Cornmeal Tart Dough Recipes

EASY CORNMEAL CRUST FOR PIES, GALETTES AND CROSTATAS

Steps:

• Place flour, cornmeal, salt and sugar into a bowl.
• Using a whisk, mix until well combined
• Add butter. Using your hands mix into dry mix, the mixture will be someone mealy looking at this point.
• Add olive oil and stir until combined. There will be areas that arent completely combined, don't worry. When you add the water it will meld.
• Add as much of the ice cold water to have the dough stick together. It may seem a little stringy at this point but it is fine.
• Form into a ball and place in the fridge for 30 mins to an 1 hour until chilled.
• Onto a peice of parchment paper, sprinkle a little bit of cornmeal.
• Place chilled dough ball into the center and then dust a rolling pin with a little cornmeal as well.
• Roll dough out to 1/4" thickness. If the dough starts to stick, sprinkle a little bit more cornmeal on top.
• Bake and use according to your gallete, tart, crust or quiche recipe dictates.
• You can make this ahead and chill up to 3 days.

CORNMEAL-CRUSTED ROASTED RATATOUILLE TART

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine cornmeal, pastry flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to incorporate. Add butter and oil and pulse about 20 times, until mixture resembles small pebbles. Add water and pulse until mixture forms a loose dough. Remove dough from processor and press into bottom and about 1/8-inch up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a detachable rim. Press aluminum foil into the bottom and sides of the pan on top of the dough and weigh down with uncooked rice or pie weights. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove rice and foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until no longer shiny and wet. Remove from oven and let cool.
• For the filling: Increase the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat; saute shallots until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Spray 2 baking trays with cooking spray. Arrange the eggplant, zucchini and tomato slices on the trays in a single layer and brush with the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and roast the vegetables until soft but not browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the vegetables from oven and cool.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Lay the eggplant slices in 2 layers on the bottom of tart; cover with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and some of the shredded basil. Add the zucchini and shallots, top with another 1/3 of the mozzarella and basil, then the tomatoes. Top with rest of the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and vegetables have further wilted. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and cut into 8 slices. Serve warm.

CORNMEAL PIE DOUGH

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, mix in butter until crumbly. In a small bowl, combine egg yolks and 3 tablespoons ice water. Add egg-yolk mixture to flour mixture. Using a fork, mix quickly and lightly. Knead dough lightly in bowl until dough holds together; add up to 1 tablespoon ice water if dry. Divide dough into four equal balls. Press each ball into a disk; wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

BLUEBERRY CORNMEAL SHORTBREAD TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make the crust and topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, confectioners' sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Add melted butter, then use your hands or a wooden spoon to combine ingredients until no dry spots remain.
• Press half of the cornmeal mixture into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (alternatively, use a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan, lined with parchment), making sure the mixture is evenly pressed on the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides. (Using something large and flat, like the bottom of a measuring cup, will be helpful.) Reserve the remaining mixture.
• Make the filling: Toss blueberries, brown sugar, vinegar, flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour the fruit into the crust.
• Crumble the remaining cornmeal mixture over the blueberries, pressing bits of the mixture together into large clumps as you go, as you would with a crisp or coffee-cake topping.
• Bake tart until the blueberry filling is bubbly and thickened, and both the crust and top are nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Let tart cool completely before slicing into triangles and serving. The tart can be baked up to 2 days ahead and stored tightly wrapped at room temperature or refrigerated (especially if your kitchen is hot or humid).

CORNMEAL BISCUIT DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl or in food processor. Either cut in butter using fingertips or a fork to make a crumbly mixture, or add butter to processor and pulse until crumbly.
• Beat egg and buttermilk or yogurt together and stir in, mixing to make a very soft dough. Add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of buttermilk, if needed, to hold the dough together.

GOAT CHEESE AND TOMATO TART IN A CORNMEAL CRUST

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Cut butter into pieces.
• In a food processor pulse together flour, cornmeal, and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water and pulse until incorporated and mixture just forms a dough. Press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of a 10 1/2- by 7- by 1-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable fluted rim (see note, above) and roll a rolling pin over rim of pan to trim dough flush with rim. Chill crust about 20 minutes, or until firm.
• While crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F.
• Line crust with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake crust in lower third of oven until edge is set, 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights or rice and bake crust 5 minutes more, or until just dry. Leave oven on and cool crust in pan on a rack (crust may crack slightly). Crust may be made 1 day ahead and kept, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature.
• Make custard:
• Chop basil. In a bowl whisk together basil and remaining custard ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
• Pour custard into crust, spreading evenly. Halve tomatoes and arrange, cut sides up, in one layer on custard, pressing lightly into custard. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and bake tart in lower third of oven until custard is just set, about 25 minutes. Cool tart to warm in pan on rack. Tart may be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely before being chilled, covered, in pan. Reheat tart, uncovered, in a 350°F. oven or bring to room temperature before serving.
• Carefully remove rim from pan. Cut tart into roughly 2-inch pieces and serve warm or at room temperature.

CORNMEAL PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Combine cornmeal, flour and 1 tsp salt in a bowl.
• Cut in shortening.
• In a separate bowl, beat together egg and 1/4 cup water.
• Add to cornmeal mixture.
• Press into 9 inch pie plate to form crust.
• Use in place of regular pie crust.

APRICOT TART WITH CORNMEAL CRUST

Steps:

• For crust:
• Whisk flour, cornmeal and salt in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend. Beat in egg yolks. Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each dough disk in plastic and refrigerate 20 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before using.)
• Meanwhile, prepare apricot filling:
• Bring 5 cups water to simmer in heavy medium pot over medium heat. Add apricots and poach until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Unwrap 1 dough disk; press onto bottom and up sides of tart pan. Spread apricot preserves over bottom of crust. Place poached apricots over preserves, covering crust completely and overlapping slightly. Using pastry brush, brush beaten egg over edges of crust. Roll out second dough disk between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 12-inch round. Remove top piece of parchment; using 1-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut hole in center of top crust. Turn crust over onto filling. Remove second piece of parchment paper. Press around crust edges to seal. Cut off excess dough to make top crust flush with tart pan sides. Brush crust with beaten egg and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar.
• Bake tart until cornmeal crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer apricot tart to rack. Cool 30 minutes. Remove tart from pan and cool completely. (Apricot tart can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.) Serve tart with Apricot Sauce and whipped cream, if desired.

CORNMEAL TART DOUGH

Steps:

• Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor; pulse several times. Add butter; process until mixture is the consistency of coarse meal, about 7 seconds. With motor running, add yolks and enough ice water so dough comes together. Do not overmix.
• Divide dough in half; press to flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; chill at least 30 minutes or overnight.