Corn Jalapeño Muffins
I’m going to blow your mind in a couple days with a killer catfish recipe. But first I have to talk about corn.
I have so much corn.
Buying a farm share has so many benefits: we support local food, a local business, local people, plus we eat healthfully and deliciously ourselves. But the downside is that you get a LOT of whatever’s in season and growing well at the farm. Which, in this case, means lots and lots of corn.
I’m getting into the farm share rhythm and slowly but steadily learning how to put away those summer flavors for the darker and sparser wintertimes. (Yes, winter is coming.) I made some delicious, bright plum tomato sauce that will just scream summer when I rediscover it in my freezer in January. And instead of wondering what to do with another amazing, fragrant bunch of basil, I made a quick and dirty pesto that has been my go to snack with bread all week.
I have to admit, though, that I am having an absolute drought of creativity when it comes to corn. I know I can cut the kernels off the cob and freeze them straight, but that seems a little pathetic, and what will I do with it this winter anyway?
So I turned to my local newspaper and I found a recipe for corn jalapeno muffins and I can’t lie, I was pretty excited. I like spicy food, but my partner LOVES spicy food. And anything that will mercifully take two whole cobs of corn off my hands is very much in my wheelhouse right now.
I made a few modifications to this recipe to turn it into the corn-using muffins of my dreams. I reduced the butter by a couple of tablespoons, which allowed me to add butter directly to the cooked muffin with limited guilt. (I also melted it in the same pan as the corn jalapeño mixture, because… why?) I doubled the jalapeño because - as mentioned - the partner loves spice. I made a full muffin style version of these, rather than the mini-muffins the recipe suggests. And, of course, I added a little more corn that was strictly necessary.
The batter ended up so light and airy that I felt like I should fold the corn, jalapeño, and cheese into it rather than mix - but this sort of delicacy is unnecessary. Give it a try -- you too will end up with muffins that are moist and spicy with pops of texture from the sweet corn kernels.
Corn Jalapeno Muffins
Yield: 18 muffins || Time: 45 minutes || Adapted from: The New York Times
Butter - 4 tbsp
Corn kernels - raw from a fresh corn cob, or chopped frozen corn
Jalapeño - 2
Flour - 1 cup
Cornmeal - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1.5 tsp
Baking soda - 1.5 tsp
Eggs - 2, beaten
Buttermilk - 1.5 cups
Sharp cheddar or gruyere cheese - 3 ounces or 85 grams
Heat the oven to 400°F and butter a muffin tin.
In a small skillet, heat butter over medium low heat. Add corn and jalapeño, season lightly with salt and pepper, and sauté for a couple of minutes to soften.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda. Add eggs and buttermilk and mix. Add corn jalapeño mixture, followed by the cheese.
Fill muffin tin with batter until about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.