Best Blueberry Muffins

There are so many reasons to make these blueberry muffins. So many reasons that you should stop off at the grocery store on your way home from work this Friday to buy buttermilk, blueberries, and whatever else you need. Add some good coffee beans into your shopping cart while you are at it. So many reasons that you should wake up a little bit earlier than you typically do to put these in the oven and surprise your loved ones. Make some coffee with those good coffee beans, and then start making the batter.

These blueberry muffins are packed with berry flavor, unlike most that are just cloyingly sweet. The geniuses at Cook's Illustrated tested this recipe over and over again to make sure it was perfect. If you follow the recipe, they'll come out absolutely stunning. Plus, they don't take very long to make, which means you have absolutely no excuse to not whip them up this weekend.

Bring them to a friend's brunch. Cheer up a sick friend with a basket of blueberry muffins. Or just enjoy them in the bright morning sun. Bonus points if you griddle your muffin halves in some extra butter to create a delicious crust.

Best Blueberry Muffins

from Cook's Illustrated

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 1/8 cups sugar plus 1 teaspoon

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon table salt

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to upper middle position, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick spray. 

Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture has reduced to 1/4 cup. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature. 

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk sugar and eggs together into a medium bowl until homogenous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil to sugar/egg mixture. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla as well. 

Slowly fold in liquids and remaining blueberries into dry ingredients with a spatula. Don't overmix! Batter should be lumpy. 

Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to evenly distribute batter to muffin tin. The batter should completely fill the cups. Spoon 1 teaspoon of cooked berry mixture over each muffin. Using a chopstick, toothpick, or skewer, swirl the berry mixture in a figure-eight motion into the batter. 

Bake until muffins are golden and firm, about 17-19 minutes. Rotate the muffin tin halfway through. Let cool in tin for 5 minutes. 

To griddle in butter, cut muffin in half. Place a tablespoon of butter in a pan, and heat over medium heat. When butter starts to foam, add muffin, cut side down. Let cook until golden and crispy. 

Berry Pavlova

This summer berry recipe is an essential to have up your sleeve for a summer barbecue or brunch. When I picture a long and luxurious summer brunch, I imagine pavlovas being served with a pile of fresh berries on top.
Pavlovas are a meringue shell that's topped with whipped cream and fresh berries. You can make one large pavlova, but I particularly like miniature individual pavlovas. They're elegant and showcase berries perfectly!

Meringues can be intimidating, but I promise that with these steps you'll be able to make it happen. I recommend baking the shells the night before, and then putting the whipped cream and berries together at the last moment. 

Berry Pavlovas

From Patricia Wells

1 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 1/4 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

5 large, ultra-fresh egg whites, at room temperature

1 2/3 cups superfine sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 pound of fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries

Chill the mixer bowl and whisk in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. 

Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine vanilla, cornstarch, and vinegar in a bowl until smooth. 

In the chilled mixer bowl, whisk the egg whites on low speed until frothy, gradually increasing the speed, until still peaks form. Be careful not to overheat or the whites may begin to liquefy. 

Add half the sugar to the stiffened whites, a tablespoon at a time, whisking until the mixture seems thick and satiny. 

Add the vanilla mixture to the whites, and with a large spoon gently fold it into the whites, taking care not to knock the air out of the whites. Add the remaining sugar and fold it back into the whites. 

Spoon large dollops of meringue, about the size of a small fist, onto a lined baking sheet. Reduce oven temp to 285 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes. Turn off the oven, and leave the meringues in the oven to cool completely, preferably overnight. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the cream into soft peaks. 

When you are ready to serve, pile the cream on top of the meringues, and top with fresh berries. 

Summer Produce Guide: Berries

Berry season, and all of its glory (like chocolate covered strawberries), is finally here! Get ready for a full week of berry delicious things from Hilary Stone Soup, including a dessert recipe on Wednesday with strawberries and blackberries.

Summer doesn't just mean sunshine, beach, and warm weather. It also means beautiful and delicious produce at the farmer's market and grocery store. So, in honor of all the fabulous produce, I'm sharing some produce guides and produce-focused recipes.

This week produce guide is for everyone's favorite, berries! Don't forget to check back on Wednesday for a great recipe.

Buying:

Strawberries: First and foremost, buy organic strawberries. Strawberries have some of the highest pesticide levels, even after washing. The next two things to look for are color and smell. Most grocery store varieties of strawberries are bright red at the height of ripeness, and pale color typically indicates the farmer was a little too eager to pick the berry. The strawberries should smell extremely fragrant and delicious. Shape and size shouldn't be priorities--often the smaller berries are the most flavorful!

Blackberries/Raspberries: Smell is equally important with blackberries and raspberries. If you can't smell the berries, don't buy it. If you see the hull on these berries, it means the berry isn't ripe enough. If you see staining or mold inside, then the berry is too ripe. Consumer in 2 days--blackberries and raspberries do not last long.

Blueberries: Look for a frosty-blue berry that is plump and firm. Shriveled berries and any mold on the bottom of the package is a bad sign. 

Storing:

Overall, moisture is the enemy here. There's nothing worse than paying for berries, only to find that they are moldy after a few days. To get rid of pesky mold spores, you're going to give your berries a vinegar bath. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups water with 1 cup of vinegar, and then give you berries a nice dunk. 

Afterwards, rinse the berries in a colander under cold water. This will get rid of any lingering vinegar taste. Then, to get rid of the moisture, you'll want to dry the berries very thoroughly. To help with drying, you can actually line your salad spinner with 3 layers of paper towels, and then spin your berries for 15 seconds to dry them. 

