My sweet and beautiful friend Lynn from the Actor's Diet feasts on some amazing food. She visits some of the best bakeries and restaurants in California, and I find myself drooling over her photographs again and again.
Last week, she mentioned a Chestnut Corn Muffin that she enjoyed at a bakery in LA. I saw the picture and thought, "This is exactly what I've been missing".
I went to Central Market (a Whole Foods equivalent in the heart of Texas) and perused the well stocked aisles for a jar of chestnuts.
My, oh, my chestnuts are expensive.
Just in case you're curious...Ryan and I don't bring in huge pay checks each week. Ryan works at a non-profit, and I'm working towards my MFA. I TA at the University, but the experience is what motivates me (certainly not the paycheck). So 12 dollars for a jar of chestnuts was stepping outside our weekly food budget box.
I thought to myself, "Improvise, Monet! You can do it!". And so I settled on the nut of choice in the great state of Texas: the beloved pecan.
We have pecan trees that grow outside of our apartment. Their tall branches house a wonderful assortment of birds that swoop in and out of my view when I'm working in our kitchen. Just yesterday, I saw a blue jay with a pecan in his mouth. He was perched on a branch devoid of leaves, and his brightly hued wings brought the promise of spring into my mind.
Last week, she mentioned a Chestnut Corn Muffin that she enjoyed at a bakery in LA. I saw the picture and thought, "This is exactly what I've been missing".
I went to Central Market (a Whole Foods equivalent in the heart of Texas) and perused the well stocked aisles for a jar of chestnuts.
My, oh, my chestnuts are expensive.
Just in case you're curious...Ryan and I don't bring in huge pay checks each week. Ryan works at a non-profit, and I'm working towards my MFA. I TA at the University, but the experience is what motivates me (certainly not the paycheck). So 12 dollars for a jar of chestnuts was stepping outside our weekly food budget box.
I thought to myself, "Improvise, Monet! You can do it!". And so I settled on the nut of choice in the great state of Texas: the beloved pecan.
We have pecan trees that grow outside of our apartment. Their tall branches house a wonderful assortment of birds that swoop in and out of my view when I'm working in our kitchen. Just yesterday, I saw a blue jay with a pecan in his mouth. He was perched on a branch devoid of leaves, and his brightly hued wings brought the promise of spring into my mind.
This is not my image. I borrowed from LeVahn Brothers Plumbing and Hardware
I'm sure that these muffins would taste wonderful with Chestnuts. If you can, please feel free to substitute. But they also taste wonderful with Pecans...so wonderful that I'm already eager to make another batch.
The sweet and moist cornbread almost cries out for a crunchy, slightly toasted nut. The brown sugar in the batter compliments the pecans well, and the aroma of these muffins fills your house with memories of pecan pie and skillet corn bread.
I brought a plate to some of Ryan's amazing coworkers, and they enjoyed the muffins as much as I did.
I go back to work and school next Monday, so I'm savoring these last few days of uninterrupted baking and writing. I'm working on a new novel, and I just wrote in a scene in which two women greedily devour a bag of cornbread muffins while waiting in a hospital. I sincerely hope that no one who reads this blog has to visit a hospital...but I would be thrilled if after taking your first bite of these muffins, you're tempted to devour them.
The sweet and moist cornbread almost cries out for a crunchy, slightly toasted nut. The brown sugar in the batter compliments the pecans well, and the aroma of these muffins fills your house with memories of pecan pie and skillet corn bread.
I brought a plate to some of Ryan's amazing coworkers, and they enjoyed the muffins as much as I did.
I go back to work and school next Monday, so I'm savoring these last few days of uninterrupted baking and writing. I'm working on a new novel, and I just wrote in a scene in which two women greedily devour a bag of cornbread muffins while waiting in a hospital. I sincerely hope that no one who reads this blog has to visit a hospital...but I would be thrilled if after taking your first bite of these muffins, you're tempted to devour them.
Pecan Corn Muffins
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) fine-ground, whole grain yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup lightly toasted and chopped pecans
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a standard muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to combine; set aside. Whisk the eggs in a second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add the brown sugar to the eggs and whisk vigorously.
3. Add the melted butter and mix well. Whisk in the sour cream and the milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently with a rubber spatula until the batter is just combined. Do not over-mix. Gently fold in the pecans.
4. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide the batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping it to form mounds.
5. Bake until the muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool the muffins in the tin for 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack.
Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) fine-ground, whole grain yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup lightly toasted and chopped pecans
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a standard muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to combine; set aside. Whisk the eggs in a second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add the brown sugar to the eggs and whisk vigorously.
3. Add the melted butter and mix well. Whisk in the sour cream and the milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently with a rubber spatula until the batter is just combined. Do not over-mix. Gently fold in the pecans.
4. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide the batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping it to form mounds.
5. Bake until the muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool the muffins in the tin for 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack.
Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores
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