Meanwhile, to make the topping, put the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, bicarb and butter into a food processor and whizz until the mixture becomes crumb like.
A word from Jim: " I chose the dish because it has always been one of my favorites, and I liked the idea of using Virginia stone ground cornmeal to make the fresh tortillas".
Stir in half a cup or so of white flour and extra cornmeal to make the dough very stiff.
Ms. Jones was also in charge of making hoecakes, the cornmeal pancakes served to every guest.
Make the oysters: in a large bowl, mix together the cornstarch, cornmeal, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and thyme.
If you like having warm biscuits (say, cornmeal sage) straight out of the oven with your turkey, make the dough for them today.
To make the chocolate drink, which was served cold, the Maya ground cocoa seeds into a paste and mixed it with water, cornmeal, chili peppers, and other ingredients.
These include the appetizer animella di vitello, sweetbreads made with cornmeal ("the way the poor made it in Albania," noted Mr. Nikci); fresh fig salad; orecchiette piemontese, a pasta with sausage and feta cheese ("too heavy for the northern Italians," he said); and shell steak Gjovalini, topped with sopresatta and Gorgonzola.
