Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Whole Lemon Muffins

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As I mentioned at the end of last year in this post, one of my plans for the New Year was to learn cuisines with which I was unfamiliar, so I started by requesting a lot (LOT!) of books from the library.  Many I have loved, and many have been hugely disappointing.  One series of books that I have quite enjoyed is by the Texas Pastry Queen.  Don't the covers alone make you salivate?  Wait until you look inside!

The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & CafePastry Queen Parties: Entertaining Friends and Family, Texas StyleThe Pastry Queen Christmas: Big-hearted Holiday Entertaining, Texas Style

Today's recipe comes from her Entertaining book.  Now I know what you're thinking, a muffin is not exotic, and that's true, but this one is quite unique in that it contains a whole lemon: the peel, the pith, the fruit.  It makes for a muffin unlike any other I've ever had, with a dense, rich texture, a touch of sweetness, and a very complex taste.  Redolent of lemon, not tart, but with perhaps a tiny touch of the bitterness one might expect from the peel and pith of a lemon.


I am not one for leaving well enough alone, as you know, so thought these benefited greatly in both taste and appearance with a little lemon juice and confectioner's sugar drizzle, and then a light dusting with even more confectioners' sugar.  These are not overly sweet muffins, so these two small additions complemented rather than overwhelmed.

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9 comments:

Kristen said...

What an interesting recipe. I had not ever even considered using all of the lemon in a baked good. I am going to see if my library has any of her books.

Jacqueline said...

Such fabulous looking books. I got a few new cookbooks for Christmas and was not thrilled. My worst was Nigella Lawson's - nothing in it that I was interested in at all. These look fabulous and the muffins sound wonderful. I too would have added the little garnishes!

The Charm of Home said...

That looks yummy. You made them look so pretty too.
Sherry

Sherry @ Lamp Unto My Feet said...

OOoh, these look delish! :)

Melynda@Scratch Made Food! said...

Those muffins look wonderful! Lemon is such a favorite of mine.

Pam - @diy Design Fanatic said...

Patti, those lemon muffins look so wonderful and yummy! So glad you stopped by my tablescape. I do hope you start using your nice things again! I am determined to do so this year!

The Tablescaper said...

Wow! These look good. The drizzle brings them to perfection. Any chance of sharing the recipe? My family loves lemon muffins but so many recipes are so sweet they seem more like cupcakes.

- The Tablescaper

Anonymous said...

I just love putting the whole lemon in the food processor - genius! It makes it easy and lemon in cakes is SUCH a wonderful item. Thanks for sharing at the decidedly healthy or horridly decandent hop.

Anonymous said...

Wow. I love lemon, but wouldnt have thought of using the whole thing (especially the pith). is the lemon flavor intense? I loooooove lemon, did I say that? hehe