Triple Corn Muffins
Hiiiii...this is a little delayed, or a lot, and also has very little to do with these triple corn muffins BUT can I tell you about my week in New York with the most incredible bloggers (and people) ever for the Saveur Blog Awards anyway? Hope so, cause here it goes. A little background on the weather because while I know weather small talk isn't high up on anyone's list, this weather definitely shaped the first half of my trip. Moses and I flew in on a Sunday so that he could get in a few days of work meeting and I could get in some Manhattan explorations before heading to Williamsburg for the awards events, however, the minute, I mean THE MINUTE we arrived to our hotel it started to downpour like crazy. Like mad crazy. I'm talking soaked from head to Birkenstock clad toe in a matter of seconds. So basically, the short version is that my mega walking tour hopes and dreams were dashed. However, I did manage to brave the rain for the dreamiest lunch at Freeman's, a pizza night at GG's NYC and Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream with one of the sweetest ladies ever, Bianca, a hallumi and eggs breakfast at Cafe Mogador with an old classmate (hi, Sequoia!!), lunch at Maialino with some awesome new friends and another Morgenstern's run (cause it's really, really good), and drinks at Wayland with Brooke (Chocolate and Marrow) and Sam (Love, Cake). (PS - That covers Monday and Tuesday and when I spell it out like that, I feel proud for venturing out for all those meals despite the rain). So why, all this talk of rainy weather? It's because it's relevant to the story!! I'll get there I promise. On my first few rainy days, I didn't even have a pair of sneakers; I had Birks, sandals and heels...I really thought the rain wouldn't come. So on my last day in Manhattan, I picked up TWO whole pairs of shoes, some long sleeves, and was ready to head to Williamsburg, this time welcoming the rain. Guess what, IT DIDN'T COME. And I was totally dressed for it. Oh well.
Anyway, Williamsburg!!!! Wednesday morning, Moses and I drove over the Brooklyn Bridge and headed to the Wythe (omg, swoon, that hotel) to check in early so I could meet up with Brooke, Sam, Steph (I Am A Food Blog), Michelle (Hummingbird High), Nik (A Brown Table), and Phi (Princess Tofu) and catch the tail end of their impromptu and unofficial Williamsburg pastry tour. Before I arrived, they had already hit up Bakeri and Momofuku Milk Bar but I made it for The Bakeshop by Woops and Peter Pan Donuts. Somehow along the way back to our hotel, we detoured into the cutest gardening shop called Jungle Design that I'd be at every weekend if I lived there. When we finally got back to the hotel, we met up with Molly (My Name is Yeh), Phyllis (Dash and Bella), Kristin (Pastry Affair), and Linda (The Tart Tart) for a late lunch at the Wythe's Reynard (it's gorge). Meanwhile, Moses worked remotely, got a massage, and squeezed in a nap--rough life. As if they day wasn't already packed, I squeezed in a mani with a dear friend from Hawaii, Nicole, and then ran back to the room to get ready for the first Saveur event: a welcoming cocktail hour(s). Guys, there were so many bites and so many people all in one room, that, man, I was a little overwhelmed. But man, talk about the talent in that room. After cocktails, we had every intention of grabbing pizza at Paulie Gee's in Greenpoint but with a party of twenty (give or take a few) the wait would have been ridiculous, so Moses, Shahla (not a blogger but an awesome jewelry designer), and I ended up at Rivers Styx for a quiet dinner for three. In the end I think I needed a quiet meal because the day had been go-go-go and I knew the next day would be the same x10.
Day two of the Saveur Event was jam packed. I think breakfast started at 8 AM and the day ended at 6 PM where we had two hours to quickly unwind, get ready, then head over to the beautiful NY Distilling Co for the awards ceremony. I'll be honest. This day was a blur. There were tastings, panels, etc. during the day, and delicious cocktails and bites from Wilma Jean. I can't chronicle most of it because I think the combination of nerves, sensory overload, and fatigue got the best of me but I can tell you about the part where they announced Best New Voice. So I think it went something like this: Moses was trying to photograph/record everything leading up to it and I was venomously opposing all of it "put your phone down," "please stop, now" were some of my favorite phrases and then when they started to announce my category, I pretty much blanked. I heard the names and blogs being announced, heard that Jessie (Faring Well) won the Editors Choice Award (HUGE CONGRATS, JESSIE) and then somehow managed to hear my own name being called for READERS' CHOICE. HOLY $#¡7 you guys. Basically, I walked up to accept the award, aka the cutest and now my most coveted orange Le Creuset Pepper Mill, ever, and walked back even faster to Moses and muttered, "I'm in shock." And then I remember nothing. Ok, that's not true. I remember hanging with Cynthia (Two Red Bowls) and B2 (!!!), Kristan (The Broken Bread), Kristin (Dine x Design), Yossy (Apt. 2B Baking Co.), Renee (Renee Kemps), and so many other awesome bloggers. Cool small world moment happened when I met Marissa Ross (Wine. All the Time) and we established that we are neighbors! And that's kind of Thursday in a nutshell. For a full list of the winners, please check out Saveur and thank you thank you again for making US, yes US all of us, you, me, my mom, Moses, everyone really this year's Readers' Choice Winner for Best New Voice.
