Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Kitchen Collection [38]

Last April, our friends Chris and Tony from the Bay Area asked if they could bring us anything on their trip to Paris. Ken mentioned that we were attempting to make our own tortillas, but didn't have a press, and voilà, they lugged a tortilla press across the pond !

It works great and we've enjoyed our own home-made corn tortillas on more than one occasion. Our only problem now is that we're running out of masa harina, the corn flour we use to make them.

But all is not lost. Ken is heading back to the states in October, and masa harina is on the shopping list !
Posted by wcs at 08:22
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10 comments:

  1. Anonymous05 September, 2007 00:32

    I didn't even know such things existed! I'm learning something every day on this blog! ;)
    new words and all!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous08 September, 2007 02:10

    I need this thing! We've been hopelessly trying to make tortillas for years. How does this thing work? Think I can get one online?

    ReplyDelete
  3. wcs08 September, 2007 08:22

    Jayne, it's simple, just two flat metal disks hinged together. You put your tortilla ball between two sheets of plastic and press it flat.

    I found this site online : tortilla press

    I think you can also find them on amazon.com.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous08 September, 2007 15:39

    You must tell me the secret to cooking them. Everytime we try, they are too crispy and won't fold properly. Do you have a recipe?
    (This is one the few cooking enigmas my husband and I can't seem to figure out. Hopeless Canadians.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. wcs08 September, 2007 18:22

    I got the method from one of Rick Bayless' books. 15 seconds on a hot griddle (I use a crêpe pan), then turn over for 30 to 40 seconds, then over once again for another 30 seconds.

    After the final turn the tortilla should puff up. When you take it out of the pan, it flattens again. Then put it in a basket lined with a kitchen towel and fold the towel over to cover it. Add each one to the pile inside the towel as you make them.

    Their residual steam finishes the cooking and softens them so they're pliable.

    Good luck !

    ReplyDelete
  6. wcs08 September, 2007 18:24

    Oh, and you need to experiment with the heat. The griddle needs to be hot, but not too hot. They can burn quickly.

    So it's trial and error for a while until you get the feel for it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous09 September, 2007 23:04

    I'm assuming you need corn flour?

    ReplyDelete
  8. wcs10 September, 2007 07:54

    Yes, masa harina. I'm sure it's available in Toronto.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous10 September, 2007 19:30

    At the risk of driving you mad... when you have a minute, could you send me your recipe. I think I've tried a million.

    ReplyDelete
  10. wcs11 September, 2007 08:45

    Jayne,

    I left the recipe on your blog. It was the latest post, with the picture of Jack in it. :)

    ReplyDelete

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