Serves8
- Active time:20 min
- Start to finish:30 min
April 2007
Corn bread gets fancy in dainty individual portions—and the flecks of red add more than just cosmetic flair. These tiny bits of pimento provide bursts of flavor that marry the corn bread beautifully with the rest of the main course.
-
1/2
stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for buttering muffin cups
-
1
cup
yellow cornmeal
-
1
cup
all-purpose flour
-
2 1/2
teaspoons
baking powder
-
1/2
teaspoon
baking soda
-
1/2
teaspoon
salt
-
2
large eggs
-
1 1/4
cups
well-shaken buttermilk
-
1/3
cup
drained bottled pimentos (4 oz), patted dry and finely chopped
-
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Generously butter muffin cups.
-
Whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
-
Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and butter (1/2 stick) in another bowl, then stir into flour mixture along with pimentos until just combined.
-
Divide batter among muffin cups (about 1/3 cup each) and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Turn out muffins onto a rack and cool to warm.
Cooks’ note: Muffins can be made 8 hours ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature. To reheat, arrange in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, then sprinkle lightly with water and bake, covered with foil, in a 325°F oven until warm, about 10 minutes.
