Blue & Yellow Corn Muffins

It is soup season around here, and what goes better with a hearty bowl of soup than a fresh baked muffin?  In my opinion, there is nothing better.  These blue and yellow corn muffins are a treat for your eyes as well as your taste buds.

Bobby Flays Mesa Grill Restaurant serves this muffin in every bread basket that leaves the kitchen.  As he says, it's a little extra work to make the two batters, using both blue and yellow corn meal, but I believe the visual satiation is worth the effort. 

Mesa Grill Blue & Yellow Corn Muffins
Nonstick cooking spray
6 Tb unsalted butter
1/2 C finely diced red onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 C whole milk
4 large eggs
2 Tb honey
1/2 C finely diced red bell pepper
2 jalapeno chiles, finely diced
1/2 C fresh corn kernels or frozen, thawed
2 Tb finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 C blue cornmeal
1 C yellow cornmeal
1 1/3 C all purpose flour
1 Tb baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp kosher salt

With the rack in the middle of the oven, preheat to 400, and grease a 12 Cup muffin pan with non stick spray.  I had enough batter to make 10 mini muffins also.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.  Divide the mixture evenly between 2 large bowls.

 

In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, honey , red pepper, jalapenos, corn and cilantro.  Pour the mixture into a measuring cup and add half of the mixture to each of the large bowls containing the onion mixture.    

Put the blue cornmeal and yellow cornmeal in 2 separate bowls.  To each bowl, add 2/3 C flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and 2 tsp salt.  Mix each cornmeal mixture into a bowl with the liquid mixture.

Pour an equal amount of each batter side by side into each muffin cup and bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.  Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack. 

A little dab of butter, and you've got DELICIOUS in your hand.  You can use just blue or yellow cornmeal and the muffins will be just as good.