Store the berries in a paper-towel lined plastic container, with the lid partially off to allow moisture to escape. 

Theses tips will help your berries stay fresh for all of your recipes! 

Back to Basics: Blueberry Crisp

Can you believe it is already Day 4 of Berry Week?! For our fourth berry recipe of the week, I am bringing you a classic, blueberry crisp.

There is nothing quite as delicious during the summer as warm, juice berry topped with a crispy butter and brown sugar topping. Crisps feel so simple, so nostalgic, so down to earth, yet they are elegant enough for your fanciest dinner parties this summer.

Blueberry crisp served warm, and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream...this is what summer is all about.
 

Blueberry Crisp

from Saveur 

6 cups (3 pints) blueberries, washed and stems removed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups flour

2/3 cup brown sugar

Pinch of salt

10 tbsp. cold butter

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Toss together the blueberries and sugar in a bowl, then transfer to a medium baking dish.

Combine flour, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl. Using two knives (or a pastry blender), work the butter into into small pieces. The mixture should look like coarse meal. 

Sprinkle mixture evenly over blueberriies.

Bake until berries are bubbling and topping is golden, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature (ideally with vanilla ice cream)!

Brown Butter Raspberries

Welcome to Day 3 of Berry Week! All week I am featuring berry recipes in celebration of summer.

Today's recipe is a delectable combination of raspberries and a browned butter sauce. The vanilla and raw sugar add a touch of sweetness. I promise, your kitchen will smell divine! Imagine eating a fresher, better version of raspberry pie filling.

It took me less than five minutes to pull this recipe together, and the results were absolutely delicious. The vanilla instantly vaporized in the pan, creating a nutty and warm scent throughout my kitchen.

While this recipe was created for raspberries, it would be equally delicious on peaches! I love this recipe because it dresses up some plain fruit, without making it over the top.

Brown Butter Raspberries

from Food52

16 ounces raspberries

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Raw or brown sugar, about 1/2 teaspoon per bowl

Divide the raspberry amongst four shallow bowls. 

Drop the butter in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Melt the butter and let it bubble and boil. Stand back--it may spit! When the butter begins to brown on the edges, give it a light stir so the butter browns evenly. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the butter begins to smell nutty. Add the vanilla.

Spoon the butter over the raspberries and sprinkle with sugar. Serve right away--it is best eaten while warm! Mix up the berries, and dig in!

Berries with Greek Yogurt Creme Brûlée

In celebration of Berry Week, Day Two, I bring you a tangy, slightly sweet combination of berries of and yogurt. 

The best thing about creme brûlée is the crunchy caramelized sugar top, that cracks every so beautifully with your spoon. So when I saw this recipe for Greek yogurt with the same addictive topping, I knew it was a match made in heaven.

This dish is perfect for weekend brunches. It seems impressive thanks to the burnt crust, but it couldn't be any easier! It's a delicious marriage of berries, granola, yogurt, and caramel that would please even the pickiest of eaters.

Now, this recipe does turn out better if you follow Bobby Flay's instructions exactly and use a kitchen blowtorch. Since my blowtorch is still sitting in a Sur La Table waiting for me to purchase it, I used the broiler on high heat. While mine did not come out quite as beautifully as Bobby Flay's, they were equally delicious!

Berries with Greek Yogurt Creme Brûlée

Recipe from Bobby Flay

16 ounces 2-percent Greek yogurt

1/2 vanilla bean

2 cups fresh berries

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup granola

Remove the seeds from the vanilla bean. Combine the vanilla bean seeds and the yogurt in a bowl, then place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Put the berries in a small saucepan with 1/4 cup of water, and cook over medium heat until the berries are softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the stove and stir in lemon juice and 1/2 cup of sugar. Let cool slightly before dividing the mixture equally amongst 4 eight ounce ramekins.

Sprinkle the granola over the berries, then spoon the yogurt over the top, filling the ramekins. Cover and place in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Remove the ramekins from the freezer and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over ramekin. Using a kitchen blowtorch, caramelize the sugar by slowly sweeping back and forth over the surface of the yogurt. Let the sugar harden before serving.

8 Ways to Liven Up a Berry Salad

In celebration of SUMMER and SUN, I am bringing you a whole week's worth of berries! For me, there is nothing quite as pleasant as freshly picked berries, whether you picked them yourself or bought them from the farmer's market.

Today, I am bringing you 10 ways to improve your berry salad. Berry salads are a staple at my brunch and dessert tables, but after a while, I am ready for something new. These twists on the classic will entice all of your friends at your next dinner party.

1. Add orange zest strips to your salad with this zester. You can see how beautiful it looks in the pictures above!
2. Chop in a handful of fresh herbs, like mint or rosemary.
3. Drizzle in a tablespoon or two of a flavored liqueur like Grand Marnier or Framboise.
4. Macerate the berries in just a touch of vanilla sugar. It's perfect as a topping for shortcakes or pound cake. 
5. Add a splash or two of balsamic vinegar...I promise, it's delicious!
6. Crumble in some tangy goat cheese or feta cheese for a salty-sweet twist.
7. Create a delicious pancake topping by throwing in a dash or two of cinnamon to your berries. 
8. Squeeze in a lime or a lemon for a tangy taste!

Hope this inspires you to take some risks on your next berry salad. Let me know in the comments what's in your favorite berry salad!