Monday, May 01, 2006

Blue Corn Blueberry Muffins


Blue cornmeal is just like yellow cornmeal, except (of course) that it is made from blue corn. What I really mean to say is that it tastes pretty much the same. The main benefit of using it is that is lends an interesting and unusual color to baked goods and other cornmeal-coated foods.
This inspiration for these muffins came when I had a version at a restaurant a while back. In fact, it was when I went out to lunch with Jessica, of Su Good Eats. The ones I had at the restaurant were just ok and a bit on the dry side despite being chock full of berries. I loved both the idea of blue muffins and the flavor, so I knew that I would eventually try a batch at home.
I started with fairly standard cornbread proportions, so my muffins had a coarse, but not too coarse texture. They ended up with a fair amount of crunch to them, but still retained the moisture and softness that I like to have in cornbread. The berries tasted fantastic in the muffins and they looked great in the blue background.
These work a bit better for breakfast or a snack than as a side for dinner because of the sweetness of the berries, so eat them plain, toasted or with a bit of jam and use something else to mop of the remainder of your chili.


Blue Corn Blueberry Muffins
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup blue cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
2 tsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)


Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, vegetable oil and buttermilk. Pour into flour mixture and mix until almost combined. Add the blueberries and stir to distribute.
Evenly divide the batter into the prepared muffin tin
Bake at 400F for 14-16 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the muffin springs back when gently pressed.
Cook completely on a wire rack.
Makes 12.