The day before we met Westelle, we were in Nashville with two broken cameras and managed to track down a Canon specialist. The Canon specialist was Gary, and while he didn’t manage to fix the cameras, he fixed us up with his mother Westelle, muffin maker extraordinaire. The following day Gary collected us in his red Jeep and we drove out into the hills between the November trees in an incredible palette of yellow, orange and red, in and out of small towns, past enormous churches and most notably a sign praising ‘The Lord, family, friends and chicken nuggets’.
Westelle was waiting at the door, a tiny figure behind a billowing American flag, make-up done and hair set. Family photographs and cross-stitched quotes covered every inch of the bungalow she designed with her late husband. A copy of To Kill a Mockingbird was poised beside the toilet on a spotless marble dresser, her fridge was so large she could have hung out inside it, and her hand whisk was from 1981.
We sat on her counter as she whisked flour, buttermilk, sugar and an entire box of Raisin Bran, saying, ‘Well, ain’t you girls precious?’ and talking of princes William and Harry as if they were family. Her hands were so arthritic but she didn’t complain. ‘I’ve had a good life,’ she said, and we welled up at her admittance, that at 92, it’s almost all up. Still, she was determined that we come back for Thanksgiving because she was hosting and cooking for 20. Power to Westelle.
Pecan and Cranberry Buttermilk Muffins
Makes 12
Takes 45 minutes, plus cooling time
Ingredients
115g butter, softened
250g caster sugar, plus 3 tsp for sprinkling
120ml buttermilk (you can use regular semi-skimmed)
2 eggs
250g plain flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
50g dried cranberries
50g pecans, chopped
2 handfuls bran flakes
Method
Line a 12-hole muffin tin with 12 large muffin cases and preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the buttermilk.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, salt and baking powder together, then fold this into the buttermilk mixture to make a smooth batter.
Next, fold the cranberries, pecans and bran flakes into the batter. Squeeze the bran flakes as you add them, breaking them up a little.
Divide the batter between the cases and sprinkle the tops with the extra sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden and risen. A skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin should come out clean.
Remove from the oven and transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before eating.
