• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1 pint blueberries, washed and well drained

Turbinado sugar for sprinkling (Introduction)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin pan. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Whisk in the sugar and continue whisking until light and fluffy. Drizzle in the melted butter while whisking vigorously. Whisk in the lemon zest and vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture and sour cream alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. The batter will be very stiff. Fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups (the batter should reach the rim of each cup). Sprinkle the tops generously with turbinado sugar. Bake the muffins for 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until the tops are golden brown.

Makes 12 muffins

To make apple-cinnamon muffins, add 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon to the flour in Step 1. Omit the vanilla and lemon zest in Step 2, and substitute 1 cup diced apples for the blueberries. Bake as directed.

Mince Pies

Mince pies are very Christmassy, and sure enough, Mrs. Weasley sends Harry some for Christmas along with other goodies (see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 11).

If you eat a mince pie every day of the twelve days of Christmas, preferably in a different house each time, you will have a happy year, according to an old Yorkshire superstition. Mincemeat used to contain minced beef (hence the name) mixed with apples, dried fruit, suet, sugar, spices, and brandy. About 200 years ago beef gradually began to be left out, thank goodness. This recipe calls for butter rather than suet, as the latter is not readily available to the American consumer.

Pie Crust

2½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into pieces

½ cup (8 tablespoons) vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into pieces

½ to ¾ cup cold water

Mincemeat Filling

½ cup dark raisins

½ cup golden raisins

½ cup dried currants or dried sweetened cranberries

Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon

Juice and grated zest of 1 orange

1 cup apple cider

2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and chopped

2 sweet apples, such as Braeburn or Gala, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for brushing the tops

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon mixed with 3 tablespoons sugar, for sprinkling

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter and shortening over the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse yellow meal without any white powdery bits remaining, about 15 pulses. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle ½ cup water over the mixture and toss with a rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is dry (better too wet than too dry). Divide the dough in half, form into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

To make the filling, combine all the filling ingredients except the butter in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the mixture boils. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1½ hours. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is very thick, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. Cool to room temperature and then chill until cold.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove one of the disks of dough from the refrigerator and roll it