Corn Tortilla Step-by-Step

homemade corn tortillas

Homemade corn tortillas are one item on my quest to learn to make as many things as possible from scratch. Ana, a friend of my mom’s, agreed to show me how her mom taught her. The ingredients list is simple: masa, a pinch of salt, and water. Scoop some masa in a bowl, add a pinch of salt, and then add water, mixing with your hands as you do, until a dough ball forms. The trick involves getting the right consistency—you want it to feel a bit like Play-Doh and not stick to your hands. After shaping into a small disk and then flattening, the tortillas cook on a hot ungreased griddle. Ana has a tortilla press. I improvised on the batch I made at home with my cast-iron skillet, which worked pretty well. My tortillas weren't quite as good as Ana's, but practice makes perfect.

You can buy masa at the grocery store.

This is the right consistency for the dough.

A split zip-top bag keeps the dough
from sticking to the tortilla press.

Cook tortillas at 400° on an ungreased griddle,
about 3 minutes per side.

Recipe Rewind: Peach-and-Blackberry Crostata

This simple, seasonal dessert is definitely worth re-posting. Fresh peaches and blackberries are abundant this time of year, and this rustic pie showcases them beautifully. Don’t be intimidated by the homemade pie crust—the food processor takes out the guess work. Enjoy!

Peach-and-Blackberry Crostata
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, diced
6 Tbsp. ice water
1 1/2 lb. peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 pint blackberries
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. orange zest
2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice (1/2 orange)

1. Place flour and next 2 ingredients in food processor; pulse to combine. Gradually add in diced butter, pulsing until mixture resembles wet sand. Stream in ice water until a dough forms. Remove to a floured board, and divide into two disks. Wrap disks in plastic wrap, and freeze for 1 hour.
2.  Remove one disk from freezer, and roll out. Place dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
3. Combine peaches, blackberries, 1 Tbsp. flour, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and next 2 ingredients. Spoon fruit mixture over dough, leaving a border. Fold border over top of fruit, leaving the center open.
5. Bake at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes or until done. Cool and then cut into wedges.

Chocolate Chip-Zucchini Bread

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs
3 cups grated zucchini (about 3 zucchini)
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Zest from 1 orange
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Beat oil and sugars with mixer until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended after each addition. Beat in zucchini and vanilla.

2. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients. Gradually add to oil mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into 2 lightly greased loaf pans.

3. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Lime Curd Tart

This curd is lip-puckering tart!

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
Zest and juice from 4 limes
4 eggs
Pinch of salt
Fresh blackberries

1. Beat 3/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup sugar with an electric mixer just combined. Beat in vanilla, flour, and pinch of salt. Beat on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Spoon dough into a lightly greased 10-inch tart pan. Press dough into bottom and up sides of pan. Prick dough with a fork.
2. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, beat 1/2 cup butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and lime zest with mixer until creamy. Stir in the lime juice. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add in pinch of salt.
4. Pour lime mixture into a saucepan, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat.
5. Pour lime curd into tart shell. Top curd with blackberries. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Peach-and-Goat Cheese Crostini

This delicious appetizer was inspired by a dish at a local restaurant, which features toasted baguette slices topped with goat cheese and thinly sliced watermelon. The tangy-sweet combination is absolutely delicious. The beautiful peaches I picked up at the farmers market inspired my version. Don’t be afraid of peaches paired with balsamic vinegar and fresh basil—it’s delicious! We will definitely have this again and again this summer.

Peach-and-Goat Cheese Crostini
6 slices ciabatta or baguette, cut into thin slices
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Goat cheese (I prefer Belle Chevre, which is made in Elkmont, Alabama.)
1 peach, peeled and thinly sliced
Balsamic vinegar
Chopped fresh basil

1. Place bread slices on a baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Bake at 400° for 3 minutes. Remove from oven, and spread goat cheese on toasted bread slices. Top with sliced peaches, and lightly drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Return to oven, and bake for 2 more minutes, just to warm up the goat cheese. Sprinkle with fresh basil.

Oven Pancake With Fresh Berries

This is based on a recipe from Ina Garten. I’ve always shied away from oven pancakes because the recipes usually have a low flour-to-egg ratio, and I have feared this would yield a spongy texture. (One of my food dislikes.) This one sounded so good, that I decided to try it. The texture was light but not spongy. Andy really loved it and requested to have it again soon. (The original says to bake the batter in individual baking dishes, which I don't have. A pie plate worked perfectly.) Enjoy!

Oven Pancake With Fresh Berries
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Zest from 1 orange
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Fresh blackberries, blueberries, and chopped strawberries

1. Beat eggs with an electric mixer on medium speed until beaten. Add the milk, and combine. Slowly add flour and next 5 ingredients; beat until smooth. Butter 9-inch pie plate, and pour mixture into pan.

2. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove from oven, and top with berries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve with warm maple syrup.

Fresh Produce

Our neighborhood farmers market, which is held at East Lake United Methodist Church, opened the first Saturday in May. I love picking out fresh produce and planning meals around what’s available. Today, the variety was terrific! As you can see, I had little self-restraint in my purchases. But all of this produce cost about $25, and we will enjoy numerous meals from it. Our market offers a basket subscription for 12 weeks; this begins June 9 and goes through October 6. The basket contains a representation of what each farmer brings to market that week.  If you live in Birmingham and would like to know more about this market, click here.