Doubly corny blueberry muffins
Yield: 12 muffins, approximately 3-1/2 ounces each
When fresh summer corn and blueberries show up together at the farmers markets, I am compelled to concoct ways to put these two seasonal delights into one bountiful mouthful. Here the sweetness of the corn (here amped up by some fine ground yellow cornmeal for added texture—and flavor) dialogues so well with the sweet/tart fruitiness of the blueberries. Besides their great flavor, fresh blueberries will not color the muffin batter an unsightly purple as their juices remain encapsulated within the resilient skins of the berries.
Make the following streusel first and set aside. (It may be refrigerated, covered, for a couple of days, if you wish to make it in advance.) Here’s the recipe.
For the light streusel topping:
4 ounces (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
2 ounces (generous 1/4 cup) granulated sugar
2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut up into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
Make the streusel as follows:
Mix all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer, outfitted with a paddle attachment. Blend on medium speed until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Do not overprocess or the mixture will become a paste instead of crumb-like in texture. Set aside and now make the batter.
For the batter:
3.6 ounces (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
3.6 ounces (scant cup) cake flour
2.8 ounces (scant 1/2 cup) yellow cornmeal
4 ounces (generous 1/2 cup) granulated sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 T. baking powder
2.4 ounces (1-1/2 large) eggs
5.6 ounces (5/8 of a cup) milk (whole or 2%, as desired)
Generous teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 ounces (6 T.) unsalted butter, melted
4 ounces fresh corn kernels (from one medium-sized ear)
4 ounces (approximately 3/4 cup) fresh blueberries, gently washed and dried
Using aerosolized pan coating spray, coat the insides and tops of the muffin tin (each indentation should have a 4 ounces capacity, (if properly filled, the muffins will rise above the tops of the tins during baking but will not run over)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Make the batter as follows:
Into a large bowl, sift together the two kinds of flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter until well blended. Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and lightly but thoroughly mix until all of the dries are evenly moistened. Do not overmix. Fold in the corn and blueberries and mix lightly again to incorporate. Using an ice cream scoop or a large spoon, deposit equal amounts of the batter into each indentation of the muffin tin.
Top each muffin with an equal quantity of the streusel. Place the muffins on a heavy sheet pan set onto an oven rack positioned about halfway from the bottom of the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Test for doneness by inserting a skewer into the center of the muffin. If done, the skewer should come out clean.
Serve warm with sweet butter and peach jam, or split horizontally and toasted and topped with the enhancements of your choice.
