Best Blueberry Muffins

Just the thing for a morning that is seven below.  In New Jersey.  "Seven below what?" Holly asked.  My thoughts exactly.

Makes 12 muffins. Published May 1, 2009. From Cook's Illustrated.


Lemon-Sugar Topping

1/3 cup sugar (2 1/3 ounces)

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon

Muffins

2 cups fresh blueberries (about 10 ounces), picked over

1 1/8 cups sugar (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Instructions

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.


2. FOR THE MUFFINS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.


3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining 11/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)

4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Place 1 teaspoon of cooled berry jam in center of each batter-filled cup, pushing it below surface.


Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.


5. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Pear and Ginger Muffins

This is another recipe from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Express. These are super-yummy and it is very hard to eat just one.

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 TBS honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced pears (about 1/4 inch dice)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl mix flour, sugars, baking powder and ground ginger.
3. In another bowl whisk together sour cream, oil, honey and eggs. Fold into dry ingredients.
4. Mix in pear dice and divide batter evenly among the muffin cups.
5. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack.

breakfast bars

I splurged on the new Nigella Express cookbook. I've only had time to try one recipe, and I was immediately drawn to the breakfast bars. They are a yummy cross between a granola bar and a breakfast bar. YUM. Obviously you can use whatever nuts or seeds you have on hand.

• 1 14-oz can condensed milk
• 2.5 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• 1 cup dried cranberries (I used a mix of cranberries and dried cherries)
• 1 cup mixed seeds (I mostly used sunflower seeds with some sesame seeds thrown in)
• 1 cup unsalted peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees and oil (I used the spray) a 9 x 13 baking pan.
2. Warm the condensed milk in a saucepan
3. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber spatula or big wooden spoon to fold everything together.
4. Spread the mixture into the pan and press to make the surface even.
5. Bake for 1 hour. After about 15 minutes, cut into bars (I made 16) and cool completely on a wire rack.

Scrambled Eggs w/ Poblano Chiles and Cheese

Scrambled Eggs w/ Poblano Chiles and Cheese- Bon Appetit July 04
I'm not a scrambled egg lover, but these were sooo YUMMY!!! They could also be served in a tortilla for a breakfast burrito.

6 T butter, divided
1 c. onion, chop
2 garlic cloves, chop
½ t. oregano
14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes in juice
¼ t. chili powder
2 lb poblano chiles, seed, dice
½ c. green onions, chop
½ c. cilantro, chop, divide
8 lg eggs, beaten
1 c./4oz queso fresco/feta, crumble

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and oregano and sauté until onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice and chili powder. Cover and simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors. Transfer sauce to blender; puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Return sauce to pan and keep warm. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add chiles; sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add green onions and 1/4 cup cilantro. Add eggs and cheese. Cook until eggs are softly set, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Divide eggs among 4 plates. Spoon sauce over; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. Y:4

shakshuka

Think of it as Middle Eastern huevos rancheros. Shakshuka (pronounced shack-SHOUK-ah) is a classic North African/Middle Eastern dish. In Israel, it's typical cafe food, eaten any time of day with pita or a slice of bread.

It's a humble, extremely simple recipe: thick tomato sauce, peppers (bell or hot), onions, with eggs poached on top. But as with most recipes of this kind, there are thousands of regional and cultural variations on the theme. You can add or subtract sausages, hot peppers, grated cheese, or red wine, just as you would with any good tomato sauce. I make it with leftover spaghetti sauce.

Use the recipe below as a sketch, meant to be adjusted and riffed off of.

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2 sm. onions, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed or sliced finely
1/2 green pepper, sliced or cubed
1 red pepper, sliced or cubed
1 fresh red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 sm can tomato paste
1 can whole tomatoes (cut tomatoes in half, juice reserved)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
6 (or so) eggs
salt and pepper to taste

chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Make tomato sauce: In heavy saucepan, dice onions and fry in olive oil until golden. Add garlic, peppers and tomatoes. Stir gently, on medium heat, and add reserved tomato juice, tomato paste, and spices until sauce becomes stewy and aromatic. Add water or juice as necessary if sauce becomes overly thick.

2. Poach eggs: Once sauce has become thick, with a spoon carve out holes in sauce and gently place raw the eggs in holes. Cover saucepan and simmer until eggs are poached.

Serve very hot in the pan, garnish with cilantro. Great with fresh bread or toast.

Serves 4 for breakfast.

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Here's a video someone took at the excellent Dr. Shakshuka restaurant in Jaffa (just south of Tel Aviv), where the owner demonstrates his technique. (No Hebrew language skills required.)