Lemon Blueberry Muffins... with streusel


I know that there is a word for how I'm feeling right now... I know it.
I just can't think of what that word might be just now.  It's because my brain is a complete fuzz.  I think it's the time of year, the brainwashing after too many years of bad tv, too much staring at a computer screen trying to think of something cool to say so that everyone will like me and read my stupid blog... or something.  Whatever the reason, I can't think of the word and my brain fuzz isn't going anywhere so I'm just going to babble away here mindlessly.


I really like lemon but my problem with most lemon recipes (I'm almost sure that I've mentioned this before but the fuzz is removing any clarity about it) is that they are just not lemony enough.  I like the tart stuff.  The tart that almost makes you pucker stuff.  I've stopped buying lemon loaf at cafe's (well I've actually stopped purchasing anything edible at cafe's but that's another story) because they just taste like pound cake - not a bad thing at all... if you want pound cake.  If I'm buying lemon loaf then it goes without saying that I don't want pound cake though... right?
So, truth be told, this recipe - that I made up on the fly and put together way too quickly so that I could give my kids something other than the apples that they're totally sick of this week - is not lemony enough for me.  Or for kid #1, so she has informed me.  So if you want to up the lemon stuff then go for it... and let me know what the results are.


I grabbed the recipe from a Canadian Living recipe for Poppy Seed, Sour Cream Lemon cakes and it adapted well.  I suggest mixing the blueberries in the flour before adding it all in just so that the blueberries don't drop to the bottom of the muffins while baking.   I think that the strategy worked.
To add to the fuzzy, mindless babble... I'm looking into co-founding (or at least being a very supportive member of) a community kitchen.  More details to come.  Also, I finally watched 'Food Inc.'.  Very glad that I did, it surprised me and yet didn't totally gross me out the way that I thought it would.  Also, very much affirmed the choices we've been making as a family over the past year.  
Mindless drivel over... make these, they taste good, you might really like them, you might be really glad that you read this silly post.


Lemon Blueberry Muffins (adapted from Canadian Living)... with Streusel (from Ottolenghi)

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp grated lemon zest (I used two lemons)
4 eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice (from the lemons)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare muffin tin with liners (about 12)
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
In another bowl cream together the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy.  Add in the lemon zest and cream some more.  Add in the eggs and whisk together until frothy.  Add in the lemon juice and the sour cream.  Mix well.
Add the blueberries to the bowl of flour and stir them in just enough to get them all coated with flour.
Add the flour/blueberry mixture to the egg/butter mixture.  Mix gently just until everything is mixed well (otherwise the blueberries mix start to break open and you want to keep them whole as much as possible).

Scoop into twelve prepared muffin tins and sprinkle generously with the streusel (recipe below).
Bake for about 25 - 28 minutes depending.  The muffins should be golden.


Remove from oven and cool in the tins for about 7 min.  Remove from tin and continue cooling until ready to eat.

Streusel 
Combine 3 parts all purpose flour (3/4 cup eg.)
               1 parts sugar (1/4 cup eg.)
       and  2 parts cold butter in cubes (1/2 cup eg.)

Crumb together (I used a pastry cutter or two forks will work too) until it's the consistency of breadcrumbs.  Use immediately or store in the freezer.

3 comments:

Brenda said...

I like your blog. I read it every day. Of course I know and like the author. :) That makes a big difference, you know! I have tried some of the recipes and have enjoyed the finished product and would and have recommended this blog to others. Keep up the GREAT work!!!

Lisa said...

Those muffins look amazingly tasty. They have such great color. I have a sweet treat linky party going on at my blog and I'd like to invite you to stop by and link your muffins up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/03/sweets-for-saturday-7.html

Wanda Thorne said...

Hi Lisa
Wow! Thanks for the props. I would love to join a 'sweet treat linky party', sounds like too much fun to miss. I'm a blogging/computer newbie so I'm going to sit down and figure out what I have to do to get that linky to happen.
cheers!

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St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.

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Wanda Thorne
St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
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