Blueberry muffins

It was 80 degrees here in Boston yesterday. I don't really understand what that means yet in a region where humidity is the norm and AC isn't. And well, I had a craving for blueberry muffins. I hadn't yet been out into the afternoon sun and wasn't aware how warm it was. As I trudged to the market for blueberries and eggs I noticed I was doing little more than a shuffle; as if my clothing weren't proof enough – a tank top and skirt – it was hot. This after we had the heat going only three weeks ago. Nevertheless I was determined, and once I returned home the oven was preheated to a searing 350 and the windows were thrown open. Lucky I did because these muffins were awesome.

350 g all-purpose flour (have you bought that scale yet?)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 wt oz. sugar ("wt oz" means use the scale again)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
6 Tbs. melted butter
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line one 12 cup muffin tin with baking cups. Into a large bowl sift together your flour, powder, soda and salt. Whisk your sugar into that until it's well combined. Measure the milk in a largish liquid measure and add to it the vanilla and beaten eggs. Melt your butter. I like to do it in the microwave, but find it's best to use two short cycles of time, say 30 seconds twice, rather than one long time as the butter has a tendency to bubble over and make a mess. Make a well in your dry ingredients and pour in your milk/egg/vanilla mixture. Using a whisk and a light hand begin mixing, making small circles at first to incorporate the flour nearest your well before working your way to the sides of the bowl. Herein lies the key to great muffin making – a light crumb. This is achieved by restraining your mixing. With that said, it is okay to stop with your whisk well before you have incorporated all the dry ingredients. Add your blueberries to the bowl and pour over your butter being sure to distribute it over your entire batter. With rubber spatula* in hand (*notice the tool change), begin lightly folding the batter to incorporate both the blueberries and melted butter and to finally work out the last of the dry balls of flour. Et voila!

Your next challenge is to divide the mix evenly amongst the muffin tins. Much to my chagrin, I find that an ice cream scooper works the best. You know, the kind of scoop with the switch at the handle that sweeps the metal ring across the inside of the spoon and dislodges your ice cream ball. These are sold at kitchen specialty stores in a variety of portion sizes and are most often used in professional American kitchens to portion batters for baking. I used a number 10 sized scoop, but would actually recommend a size smaller for standard muffin tins – try size 8. The muffins should take between 20 and 30 minutes in the oven. Don't forget to turn them halfway through and don't turn off your oven in the middle of baking as I did. Oops!

Holy Bolognese Batman!

I am inclined to tinker with this recipe, but as of now it has met with Tyler's approval. So perhaps I will leave well enough alone. It takes four hours on the stove - not a pretty thing if the house is hot or you have errands to run. But if like us it is still only 50F outside and you don't mind forgetting you left your gas stove running while at dinner to celebrate your anniversay, it should be a breeze.

2 Tbs. butter

3 Tbs. evoo

2 Tbs. yellow onion small dice

2Tbs. carrot small dice

2 Tbs. celery small dice

3/4 pound ground beef

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup milk

1/8 tsp. nutmeg, freshly ground

2 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

(or canned and crushed like I used)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper

In a pot - much like a soup pot, or equally large and wide but with shorter sides - melt the butter and heat the oil at medium high. Dice your onion and add to the cooking fat and cook until translucent. Meanwhile dice your celery and carrots. Add them to the pot once your onion is cooked and give them 2 or 3 minutes to soften. Add the 3/4 pound ground beef to the pot and begin breaking it up. My recipe recommended using a fork which was so "Susy Homemaker" but it did work fairly well. Once the beef begins to color but before it has cooked through add the wine to the pot. Allow the wine to cook off almost entirely, stir occassionally. Next add the milk and the grating of nutmeg. Allow the milk to cook off almost entirely as well also stirring occassionally. To this add the tomatoes and reduce the heat to a whisper so the whole sauce only bubbles intermittently - like you imagine a steaming swamp might do. Let it cook like this uncovered for three hours - feel free to go out to dinner. If you are home stir the sauce a few times while it cooks. Before serving taste for seasoning and add the s & p.

I doubled this recipe and ended up with enough for 8 servings. Half of it went into a container in the freezer for a night I don't feel up to cooking. The other half was heated and served on Campanelle pasta. Any shape that has holes, ripples or crevices would be ideal for this sauce as it can glom onto the meaty yummy bits.

This is where I tell you that the recipe comes from Marcella Hazan. So that you don't think I was clever enough to think it all up. I would like to alter it and reduce the amount of wine added to the recipe and perhaps swap the celery for fennel and the beef for sausage ala a meat sauce I had when we went out for dinner Friday night.

Mustard Maple salad dressing

We spent a weekend down in Philadelphia not too long ago with my brother Sean and sister in law, Susie. Sean is an avid cook often shaming me in his knowledge of meats and wine (and I went to cooking school). He is as Susie says, "an expert salad dressing maker". Here is something I saw him concoct one evening. It was so good it has been the only thing served in our house since.

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 Tbs. champagne vinegar

1 Tbs. maple syrup (please don't use any imitation products;

this means no bottles shaped like people)

1/4 to 1/3 cup good evoo.

This would be evoo that you intend to eat raw. Ask a seller at a specialty store. It will inevitably be more expensive, but it's worth it. I recommend an oil with a fruity rather than a peppery finish especially if you are new to the world of olive oil.

pinch of fresh cracked pepper

pinch to 1/4 tsp of kosher salt

Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a bowl big enough to accomodate a whisk. Granted this isn't a lot of liquid to work with but still put it in a large-ish bowl. You may have heard that oil and water don't mix but the mustard included in the recipe will act as an emulsifier. Begin whisking the dressing and adding the oil in a slow steady stream. The dressing will be yellow and become opaque. This is good. Once 1/4 cup of oil is added taste the dressing. It should be sharp, but not too sharp, and NOT oily-never oily. If the vinegar is still too strong, continue adding oil, if the dressing sits heavily on your tongue, prepare another batch of the mustard, syrup, and vinegar; and begin again. Adding not oil this time but the old dressing, tasting, and continuing with oil if necessary. Dressing really is very simple, but I find it can require confidence and a good sense of taste. Good luck.

A warning to the adventurous who may consider trying this recipe. The ingredients are expensive. You will only buy them occassionally, but that first purchase could be dear. Try it when you feel like treating yourself.