Blueberry Fields

As it's now time for ripening blueberries, I've been in the forest quite a lot. I've found areas so full of blueberries that once you start picking them you can't simply stop doing it. I love forests! It's so relaxing to stroll among the trees and breathe refreshing air full of "green" smell :)

I usually don't like muffins a lot, at least not the spongy type. But I like them like this: more dense and resembling a bit like scones. They are not very sweet so if you like your muffins sweet, add more sugar. The original recipe called for buttermilk (or plain yoghurt) and as I had neither, I added a teaspoon of vinegar to the milk and let it "get sour" a couple of minutes before adding to the dry ingredients. The silicone molds are heart-shaped but the muffins ended up quite round... Cheap 100 yen shop quality... hmph. I picked some leaves of a plant called "Fox's Bread" from the forest. As a child I used to eat this plant when playing in the forest.

"Fox Tail" (aka my corgi) ate the berries all the time. His stomach got a bit upset though...

I went with my mother and sister to Vuores House Fair (Asuntomessut) last Sunday and I baked these blueberry muffins for us. It's quite exhausting visiting all those newly built huge houses so the break was much needed. These blueberry muffins enjoyed with coffee gave us just enough energy for the rest of the fair.

Blueberry Muffins  (makes 6) 

adapted from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

40 g butter
100 ml buttermilk (or 100 ml milk + a teaspoon of vinegar)
1 small egg
 115 g all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
100 g blueberries

Preheat the oven to 200-225 C. Melt the butter and let it cool for a while. Add the buttermilk and egg and beat them a little.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, add the wet ingredients and gently mix them. Fold in the blueberries very gently as not to break the berries. Spoon into 6 muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until risen and golden brown.

Eat warm or cooled with butter or jam or... Once cooled I decorated them with lime icing and lavender pearl sugar.

Lime icing: appr. 50 ml confectioners' sugar, mix with some lime juice until the consistency is right.

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