Lemon Upside Down Muffins

These muffins are good served warm or cooled.  They are a very pretty muffin, great for an Easter brunch or just something special for your family and friends.
I used Meyer lemons in the recipe because they are in season and are a favorite amongst gourmet cooks and dessert chefs.  But using regular lemons will give you just as good a muffin.
Meyer lemons are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.  This gives you a traditional flavor of a lemon and the sweetness of an orange. 

3-4 lemons (3 regular lemons / 4 meyer lemons)
1 tblsp water or lemon juice
about 3/4 cup sugar
6 tblsp unsalted butter
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Pre-heat oven to 400*. Grease 18 muffin cups.

Finely grate the zest from the lemons, removing only the bright yellow portion of the peel. Set lemons aside.  Combine the zest, the water/lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a small suacepan.  Stir over meduim heat for 2 minutes just until the sugar dissolves.  Add the butter and stir until melted, about 1 minute longer. Set aside.

With a sharp knife, remove and discard all the remaining peel from the lemons.  Cut the lemons crosswise into slices about 1/4 inch thick; discard any seeds.  You will need 18 nicely shaped slices.  Put about 1 teaspoon of the remaining sugar in the bottom of each prepared muffin cup and place a lemon slice on top.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and the reserved lemon mixture until smooth.  Add the combined dry ingredients and stir just until blened.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup about 3/4 full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 12-18 minutes.  Immediatley invert the pans onto wire racks. let cool in the pans for 3-5 minutes, then lifte away the pans; muffins should fall out.  If they resist, nudge them with a knife.  If you like, cut a slice from the top of each muffins so that it will sit flat on the plate.  Drizzle with lemon glaze once while still warm, a second time when completely cooled.

Lemon Glaze
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
2 tlbsp lemon juice, or more if needed
2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.  If glaze is too stiff, add a few drops more juice.