If you're famished, looking for new things to pop into your oven at home, or needing a freshly-baked pick-me-up, then you need this recipe for freshly-baked muffins from chef Dyan Solomon of Olive et Gourmando in your life.
Olive et Gourmando's an Old Montreal café often looked to for having some of the best breakfast and brunch in Montreal, and easily (and highly) ranks among the many names where tourists and locals can commonly agree that they'll gladly grab a table. Substantial bites like soups and salads get a luxuriant treatment here, but really? The baked goods are just as good (if not better, according to some).
Montreal's currently in that state of limbo where spring doesn't really feel like spring until—BAM—the sun's out and we know we won't be pelted with chilly winds and rain while standing on our balconies. Until that moment comes, that's where this recipe ought to come in handy: It'll be good to pass the time by baking some of these muffins up until we can fill the original restaurant's seats up, watching people trip over the cobblestone outside its windows.
Thanks to chef Solomon, we're pleased to share the following recipe with Montrealers and any self-respecting lover of muffins. If you love this, spread that love even further and express thanks by buying a digital copy of Dyan Solomon's cookbook Olive + Gourmando: The cookbook.
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As Solomon writes: "These cheerful muffins always make an appearance by mid-January, when our customers begin to resemble what I call 'the Canadian vampire,' a creature kept hidden away from the sun who isn't allowed to eat fresh fruit. The muffins are pretty to behold, and the cranberry, lemon, poppyseed combo is a winner (plus, fresh cranberry is a genuine Canadian cold-season fruit!). Little vitamin C muffins of joy."
Olive et Gourmando's Cranberry, Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins
Makes 18 muffins — Preparation time: 20 minutes — Cooking time: 30 minutes
Here’s what you’ll need:
For muffins:
- 420 g cups (approx. 3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 180 g (approx. 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) white sugar
- 70 g (1/2 cup) poppy seeds
- 10 ml (2 tsp) baking powder
- 5 ml (1 tsp) baking soda
- 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) table salt
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 350 ml (1 1/3 cups + 4 tsp) buttermilk
- Zest of two lemons, grated
- Zest of 1 orange, grated
- 150 ml (2/3 cup) orange juice
- 130 g (approx. 1/2 cup + 2 tsp) unsalted melted butter
- 210 g (2 cups) frozen cranberries, plus extra for topping
For the icing:
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) lemon juice
- 70 g (1/2 cup) icing sugar
- 1 ml (1/4 tsp) grated lemon zest
- 1 ml (1/4 tsp) grated orange zest
Here’s how to make the muffins:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Butter 18 muffins cups, or line them with paper or silicone liners.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, lemon and orange zest and orange juice. Add the melted butter. Add the flour mixture and stir using a wooden spoon until just combined. If the batter is overmixed, the texture will be rubbery. Add the cranberries and gently stir to combine.
- Transfer the batter to the muffin cups. Top each muffin with a few cranberries. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, rotating the muffin tin halfway through baking. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack.
Here’s how to make the icing:
- In a bowl, using a whisk, mix the lemon juice, icing sugar and lemon and orange zest.
- Pour over the muffins while they are still hot.
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