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specially milled flour with butter flakes, which made all the difference. It’s hard to find; in a pinch I make these. They’re perfect with dinner, but a smear of jelly makes for a great brunch. And there’s no fighting over these, because they’re all the same! MAKES 10 TO 12
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
    2 teaspoons kosher salt
    1 teaspoon Hungarian or hot paprika
    1 teaspoon onion powder
    1 cup whole milk
    ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
    8 strips bacon, cooked until crisp, cooled and crumbled
    1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
    2 scallions, finely chopped (white and green parts)
    1 egg
    1 Mix the dry ingredients. Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, paprika, and onion powder. Mix to blend, then make a well in the center of the bowl.
    2 Prepare the biscuits. In the center of the dry ingredients, add the milk, butter, bacon, cheese, and scallions. Mix gently with a wooden spoon, or channel my grandma and use one hand in a squeezing motion. The dough will be wet and sticky, so scrape off your fingers or the wooden spoon. Use a ¼-cup measure or ice cream scoop to portion the batter onto a baking sheet, spacing the biscuits an inch or so apart.
    3 Bake the biscuits. In a small bowl, beat the egg and 2 tablespoons water. Brush this mixture on top of each biscuit, then bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a biscuit in the middle of the pan comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. If you notice uneven browning, rotate the pan halfway through baking.

strawberry-blueberry-banana-nut muffins WITH CINNAMON-RAISIN BUTTER
    w hen I make these muffins, they take me back to my childhood. My daddy would get a pint of strawberries, hull and chop them, sprinkle generously with sugar, and put them in the refrigerator. The next day, a thick syrup would appear! We’d pour these strawberries over cereal, ice cream, pancakes, anything really. No matter where we lived, this sight in the fridge always made me feel at home. When I moved to Rancho Cucamonga, California, I wanted to get a little bit of home in my kitchen. I’d just left my radio career and moved for a love that ended up not working out. So, finding comfort in my daddy’s strawberries in syrup it was. I had surplus, so I came up with these most delightful, moist muffins. This is one of the first recipes I pitched to the Food Network when I moved back to New York, chasing a dream. Now no matter where or when I make these, it’s bittersweet, but they feel like home. MAKES 12 MUFFINS
    FOR THE STRAWBERRIES
    1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
    2 tablespoons sugar
FOR THE BATTER
    Cooking spray
    1½ cups all-purpose flour
    ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    ½ teaspoon baking soda
    ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    1 ripe banana, mashed
    2 eggs
    ¼ cup vegetable oil
    1 cup sugar
    Grated zest of 1 lemon
    6 to 8 ounces blueberries
    1 cup chopped walnuts
FOR THE TOPPING
    1 cup sugar
    ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    Grated zest of 1 lemon
    ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, ice cold
    ½ cup walnuts
FOR THE COMPOUND BUTTER
    ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
    ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    ¼ cup raisins, chopped
    2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
    Kosher salt
    1 Macerate the strawberries. In a large bowl, mix the strawberries and sugar. Toss and stir a bit, until the strawberries give off their juices, about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.
    2 Make the batter. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. To the bowl of strawberries and juices, add the banana, eggs, oil, sugar, and lemon zest. With a wooden spoon, gently mix the dry ingredients into the strawberry mixture until combined. Fold in the blueberries and walnuts. Allow to rest while you make the topping.
    3 Make the topping. Put the sugar, flour, lemon zest, butter, and walnuts in a food processor and