Anything for Blueberries

I usually spend all of my free time in the kitchen, but this last weekend the hubby and I hiked Larch Mountain. It was a strenuous 5 mile hike, very steep and uphill both ways (no kidding!). I ended up with a sore hip and knee. And the thing is, I’d done that trail before, so I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. Why would I exert myself like that? Well, blueberries are still in season, and I knew that if I went on the hike, I would get to visit the blueberry grower on the way home. The lengths I will go to for fresh fruit.


Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Muffins
Printable Recipe

Nonstick pan spray, optional
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup fine cornmeal
1 cup sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick pan spray or line with paper liners. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, or until the edges of the muffins start to shrink away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and finish cooling completely.

Makes 1 dozen muffins. They keep well and stay moist for 2 to 3 days in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place. Fresh blueberries are best, but if they are unavailable, use frozen—just don’t thaw them before adding to the batter or you'll end up with blue muffins.

Varietea

Are you the sort of person who needs variety, or do you find a favorite and stick with it? Personally, I fit into the former category. I get bored easily, I have a limited attention span, and I need to mix it up. I CRAVE. ENDLESS. VARIETY. Witness my tea assortment:
1. White
2. Sencha
3. Genmaicha
4. Matcha


5. Pi Lo Chun
6. Yunnan Green
7. Gunpowder
8. Monkey Picked Tieguanyin
9. Silk Oolong Formosa
10. Green Dragon Oolong
11. Oriental Beauty
12. Heaven Mist
13. Keemun Black
14. Lapsang Souchong
15. Darjeeling
16. Assam
17. Jasmine
18. Dragon Pearl
19. Jasmine Blossom
20. Bergamot
21. Lychee
22. Rose
23. Strawberry
24. Original Russian Tea

Why, you may ask, would a person be so obsessed with variety that she needs 24 different teas in her cupboard? Well, perhaps for the same reason other women need dozens of pairs of impractical high heel shoes. A pair to match every dress, a tea to match every dish. You know what they say about variety.


Matcha Meringue Kisses
Printable Recipe

2 ounces powdered sugar
2 tablespoons matcha tea
2 ounces egg whites, at room temperature
2 ounces sugar

Preheat the oven to 175ºF. Sift together the powdered sugar and matcha. In a mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip the egg whites on medium to soft peaks. With the motor running on high, gradually add the sugar. Continue to whip on high to stiff peaks. Gently fold the matcha mixture into the meringue. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe 1 ¼-inch kisses about an inch apart onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, or until dry. Transfer kisses to a rack to cool.


Makes about 3 dozen. Kisses keep for several days in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place.

Fish Tacos Deconstructed

Having salsa in the fridge inspires many beautiful meals. And so, my Mexican food kick continues…


Masa Crusted Rockfish with Cabbage Slaw & Avocado Salsa
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons masa harina
¼ teaspoon pure chile powder
¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
4 4-ounce skinned and boned rockfish fillets
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil, for frying
6 ounces thinly sliced green cabbage
4 ounces thinly sliced red cabbage
2 ounces thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup minced cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup Avocado Salsa

Mix together the masa harina, chile powder, and granulated garlic in a large, shallow dish. Season the fillets generously with salt and pepper. Dip into the masa harina mixture to coat and shake off any excess. Add enough canola oil to a large, heavy nonstick frying pan to come to a depth of 1/8 inch. Heat over medium heat until a pinch of the masa harina mixture sizzles immediately when added. Add the fillets skinned side up and fry without disturbing for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Using a fish spatula, turn the fillets and fry another 1 to 2 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown. Meanwhile, toss together the green cabbage, red cabbage, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil in a large bowl and season to taste with salt. Remove the fillets to a paper towel-lined plate and drain for about a minute. Arrange the fillets on individual plates, divide the slaw among them, drizzle with the salsa, and serve immediately.

Serves 4. Offer warm corn tortillas on the side. If rockfish is unavailable, you can substitute any other firm-fleshed white fish.

A New Home!

How do you like my new digs? Let me show you around…Hungry Cravings is now at hungrycravings.com! That’s minus the “blogspot”, and let me tell you, it feels super exciting—a lot like moving out of an apartment and into a first house! There’s also a new and improved About Lucy section, so that we can get to know each other a little better. And in case you’re wondering, any bookmarks and links should still work, which means you won’t get lost on your way over.

While the big move didn’t require any boxes or bubble wrap, it did involve a maddening “Another blog is already hosted at this address” error flashing in red for a whole week, an ignored “Magical Custom Domain Form” (and no, I’m not making that up), and then a “404 Not Found” error along with several panic-inducing minutes during which the blog was offline, and I was left asking, “Why does Google hate me?” But luckily, a very smart stranger came to my rescue, walking me through the convoluted steps required to make everything work. Thanks Chuck, words cannot convey my appreciation!


Needless to say, this move has been a long time coming, and I’m just thrilled! I’d like to wish you a warm welcome to my new home, so sit down and stay a while. And while you’re over, have some Blackberry-Lemon Crème Brûlée, which was inspired by blackberries I recently picked at the park.


Please make yourself at home!


Blackberry-Lemon Crème Brûlées
Printable Recipe

4 ounces sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
4 large eggs
6 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
8 ounces heavy cream
6 ounces blackberries
2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the sugar and lemon zest on low until very fragrant. Add the eggs, then the lemon juice, and then the cream, mixing on low for several seconds after each addition until just combined. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Skim off any foam from the surface. Divide the blackberries among 6 ramekins. Divide the lemon mixture among the ramekins and place them into a roasting pan. Add enough hot water to the roasting pan to come half way up the sides of the ramekins and bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until just set. Remove from the water bath and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, or until firm.

Top 1 crème brûlée with 1 teaspoon of the Turbinado sugar and swirl to coat. Caramelize the sugar with a culinary torch. Finish the remaining crème brûlées with the remaining Turbinado sugar in the same manner. Serve immediately.


Serves 6. These custards are super puckery and not for the faint of tart—ideal for serious lemon lovers. Avoid whipping air into the eggs as they are being incorporated into the sugar mixture. You can tell that the crème brûlées are done when they jiggle like gelatin. If you don’t have a culinary torch, you can caramelize the sugar topping under a preheated broiler. These crème brûlées may be baked up to a day in advance and kept covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Add Turbinado sugar and caramelize just before serving.