Corniest Corn Muffin

Corniest Corn Muffin. Dorie Greenspan sure picked a suitable name for this muffin. The best description of this muffin is from Dorie herself, "These muffins have an alluringly old-fashioned look.  They're flat, firm-topped and cheerfully yellow, with an equally old-fashioned texture - grainy with small holes running through the crumb - and a wholesome, straight-from-the-farm flavor.  They're tangy from the buttermilk and sweet from both the cornmeal (try to find some stone-ground) and the corn kernels.  You can make these muffins with canned or frozen corn kernels, but if you scrape fresh kernels off the cob, you'll have something even more delightful ; because the niblets will get only semisoft in the oven, every bite will offer just a little resistance, a little more "cornfulness" and a lot more pleasure".

Well, I couldn't agree with Dorie more!  Use the fresh corn kernels, just as she described it, you will bite into the crunchiness and then the soft sweetness of the kernels.  I ate two of these the minute they are out of the oven (well, about 5 minutes!).  Yum.... it is not overly sweet at all, it uses very little sugar, and  this is just right! The colour is a beautiful sunny yellow! It is very easy and quick to prepare, perfect as a weekend breakfast or as a tea-time snack in the late afternoon with a cup of tea. 

I'm linking this to Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story.

"Making It With .... Mondays" over at Couscous & Consciousness

Corniest Corn Muffin

(adapted from "Baking From My Home To Yours" by Dorie Greeenspan)

Ingredients :

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground

6 tablespoons sugar

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

1 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 tablespoons corn oil

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 cup corn kernels (add up to 1/3 cup more if you'd like) - fresh, frozen or canned (in which case, they should be drained and dry)

Getting Ready :

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups.  Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups.  Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, if you're using it.  In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, egg and yolk together until well blended.  Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend.  Don't worry about being thorough - the batter will be lumpy, and that's just the way it should be.  Stir in the corn kernels.  Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.  Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

Serving : The muffins are great warm or at room temperature and particularly great split, toasted and slathered with butter or jam or both.

Storing : Like all muffins, these are best eaten the day they are made.  If you want to keep them, wrap them airtight and pop them into the freezer, where they'll keep for about 2 months.  Rewarm in a 350 degree F oven, if you'd like, or split and toast them - do that, and they'll be that much more delicious with butter.

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Special announcement : Please join in, the more the merrier!

There is a  "Culinary Smackdown Battle Chile October 2010" at "At Home With Rebecka", with a beautiful hand painted tea pot and cup together with a tin of Apple Spice Tea as the winning prize! Go on, get some hot stuff smoking and head on down to Rebecka's.  Please do drop by her wonderful blog for more info.  Have fun!