I use corn tortillas only when making enchiladas and flour for things like burritos. Jo, here are two tried and true enchilada recipes. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table =================== Edited: April 20th, 2006 Deluxe Chicken Enchiladas Source:Barbara Hansen's Mexican Cookery 2 whole chicken breasts chicken broth 1/2 small onion 1 bay leaf 8 peppercorns garlic clove salt 1/2 medium onion chopped 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese 1 4 oz can green chilies garlic 1 13 oz can tomatillos, drained 1/4 cup cilantro leaves 3/4 cup whipping cream 1 egg salt 1/4 cup lard or oil 8 corn tortillas 1 cup cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese Guacamole 1 cup sour cream lettuce black olives . Place chicken in large pot and cover with chicken broth. Add onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt. Simmer until tender. Let cool in broth. Remove chicken and save broth for another use. Shred or cut chicken to to smaller pieces. Add chopped onion, Parmesan cheese and Monterey Jack Cheese. Taste and add salt if needed. Set aside. IN a blender or processor, combine green chilies, tomatillos , cilantro, whipping cream and egg and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375F. Heat lard in small skillet. With tongs, carefully place one tortilla at a time in hot lard. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds and drain on paper towels. You want the tortillas to be softened but not crisp. Place some of the chicken mixture on the tortilla and roll tightly. Place seam-side down in a baking dish. Pour cream mixture over the Enchiladas and sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of cheddar or Monterey cheese. Bake about 20 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, lettuce and olives. NOTE: Instead of softening the corn tortillas in hot oil use the following Enchilada sauce. (Alternative Enchiladas Sauce) 4 tablespoons oil 5 tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin 1 garlic clove Heat the oil and add the flour, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin and garlic. Cook for a few minutes and add the chicken broth. 2 to 3 cups chicken broth Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Stacked Enchiladas ================== Source: Southwest Cookbook Vegetable oil for frying 12 corn tortillas (6 inches) 1 1/2 cups (12 fl ounces) Green Chili Sauce (recipe on page 195) 2 cups (8 ounces) grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese 3/4 cups finely chopped onion Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour vegetable oil into a medium , heavy skilled to depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium high heat to 375°F, or until a strip of tortilla browns in 60 seconds. Soften the tortillas, one at a time, for about 5 seconds per side in the hot oil and drain on paper towels. Heat the green chili sauce in a shallow pan and dip each softened tortilla into the sauce. Place 1 coated tortilla on an oven proof plate and top with 1 tablespoons green chili sauce, 2 tablespoons grated cheese and 1 tablespoon chopped onion; repeat twice so that 1 serving contains 3 layered tortillas. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 4 tortilla stacks. Bake the stacks for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts. NOTE: Add cooked chicken and or pinto or black beans between layers. Green Chili Sauce 1 Jalapeño chili seeded and diced 1 garlic clove crushed 1/4 cup chopped green onions 4 tomatillo, husked and diced (or use canned) 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 2 new Mexico green or Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and diced. 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon heavy cream salt and freshly ground pepper to taste In a medium saucepan, place the jalapeño , garlic, green onions, tomatillos and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat' reduce heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1 cup about 15 to 20 minutes. Pour the chicken stock mixture into a blender or food processor. Add the Anaheim chilies, cilantro and lime juice; puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Add the cream and mix again. Serve warm. Keep 1 to 2 days refrigerated.

Linda, Ann is your best source of help but I will offer just a couple of tips. Consistency of the dough is crucial. It should be soft and moist. How soft and moist? One indicator is the edge of the uncooked tortilla. If the edge is irregular and has little cracks, the dough is too dry. It should be smooth. Add water. Bake in three stages. Partially bake the first side. Flip and bake the second side. Flip again and finish baking the first side, pressing and poking the tortilla against the griddle to heat and scorch it a little. When done skillfully the tortilla will be inflated with steam at this point. The finished tortilla should have little scorched spots on it. Good luck. Jim

As you probably know, copper as a material has the best thermal conductance of any material used in cookware. It will heat up quickly but also cool down quickly when the heat is reduced. Aluminum is a little slower to release the heat, which may be why you are not seeking the same results. The thick aluminum, clad with the relatively poorly conductive stainless steel, is going to take a bit longer. A bunch of manufacturers make copper clad cookware now, but you really don't get all the properties of copper. Some have only a band, some just the bottom, some clad the entire outside. Most only have the thinnest layer of copper, mainly for cosmetic reasons. To really get the full benefits of copper, you actually need a thicker (2mm+) true copper pan. One alternative is to get a thick copper base (2mm) clad with stainless. I have a few pans with this combination and the heat response is superior, but not as good as the tin-lined pure copper. For stainless frying pans, though, I prefer my Demeyere Prolines. I do my tortilla grilling on a thick aluminum AC griddle accessory that spans two burners on my gas range. I can do two large quesadillas at once and the thick aluminum makes for a very even result (no hot spots but nice overall "brown spots").

Lars, good to know the Calphalon griddle is much lighter. Thank you! I had a few basic Calphalon pans years ago, but gave them all to Sam, while she was living in Nashville. I have an arsenal of cast iron pans, including two griddles. One is an 11½-inch Griswold, the other is 9 inches in diameter. I use them for everything, from sweet to savory pies, to cakes, biscuits, etc. I find a cast iron griddle yields a darn good crispy crust. Cast iron is unparalleled in baking, compared to the more common aluminum, glass, or ceramic pie pans, although utilitarian and not as pretty ☺ For pizza, I rarely preheat the pan. But I do grease it with garlic-infused olive oil, or butter, or a combination of both. Place ball of dough into the greased pan, then gently stretch it out with the tips of your fingers. Add toppings and bake in a hot oven (My oven only reaches 550° F., so, my pizza normally bakes in 8-10 minutes). This tomato tart baked in a cast iron griddle was posted on WFD a few years ago. I'll try to find one topped with pizza instead. The only drawback is the size of the pans. That's why I am curious about the Calphalon griddle, because I can't imagine wrestling with a larger cast iron pan. In any case, this thread had me craving homemade tortillas, so you can guess the rest. I should've hit the treadmill right after today's carb fest. But, I tripped over my two cats who were chasing each other, so I'm good. Sol