Brunch on the Farm

Feb 11, 2021

By Fran Hill

It’s been a minute since I shared a recipe here with South Dakota Magazine. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Fran, and I like brunch. No, let’s revise that. I LOVE brunch. I am not an early riser, if I can help it, and savoring a slow multi-course meal mid-morning while sipping coffee with a splash of a little something-something is heaven for me.

The reality is that my husband’s farm responsibilities don’t allow for us to dip into this brunch fantasy on a daily basis. The sheep get fed before the humans around here and are waiting at the feed bunks for their breakfast every morning in rain, snow, sleet or shine. My husband is a sport, though, and does try to indulge my brunch desires one day a week. Sundays, he returns home after morning farm chores, and finds me elbow deep in eggs, bacon, sausage and fruit.

Sometimes, I get elaborate with my brunch spread and bake quiches layered with vegetables, cheese and even salmon. Sometimes, I just boil eggs. We are lucky enough to have a freezer full of locally raised pork which allows bacon and sausage to rotate through my menus. I try to include some vegetables, even going as far as finely chopping kale or spinach and adding to my rich homemade sausage gravy that we ladle over fluffy biscuits. Trust me. It IS still delicious. And fruit is a mainstay for a Sunday brunch. I love that citrus is such a bright seasonal spot in the winter.

A good brunch needs something sweet as a finish. What would a decadent meal be without some kind of dessert? Baking muffins seems to be a no-brainer, and I try to search out small batch recipes that don’t leave the two of us with extra baked goods for days and days.

I have a Small Batch Blueberry Muffin recipe that I make so frequently, the cookbook falls open directly to the page. I have slightly altered the original to suit ingredients that I usually have on hand, and the large, bakery-style paper baking cups I long ago ordered in bulk and may never run out of only make five muffins instead of the intended six. No matter how they are baked, I always love that first bite of tenderly caked muffin dotted with tart berries. THIS is what Sunday brunch should be.

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This small batch recipe for blueberry muffins is perfect for "brunch for two."

Small Batch Blueberry Muffins

(adapted from Dessert for Two)

 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

3/4 cup Greek yogurt (I use plain or vanilla)

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

 

For the streusel:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners (if you have the larger bakery-style liners, there will only be enough batter for 5).

Combine melted butter, sugar, egg, yogurt, milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and baking soda until incorporated. Gently fold in blueberries. 

Fill each paper muffin liner with batter.

 

For the streusel:

Combine the brown sugar, flour and cold butter using your fingertips to slightly warm the butter and create a crumble. Sprinkle liberally over each muffin.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick tests clean. (Larger muffins may take longer to bake through.) Allow muffins to rest in tin for a couple of minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool. (Yields 6 muffins)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.