Bacon, Cheese and Tomato Slider Muffins

I know what you're thinking. "Hmmm...that muffin looks kinda plain there."    But that's ok. It's hard to tell just by looking at it that this muffin doesn't need another thing- it's perfect just as it is. Why? Because hidden inside that unassuming exterior are savory bursts of bacon and jalapeno cheese, along with crunchy bits of sweet corn, just waiting to mingle with the juicy home grown tomato slice stuffed into the middle.

Lunch was approaching and I needed something to complement the beautiful homegrown tomatoes that I got from my brother last week. I'd had enough tomato sandwiches and wanted something just a bit different. Corn muffins? Absolutely. I started with my favorite corn muffin recipe and gave it a little zip with the addition of jalapeno cheese and crisp bacon. 

I sliced one of those muffins open as soon as it was cool enough, sandwiched a thick tomato slice in the middle, and was instantly in a new kind of bacon and tomato heaven. Try one for lunch- or even breakfast- with one of those beautiful juicy ripe tomatoes sitting on your countertop.  Enjoy!

Bacon, Cheese and Tomato Slider Muffins

adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Corniest Corn Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup yellow corn meal, preferably stone ground

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 cup sweet corn kernels- fresh, frozen or canned (drain and pat dry)

8 slices bacon, fried, crumbled and drained

4 oz. pepper-jack cheese, shredded

Small ripe tomatoes- enough to make a thick slice for each muffin

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a muffin tin (12) or use paper liners.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, oil, egg and egg yolk.
• Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and blend together gently using a spatula. The batter will be lumpy.
• Gently stir in corn kernels, crumbled bacon and pepper jack cheese.
• Divide mixture between muffin cups and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
• Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove muffins to a rack to finish cooling.
• When ready to serve, slice muffin, open and insert tomato slice. 

Corniest Corn Muffins

GRITS (Girls Raised In The South) love good cornbread. They especially like cornbread paired with a big "mess" of greens! When my mom cooked a big pot of winter kale this weekend and shared it with me, there was nothing left to do but bake cornbread. Cornbread is good just about any way you make it. It's good baked in muffin tins, in a heavy iron skillet, and in my favorite...this cast iron pan that makes them look like little ears of corn. (I always have been partial to cute food.) This recipe is from Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking From My Home to Yours. The only change I made was to cut the sugar back by half. Y'all Northerners can put it back in if you are so inclined.

Dorie Greenspan's Corniest Corn Muffins

from Baking From My Home to Yours

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground

6 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

1 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 tablespoons corn oil

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 cup corn kernels (add up to 1/3 cup more if you'd like) - fresh, frozen or canned (in which case, they should be drained and patted dry)

     Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

     In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, if you're using it. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, egg and yolk together until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don't worry about being thorough- the batter will be lumpy, and that's just the way it should be. Stir in the corn kernels. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

     Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

Dorie's printable recipe can be found here.