October Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
~ 2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup minced crystallized ginger
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 1/4 cups pomegranate seeds (1 large pomegranate, or 2 small ones)
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
About 1/4 cup (1/8 lb) butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 425 F. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add crystallized ginger, lemon peel, and pomegranate seeds, and stir to combine. Make a well in the center.

In a measuring cup, blend milk, egg, and butter. Pour liquid all at once into well. Stir just until batter is moistened; it will be lumpy.

Spoon batter into buttered muffin tins, filling each almost to the rim. (Or just be lazy like me and line the tins with paper muffin cups.) Optional: sprinkle with 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.

Bake at 425 until lightly browned, about 16 minutes for large muffins, 14 minutes for small. (Small works better if you're on catering duty for Friday breakfast.) Remove muffins from pan at once. Serves a passel of happy law clerks.