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!