Rustic Corn Blini With Ham Salad Recipes

SWEET CORN BLINI

Steps:

• Put flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Grind 1 cup corn kernels to a rough purée in a food processor, then add egg and yogurt, and pulse to mix. Add corn mixture to flour mixture and stir together until just mixed to make a thick batter. Stir in 4 tablespoons melted butter. Set aside for 5 minutes. Thin with a little milk if necessary. (Batter may be prepared several hours ahead.)
• Warm remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining 1 cup corn kernels. Season with salt and pepper, then cook for 1 minute or so to heat through. Keep warm.
• Put greased griddle or cast-iron pan over medium heat. Using 1 tablespoon batter, make pancakes about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Cook for 1 minute, until bubbles appear on surface and pancakes are lightly browned. Flip and cook for 30 seconds more. (Be sure to keep heat moderate or else the pancakes will blacken.) Pancakes may be cooked in advance and reheated.
• To serve, place 3 hot pancakes on small plate. Top with spoonful of cooked corn and some of the butter from the pan. Drizzle with crème fraîche and sprinkle with chives.

HAM AND CORN SALAD

Steps:

• In a medium-sized bowl, make dressing by mixing together sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
• Add remaining ingredients and toss to blend. Cover and chill for at least one hour.
• Longer chill time is better so the flavors can blend.

CHEF JOHN'S RUSTIC ITALIAN CORN BREAD

Steps:

• Stir warm water, 1/2 cup bread flour, yeast, and sugar together in a bowl. Let stand until the yeast softens and forms a creamy mixture, about 40 minutes.
• Mix 1/2 cup cornmeal, olive oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Gradually add bread flour to yeast mixture until a dough pulls together.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured work surface until smooth and elastic, 10 to 12 minutes. Place dough in a large, lightly-oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 14-inch wide rectangle. Roll dough, starting from the long-end, into a loaf, finishing seam-side down.
• Dust a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon cornmeal. Place loaf on baking sheet, cover with a dry towel, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place a shallow pan of water on the lower rack of the oven.
• Cut a 1/2-inch deep slash down the center of the loaf.
• Bake in preheated oven until the top is golden brown and the bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

CORN BLINI WITH SMOKED SALMON AND CHIVE CREAM

Steps:

• Combine sour cream and chives in a small bowl. Cover and chill.
• Cut kernels from ear of corn. Scrape remaining pulp from cob using the dull side of a knife blade. Discard cob. Set corn aside.
• Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and cornmeal in a medium bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine milk and egg yolk in a small bowl, stir well with whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir with a whisk until just moist. Stir in corn, salt, and pepper.
• Place egg white in a bowl, beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Gently fold egg white mixture into corn mixture.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 1 tbls. batter per blini onto pan, spreading to about 2" diameter. Cook 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges begin to set. Carefully turn blinis over, cook for 1 more mintue. Transfer blinis to a serving platter, and arrange in a single layer; keep warm. Repeat process with the remaining batter. Top each blini with with 1 piece salmon and 1 teaspoons sour cream mixture. Garnish with chopped chives, if using.
• Makes 8 servings.

CORNMEAL BLINI WITH TOMATO-CORN SALSA

Steps:

• For Blini:
• Heat milk and water to lukewarm (105°F. to 115°F.) in small saucepan. Pour into large bowl. Mix in sugar and yeast. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Stir flour, cornmeal and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir into yeast mixture. Mix in buttermilk and egg yolks. Cover with plastic and let stand in warm area until very spongy, about 2 hours.
• Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Gently fold into cornmeal mixture in 2 additions.
• Preheat oven to 250°F. Brush large nonstick skillet with 1 teaspoon oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches and brushing with additional oil as necessary, drop batter by tablespoonfuls into skillet, spreading gently to 2-inch rounds. Cook until golden on bottoms and bubbles begin to break on surface, about 2 minutes. Using spatula, turn blini over; cook until golden, about 1 minutes. Arrange in single layer on large baking sheets. Keep warm in oven.
• For Salsa
• Mix all ingredients except yogurt in medium bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. (Blini and salsa can be made 8 hours ahead. Cool blini. Cover blini and salsa separately and chill. Reheat blini uncovered in 350°F. oven about 10 minutes before serving.)
• Spread small amount of yogurt over blini. Divide salsa over blini. Arrange on platters and serve warm.

AWESOME HAM PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a large bowl, mix together the drained pasta, ham, peppers, onion, pickles and tomatoes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, beef bouillon granules, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic and 1/2 cup of reserved pickle juice. Fold into the salad and toss gently until evenly coated. Chill overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Serve near room temperature.

FRESH CORN AND RED-PEPPER BLINI

Steps:

• Combine the yeast with the lukewarm water and sugar in a small bowl.
• Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Add to the cornmeal and whisk until smooth. Place over ice and continue beating until lukewarm. Combine the yeast mixture with the cornmeal and leave the batter to ferment in a warm, draft-free area for two hours. (The mixture may be refrigerated overnight at this point.)
• When ready to serve, beat the eggs until light. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, and stir into the eggs. Add the sour cream and mix until smooth. Combine with the cornmeal mixture (if the batter has been refrigerated and is stiff, place it over simmering water and stir until soft) and beat hard for two minutes. Mix in the corn and red pepper.
• Heat the griddle or skillet until hot. Grease with a small amount of clarified butter. Ladle tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. Cook for one minute on the first side until lightly colored, flip and continue cooking for another 30 seconds.
• To serve, place three pancakes on a warmed plate with a dollop of creme fraiche and a half-teaspoon each of Sevruga and salmon caviar per person. Or place one or two slices of Norwegian or Scotch salmon, along with a dollop of creme fraiche, on each pile of blini.

HAM 'N' CHEDDAR CORNBREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cornbread mixes, milk and eggs. Pour half of the batter into an 11x7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with ham and cheese; carefully spread remaining batter over the top. , Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.