Some people think that it is part of the kitchen furniture, but the truth is that that yellow box was not there when they gave you the keys to the house. What happens is that it is so necessary for a multitude of recipes, ranging from simple bread to pasta, including biscuits, pizza bases, pastry cream and ice cream, that it is impossible to resist buying it.
Today we explain what is inside that package, how is it different from cornmeal and, by the way, we do what we know how to do best. Collect some recipes with cornstarch with which you will always succeed.
What is cornstarch? And cornstarch?
If you are one of those who think that we have gone crazy for writing it with lowercase cy, Do not worry, you’re not the only one. What happens is that Maizena written like this, which is what you are tired of seeing in the cupboard at home, really refers to a registered trademark. Instead, with the term cornstarch we refer to any fine cornmeal (including Maizena).
Clarified this point, it is worth stopping at the fact that in Spain we know it as fine corn flour, although the correct definition would be “corn starch flour”, since it is only extracted from that part of the grain and not from the endosperm. In other words, cornstarch is a fine flour which is extracted from corn starch and is the result of processing one of the parts of the corn until a very fine powder is obtained.
In short, both cornstarch and cornmeal are obtained from corn kernels, but while flour is ground, the cornstarch is allowed to ferment lightly, then remove the starch and let it dry.
Maizena Fine Corn Flour Thickener Box 2.5 kilograms – Gluten Free Product
What is cornstarch used for?
Although it is a basic ingredient for making dough and desserts, we will soon see that it can be used for other purposes in savory dishes. But first it should be noted that cornstarch is high in carbohydrates and that it does not contain gluten, which is why celiac people always have it in mind. Also, contains nutrients such as iron, protein, calcium, fiber, potassium, sodium, vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B7, B9, B12, etc.).
The difference between cornstarch and cornmeal at a nutritional level is that the second provides more protein, fat and fiber, while cornstarch provides more calories and carbohydrates. Hence, many prefer to use the first to thicken sauces and to make bread, alfajores, custard, flan or pancakes, and leave the second one for everything that has to do with confectionery (biscuits, fritters, bread, empanadas, etc.).
What you should keep in mind is that in the case of cornstarch less quantity is needed when making recipes if we compare it with corn flour. From which it follows that the caloric and carbohydrate intake will be lower.
Time to get your apron dirty!
Miguelitos de la Roda
The theory is all very well, but nothing like getting into the kitchen to put the cornstarch to the test and check firsthand that there are many recipes that we can carry out with this popular ingredient. Do we get into flour? Or, rather, in cornstarch.
To whet your appetite, nothing better than some Miguelitos de La Roda, those mythical rectangular-shaped puff pastries that are filled with pastry cream and finished with a fine syrup glaze. Just thinking about it makes you start salivating!
The first thing we’re going to do is heat the oven to 200ºC. Meanwhile, we’re going to do the custard cream. It can be done, of course, in the traditional way, but it is much faster to do it in the microwave.
In a tall jug we put all the ingredients: two egg yolks, half a liter of milk, 90 grams of sugar, 40 grams of fine corn flour (maizena) and 15 grams of vanilla extract. We beat everything with a blender until all the ingredients are integrated and no lumps. Then we pass the mixture straining it to a container suitable for the microwave.
We put this three minutes at 800 w of power. We open it, stir with a wooden spoon and put it back for two minutes at the same power. We take it out of the microwave, stir it again, and it’s ready to use. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to let it cool down while we make the puff pastry.
At this time the oven will already be at 200º, so we have the puff pastry sheet on a baking tray, with paper underneath, and we are going to cut it carefully into rectangles of the same size. We put it in the oven for 15 minutes.
After this time, the puff pastry will have risen. Let the Miguelitos cool down before filling them with pastry cream using a sleeve. In the pastry shops of La Roda, the Miguelitos are very wide and are filled by machine. At home, however, we will have to open the puff pastry in half, pour the pastry cream and cover them.
Full recipe | Miguelitos de La Roda
More cornstarch recipes
In case you are not very fond of sweets but want to experiment with cornstarch, here are some other 12 recipes with cornstarch (salty and sweet) that are available to everyone. Let us know how it went for you!
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