Honey Cornbread Muffins (Indian Head) by Barbara

It was too cold and rainy this morning to be outside so I decided to make muffins. Good recipes are on the back of packaging.  Gave this one a try and the muffins were excellent.

Honey Cornbread Muffins

(adapted from Indian Head Corn Meal package)

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup yellow corn meal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 T. baking powder

1 t.  sea salt

2 eggs, room temperature, beaten

1 cup whole milk (or 2% mixed with some half'n'half)

1/4 t. vanilla

4 T.  unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

You will need two mixing bowls, a set of measuring spoons, a set of measuring cups, 1 cup Pyrex measuring cup, a whisk, a spatula, a muffin tin for 12 muffins, baking spray and a cooling rack.

Get everything measured out and melted before you begin.  It's important so you don't end up with tough muffins.

Melt the butter in the Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave, about 20 seconds.  

In one bowl, combine the dry ingredients:  corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt.  Stir with the whisk until evenly combined.

In another bowl, add the eggs, and beat them well, using the whisk.  Add the milk, and vanilla.  

Spray the 1/4 measuring cup with baking spray, then measure out the honey.  Add the honey to the warm Pyrex measuring cup with the melted butter.  Put it back in the microwave for 8 to 10 seconds.  Then whisk it all together.  And let it cool.  

Now you are ready to combine everything and make muffin batter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  First pour the egg mixture on top.  Then the cooled butter and honey mixture on top.  

Use the spatula to fold the ingredients until there aren't any lumps and the batter is smooth.  Oops, I see a lump I missed.  

Spray the muffin tin.

Use a 1/3 measuring cup to divide the batter evenly in the muffin tin.  Do the best you can.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

While they bake, clean up. 

Cool for a few minutes then remove from the pan, and let them cool on a rack.  If needed, run a knife around the edge of the muffin tin cup to loosen them from the pan.

Very tasty!

B

Hadn't thought about the inappropriateness of the name of this cornmeal until I was doing this post. Now I am reconsidering ever buying it again.  A little investigation:  It's a brand that belongs to Wilkins Rogers Mills, with a facility not too far from here, in Palmyra. It’s a good product. Maybe they’ll change their name, like Aunt Jemima.  

Provençal Tapenade (Jacques Pepin) by Barbara

Tapenade is a Provençal spread made of black olives, capers, anchovies, garlic and olive oil.

Friday night was the first time this year for having our neighbors over for drinks and "pizza on the patio."  Each couple prepares a simple hors d'oeuvre then we order pizza. We started doing this during Covid. Anyway, we had lots of clean-up to do prior--- the patio furniture was very dirty from sitting out all winter.  I knew we would not have much time to cook anything, so I wanted something really simple to make.  I saw Jacques Pepin post this video earlier in the week. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/6Q5T5G8o9kcAdMQ7/?  When I rewatched it today, I had remembered most of what he had done. One difference is he added prunes for sweetness and I used sugar. Jacques says tapenade comes from the Provençal word for capers, tapenas, so a tapenade should include capers.  He adds mint.  We had all the ingredients on hand, even the mint and chive flowers in the garden, but not the baguette...Tom ran out to the store and luckily there was one left.

(The other bowl in the photo was a jarred artichoke and tomato topping. Not as good as the tapenade.)

Tonight we are using the leftover tapenade as a topping for grilled tuna steak. 

Merci, Jacques, for good recipes and techniques, as always. 

    ---Barbara

Provençal Tapenade

(inspired by Jacques Pepin's video)

Makes 1.5 cups

1 jar (10 oz.) pitted Kalamata black olives, well-drained

2 T. capers, well-drained

2 anchovy filets, roughly chopped

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

1 T. fresh mint leaves, torn

freshly ground pepper

2 T.  high quality extra virgin olive oil

large pinch of sugar, probably 1/8 t. 

chive flowers for garnish

16 baguette slices, brushed with olive oil and toasted until crisp and browned

Place all of the ingredients in a small food processor.

The mint is a nice, unexpected touch. 

Pulse until smooth enough to make a spread. 

For garnish, add a few chive blossoms or leaves of mint. 

Serve with thin slices of baguette which have been oiled and toasted until crisp and browned. 

B