Wild Rice Muffins

Contributed by Kerry Sear

Serve these savory, buttery muffins on their own or as an unorthodox counterpoint to poultry or meat with a fruity sauce.

In a medium saucepan, cover the wild rice with 1 inch of water. Cover the saucepan and simmer the wild rice over moderately low heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Preheat the oven to 400°. Butter a 12-cup muffin pan. In a pie plate, toast the hazelnuts in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the skins blister. Transfer the nuts to a kitchen towel and rub off the skins. Finely chop the nuts. Raise the oven temperature to 425°.
In a medium bowl, beat the melted butter with the eggs and sugar. Stir in the cooked wild rice, the onion and hazelnuts until combined.
In another medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wild rice mixture just until incorporated.
Fill the muffin cups two-thirds of the way with the batter and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then unmold them and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Make Ahead The muffins can be frozen for up to 1 month.