Fresh Blackberry Muffins with Lemon Glaze

We picked juicy, sun-warmed blackberries until our hands were stained purple and then I made these. Awesome. I doubled it.

Fresh Blackberry Muffins
adapted from Williams-Sonoma

The Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. baking soda
1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon
1⁄4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
5 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh blackberries

The How-to:
Preheat an oven to 375°F. Grease 12 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg, melted butter and buttermilk. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Sprinkle with the blackberries and gently fold in with a large rubber spatula just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Take care not to break up the fruit. Do not over mix. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each to a bit above the rim of the cup. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Dip the tops into the glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lemon Glaze
The Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups Confectioner's Sugar
3/4 cup Heavy Cream, warmed in the microwave, but not boiling
juice of one lemon
The How-to:
Whisk all ingredients together until there are no lumps. Use while warm.

Sweet Corn Cornbread

Everyone has to have a good cornbread recipe and this is mine. It's moist and has big corn taste. It's loosely adapted from Cook's Illustrated; I just added more corn and more sweetness.

Sweet Corn Cornbread

The Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
3/4 tsp. Salt
1/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
1 cup Frozen Corn Kernels, thawed
1 cup Buttermilk
2 large Eggs
8 Tbl. Unsalted Butter, melted and slightly cooled

The How-to:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 8-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Melt butter in microwave; set aside to cool. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl until combined; set aside.
2. In food processor or blender, process brown sugar, thawed corn kernels, and buttermilk until combined, about 5 seconds. Add eggs and process until well combined, about 5 seconds more.
3. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; pour wet ingredients into well. Fold ingredients together gently until barely combined; add butter and continue folding until just moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth surface with spatula. Bake until golden, about 25-35 minutes.

Quick Honey Butter
Melt 8 Tbl. or one stick butter. Add 1/2 cup honey and whip like crazy until incorporated. Let cool until desired consistency.

Homemade Tortillas

The empty pot at the end of the month often challenges my ability to stretch what little is left in the cupboards and fridge. It so happens that I had leftover sweet pork salad fixings, but no tortillas, and I had promised not to go to the store unless it was absolutely necessary. So, I rolled these babies out myself. Easy and so, so much better than store-bought. Will make again.

Homemade Tortillas

3 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups white and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat)

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4 Tbl. vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups warm water

In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients until combined. Make a well in the middle with your hand and pour in wet ingredients. Mix with a large wooden spoon or your hands until a soft ball forms. Knead 3-5 minutes until smoothish. Cover with a towel and let sit 5-10 minutes. Make small balls in the palm of your hand (smaller for taco size and larger for burrito size) and roll out on a lightly-floured surface with a lightly-floured rolling pin. Bake on a large, greased (Pam or butter) skillet or frying pan, about 3 minutes on each side until slightly golden. Hopefully a helpful image.