. Remove the skins and discard. Rub the yams
through a wire sieve into a small bowl. Cool completely.

3.
Transfer 1 cup of the baked yam puree to a medium bowl. Rub the brown sugar through a dry wire sieve into the bowl (this removes any lumps and allows the brown sugar to dissolve easily in the batter) and mix well. Add the milk, melted butter, and eggs, and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir into the wet ingredients, just until combined. Fold in the chopped pecans. Do not overmix. Spoon equal amounts of the batter into the muffin cups. Top each muffin with a pecan half.