Friday was awesome, despite the rocky start due to carsickness (I don't do well on bumpy rides without lots of air blasting on my face) and lack of sleep. We went on our final Saveur sponsored event at the Whole Foods in Gowanus , where we got a quick education on their coffee roasting process (mmmm coffee) as well as an awesome tour of the Gotham Greens hydroponic greenhouse on the rooftop. Let me take a minute to say WOW because wow is Gotham Greens doing rad things. After everything Saveur related ended and we all said our goodbyes, I met up with Shahla, her hubz Tim, and Moses to get our Donut Day on at Dough Donuts. The plan for the evening was supposed to be sushi but after a much needed nap, I suggested ordering in some Roberta's and watching a movie and everyone jumped on it. On Saturday we hit up Four and Twenty Blackbirds for some pie, pie, pie then immediately proceeded to meet up with Molly and Donny (Ultrateg) in Red Hook for the epic breakfast crawl he put together. For more on the crawl, check out Molly and Donny's posts and for more on the awards, check out Michelle and Nik's posts. As for the rest of our day, we ended up staying in Red Hook and exploring! We got some awesome lobster rolls, did a whiskey tasting, and picked up some chocolate (thanks Shahla) before heading to JFK early to get our Shake Shack on before heading back home. Phew. Pretty. Awesome. Week.
And onto these MUFFINS!! (You still here?!) I love them because they've got three types of corn in them, blue corn pinole, yellow cornmeal (I used medium grind), and fresh or frozen corn kernels as well as a generous sprinkling of extra sharp white cheddar cheese and some pickled jalepeños for a touch of heat. Don't have blue corn pinole? Use blue corn meal, add a touch of cinnamon and a little sugar (detailed below) and call it a day! These muffins are a cinch to whip up and in the time it took to read this post, you probably could have whipped them up and put them into the oven (sowie)!! Biggest issue is you'll need four bowls, three if you're feeling extra daring and lazy. They're best warm, right out of the oven but honestly, isn't that the case with most things!? I recommend serving them up with a big ole bowl of homemade chili or solo with a pat of butter (bonus points for salted honey butter). Happy Wednesday and GAHHHH still want to thank you guys a million times over for making US (you and me) Readers' Choice for Best New Voice--we did it guys!!
Triple Corn Muffins
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Inspired by A Cozy Kitchen and NY Times
Makes 12 muffins
INGREDIENTS
- 1 c. yellow cornmeal, I used medium grind
- 1 c. blue corn pinole or 1 c. blue cornmeal plus 1 tbsp. granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 c. cake flour, divided
- 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, divided
- 1 tsp. baking soda, divided
- 1 tsp. fine sea or table salt, divided
- 1 1/4 c. whole milk, divided
- 1 c. sour cream, divided
- 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, divided
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 c. grated extra sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 c. fresh or previously frozen corn kernels, divided
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. finely diced pickled jalapeños
TOOLS
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Silicone spatula
- 12 cavity muffin tin
- Cupcake/muffin liners
- Glass measuring cup (for liquids)
FIX
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Pre-line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with disposable liners or grease with butter and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup blue corn pinole OR 1 cup blue cornmeal with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 cup cake flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, together. In a different medium bowl, whisk 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1/2 cup cake flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar together. Evenly divide the milk, sour cream, melted, unsalted butter, and eggs into two smaller bowls and whisk each bowl together.
- Fold one liquid bowl into the blue corn mixture and fold the other into the yellow corn mixture. Fold until flour mixture is thoroughly combined, then fold in half the cheese and corn kernels into each bowl and add the diced jalapeños to the yellow corn bowl. Evenly distribute the yellow corn mixture then top with evenly divided amounts of the blue corn mixture. Swirl with a chopstick (to create those pretty swirls). The batter should mound slightly above the rim.
- Bake until the muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Rotating tin halfway through baking for even cooking. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from tin and let cool 5 minutes longer. Serve and enjoy warm!