Muffins

• 1

  Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or line with paper liners, 18 (2½-inch) muffin cups.

• 2

  Peel ginger root. Cut into chunks (about ⅔ cup) and process in a food processor with metal blade, until finely minced. (Or grate or mince ginger by hand.) Melt butter, combine with ginger and set aside.

• 3

  Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl, create a well in the center of the mixture, and then set this mixture aside.

• 4

  Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and ginger/butter mixture. Add wet ingredients all at once to well in dry ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened; do not over mix. Spoon batter into 18 prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

• 5

  Bake 25 minutes at 350°F or until tops are browned and a wooden toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Serve muffins warm with Lemon Butter.

Lemon Butter

• 6

  Combine butter with powdered sugar and lemon zest; beat until creamy. Gradually beat in lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.