EDNA LEWIS'S CORN MUFFINS

Edna Lewis's Corn Muffins image

After reading that Edna Lewis preferred extra-fine cornmeal, I adapted her recipe to use corn flour. (Be sure to get corn flour, not pure white cornstarch.) These muffins have great corn flavor, and they have a very tender, creamy texture when hot and stay moist when cool. If you're using regular cornmeal, the muffins are still delicious, especially warm; just reduce the buttermilk to 2 cups.

Provided by Francis Lam

Time 35m

Yield 12 muffins

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

2 tablespoons lard or butter, plus 2 tablespoons melted butter
2 1/2 cups corn flour or extra-fine cornmeal (not cornstarch)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon homemade baking powder (see note)
2 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1 egg, beaten

Steps:

Preheat oven to 400. Generously grease the wells of the muffin pan with 2 tablespoons of lard or butter, leaving the extra fat in the wells. In a mixing bowl, sift together the corn flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
When the oven is hot, place the muffin tin inside to preheat. Meanwhile, stir the buttermilk into the dry ingredients and mix well, then stir in the egg and 2 tablespoons melted butter. When the muffin pan is very hot (if using butter to grease, the butter should have just stopped sizzling), carefully remove it, and quickly fill each well with about 3 ounces of batter. Bake for 17-20 minutes, rotating once, until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges of the muffins are golden brown.
Let the pan cool for 2 minutes on a rack, then remove the muffins. (If necessary, use a paring knife to release them.) Serve muffins hot, with butter.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 164, UnsaturatedFat 1 gram, Carbohydrate 29 grams, Fat 3 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 4 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 225 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams