Corn Muffins: Load 'Em Up!

I love foods that are portable, cover a few food groups, and are delicious. You may see a thread running through some of my baked good recipes, which is that while I love a good sweet once in a while, my true love is in the land of savory.

Muffins have never been my thing. I don’t mind making them and I make them pretty well, but for a breakfast treat, I’ll take a popover, quiche, frittata or egg sandwich any day. However, if a savory bread element is needed to round out a meal, I will always turn to a solid cornbread, cornstick, or corn muffin. And I prefer the muffins loaded. Loaded with what, you ask? Here’s the part where I get to preach about possibility and trying new combinations of flavors, using what you have on hand! Yay!

Here are a few things I’ve put in my loaded corn muffins over the years: cheeses of all varieties (gruyere, cheddar, blue cheese crumbles, parmesan, pecorino, asiago, smoked gouda); alliums of all varieties (scallions, sautéed and finely minced leeks/vidalia/red onions/garlic); seasonal veggies (coarsely grated, salted, and squeezed summer squash, roasted red pepper, grilled corn, minced leftover broccoli); and any freshly minced herbs you’d like to use. 

So, there is a basic recipe to give you a base, then it’s up to you to go for it and load them up! I give some basic measurements, but you can experiment. As a rule, try not to add any extra moisture once your batter is mixed. So keep things less liquid and dry your veggies off before stirring them in. 

As always, I use my beloved Bob’s Red Mill cornmeal and gluten free flour mix (or King Arthur, if gluten is your friend). If you don’t have buttermilk, try the replacement suggested below. In a pinch, add a squeeze of lemon juice to regular milk and let it sit for a few till it looks curdled. Gross, but delicious. These muffins can almost fill in for a meal on the run. They are great for a picnic or lunch box. Your savory friends and family members will love you. 

Loaded Corn Muffins

Makes 12 large muffins (or a million mini-muffins. I truly have no idea!)

1 cup of GF flour (or regular)

1 cup of coarse cornmeal (see above)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of dried mustard powder

1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

2 large eggs

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

1 cup of buttermilk (or 1/2 cup yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup milk)

1/4 cup minced fresh chives

1/2 cup of roasted red pepper from a jar, drained, patted dry, and finely diced

1/2 cup of grated asiago cheese

1/2 cup of cooked (grilled is best) corn, cut off the cob

Fix up a 12-muffin tin with paper liners (for large muffins). Heat the oven the 375. Sift or whisk the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs and then add the melted butter, still mixing. Add the buttermilk last and make sure the mixture is combined well. Dump the wet into the dry ingredients and give a quick stirring to mix. Add the chives, red pepper, cheese and corn and mix only until just combined. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a wooden tester comes out dry and they are lovely and brown and spring back a little when you poke them gently. 

Okay, I do occasionally make blueberry muffins, from time to time…

Cakelet: My new favorite word!

When I was a kid I loved baking, read Gourmet magazine religiously, and once sent away for an informational packet for a Kitchen Aid mixer. In the 1970’s, you had to fill out a form, cut it from the back of the magazine and send it in an addressed, stamped envelope. Considering my typical dysfunctional 70’s childhood, it’s remarkable that I was able to do all of these things. When the large yellow envelope arrived, I felt an incredible excitement and then total sadness as I read the cost of this dream machine (the equivalent of $300 now). I then went back to using my grandmother’s avocado green handmixer.

The lack of a Kitchen Aid did not stop me from passionately baking elaborate cakes and desserts all throughout my childhood. I was lovingly gifted one by my generous mother-in-law when I was pregnant with my now 23 year-old daughter. And although for many years I used it almost to death (along with the Kitchen Aids of many clients), I more recently have found myself reverting back to making many of my desserts with a small hand mixer or wooden spoon. They all do the same job in the end.

You don’t need a fancy mixer, but a hand mixer is handy...

This recipe can be made with a big kickass mixer, small handmixer, or wooden spoon. It looks a little long and complex for such a tiny outcome, but it is worth it for the sweet, cute, deliciousness! And it can be made a little ahead of time (same day) and looks very elegant finishing off a fancy dinner party. The best part of it in my mind however, is when you present it as a CAKELET, the best word ever! Now, get moving and make them!

Caramelized Upside-Down Plum Cakelets

Makes 6 individual servings.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons + 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup light  brown sugar, firmly packed

5 plums, pitted and sliced

3/4 cup gluten free flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Big pinch of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

Pinch salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Zest of 1/2 a lemon or orange

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the ramekins generously and place them on a small, parchment or greased foil-lined baking tray (I use a 1/4 sheet size and you will thank me for lining it in the end!). Melt 6 T of the butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add brown sugar and whisk. It will separate and look super greasy at first, but persist and it will turn into a silky and smooth sauce. Pour carefully into equal amounts into the ramikins and place a fanned layer of plum slices right onto the sauce.

Sift the five dry ingredients into a smallish bowl.

Use an electric hand mixer (or wooden spoon) to cream the 4 T of  butter with the sugar and orange zest. Add the egg and vanilla till combined. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter.

Divide the batter into the ramekins and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cakes are firm to the touch, and a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a rack until you can just pick them up. Run a small knife around the edges of the cake and flip onto small serving plates. If you buttered the ramekins well, the should come out easily. You may have a reluctant piece of plum to fish out and rearrange.

You can serve these warm or at room temperature. I love them with a little whipped cream that you’ve added a few spoonfuls of creme fraiche to...They don’t do quite as well the next day.

A chocolate cookie to end all cookies...

When the foodie internet was still youngish, I started following some of the pioneering food bloggers, dreaming that one day I too would be part of their special kids club. Well, work, motherhood, wifehood, life and all the rest of it gave me so many excuses not to find the time. I’m now trying to make up for that! 

One of my favorite bloggers from the olden days is Clotilde Dusoulier, who does the impeccable Chocolate and Zucchini blog out of Paris. Her recipes (many of which are gluten free and vegetable forward) are among my favorites. This cookie recipe is all hers and I absolutely love it, so much that I never tweaked it one little bit! It’s a perfect recipe in that it is simple to prepare, easy to freeze and bake later, and can be eaten many ways (warm and gooey, cold and chewy, as a vehicle for carrying salty caramel ice cream to your pie hole...).

Here is how it goes:

Pecan Mudslides (from Chocolate and Zucchini) 

Ingredients

 15 ounces of good bittersweet chocolate chips (Guittard Extra Dark 63%)

1/2 cup toasted pecan halves

2/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs, room temperature 

1/2 cup gluten free flour (I am a fan of Cup 4 Cup)

1 teaspoon baking powder

- ½ teaspoon sea salt

Method

Makes 16 substantial cookies

• Line a 9 inch square baking dish with 2 pieces of parchment that hang over the edges and act as handles when you grab them. Spray with a good nonstick cooking spray.

• Reserve around 6 ounces of the chocolate and set aside in a bowl with the pecan halves.

• Melt the remaining chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring regularly until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

• Cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then add that to the previous batter, mixing until just combined.

• Add the melted chocolate, mix until just combined, then add the reserved chocolate and pecans and stir them in.

• Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even-ish layer with a spatula. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Remove the dough from the fridge and cut the dough into 16 pieces.

• Roll each piece into a ball and place on the tray.

• (If you want to freeze some to bake later, stick them in the freezer now until solid, then transfer to a ziplock bag or container. Bake without thawing.)

• Bake for 15 minutes (16 if they were frozen), until the surface is just set, but still soft when gently pressed in the middle. Let the cookies settle on the baking sheet for 20 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.