I have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with Cook’s Illustrated magazine. I love their science-like obsession with testing a recipe over and over again, fiddling with variables and taking careful note of the results. Also, some of the ideas they come up with are pretty clever, like the one where you fortify your blueberry pie with a bit of sliced apple to add pectin and create perfectly sliceable pieces. Brilliant - and it works like a charm.

On the other hand, I’m less crazy about their interpretations of ethnic cuisine, and sometimes wish they’d be a little more adventurous - I swear, sometimes it seems like there is a pot roast recipe every third issue. But maybe I shouldn’t complain - homestyle American fare is what they do best. I definitely appreciate the mission to develop accessible recipes for the American home kitchen, even if I’m not convinced that there is one best recipe for every dish. And it’s undeniable that the magazine is a great resource, especially for beginners - the endless tips and thorough equipment reviews alone are probably worth the cover price.

These corn muffins are an excellent example of the kind of recipe that Cook’s does so well - simple, all-American, and just right for pleasing a crowd. After making them for six years, I still haven’t found one I like better. To me, they have the perfectly buttery, corny, ever-so-slightly sweet qualities without being dry, flat, cupcakey, or sticky. They’re also versatile enough to go from breakfast to dinner with just a couple of tweaks. I particularly love eating them with a big smooch of apricot jam. So, what do I know…maybe the search for perfection really does pay off.

Corn Muffins
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, October 2002

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin or line with papers.

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk eggs. Add sugar and whisk until slightly thickened, about a minute. Add melted butter in two additions, whisking thoroughly to combine each time. Stir in half the sour cream and milk; whisk to combine, then whisk in remaining sour cream and milk. Gently stir wet mixture into flour/cornmeal mixture until just combined and there are no floury streaks.

Use an ice-cream scoop to divide batter into muffin tins. Bake muffins for 15-18 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Serve warm.

Posted by the cookworm on Saturday, October 4th, 2008 at 9:19 am.