Monday, July 22, 2013

Brie and Bacon Muffins #MuffinMonday


From the City of Love, fluffy, cheesy Brie and bacon muffins, perfect for breakfast, lunch or snack time. Take them on a picnic with a bottle of your favorite wine.

If you follow my page on Facebook  (and I thank you if you already do) you know that I am in Paris this week, visiting friends and enjoying the sweet life.  I’ve only been here since Friday but I’ve already strolled through the Saturday market and eaten my weight in cheese and fresh fruit and bread.  (The cherries, in particular, are divine!)  Yesterday, we took the train out to Versailles to watch the start of the final stage of the Tour de France.  What an amazing experience.  Despite the heat, Parisians were out in force to cheer on the racers and I managed to get a good shot of the guys who had been awarded jerseys as they took off for the warm up around the Chateau de Versailles.  There really is no more beautiful city than Paris when the weather is good!


Our Muffin Monday ingredient this week is bacon but, since I am in the city of wonderful cheeses, I chose a nice creamy Brie to accompany it.  The French also offer bacon they call lardons in handy packages, already chopped up, so I used one of those.  But you can easily use any bacon and just chop it yourself.  I also added in a little Piment d'Espelette, because it has been on my “want” list for months and my friend, whose kitchen I was using, happened to have some on the spice shelf.  I have since bought a bag of my own.

Ingredients

7 oz or 200g smoked bacon or lardons
10 1/4 oz or 290g Brie
2/3 cup or 150ml canola or other light oil
1 1/8 cup or 265ml buttermilk
2 eggs
3 cups or 375g flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon Piment d'Espelette or hot paprika or cayenne pepper.

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin tin by lightly rubbing it with oil or use non-stick spray to coat or lining it with paper liners.

Fry your bacon in a skillet and drain on some paper towels.   Set aside a few pieces for topping each muffin before baking.



In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, pepper and baking powder.


Cut the Brie into cubes and add them a few at a time to the flour mixture, stirring between additions, so that they are coated by the flour and won’t stick back together.  Reserve some cubes for topping the muffins before baking, if desired.



Whisk the oil, egg and buttermilk in a smaller mixing bowl.


Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ones and stir a couple of times.



Add in the bacon pieces and fold to combine.


Divide the rest of the batter between the muffin cups and top with the reserved cubes of Brie and bacon.



Bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.


Enjoy!

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13 comments :

  1. Oh YUM. You had me at bacon and cheese... particularly as the cheese happens to be brie! Drool!

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  2. #1-PARIS. JEALOUS. #2-I adooore these muffins...really anything with brie!

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  3. They make great picnic food, Kayle! Just pack these and a bottle of wine. :)

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  4. Thanks, Laura. Brie is one of my favorites too.

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  5. I bet that brie just oozes when the muffins are still warm. I have to admit to being a Rome fan though - it's a bit like being a cat or dog person isn't it?!

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  6. Oooh, Nancy, I'm a fan of Rome too! And Florence. I adored Florence! It's just that we lived in Paris for three years and it feels like coming home.

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  7. Wow, baking in Paris...life is rough ;) Your muffins look terrific, Stacy...please eat a big chunk of brie for me!

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  8. Stacy, I'm always in awe of the incredible combinations you come up with for Muffin Monday. Brie is my favourite cheese so I'm glad to see it here with bacon (drooool). I hope you're having an amazing vacation! I'll just have to tour and eat my way through Paris vicariously through you. It's number one on my list of places to visit. I'll get there someday!

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  9. I know, Liz, too rough! One of the blessings of being an expat is having friends in cool places all over the world. I actually have two good friends here. I stayed with the other last year and will meet her for lunch today. I will be sure to eat a big chunk of Brie, just for you!

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  10. Thank you, Nancy! I am having a fabulous time! We spent the day poking around kitchenware shops near Les Halles yesterday and enjoyed a lovely bistro lunch out. I started with escargots de Bourgogne because I have a personal rule that I have to order them if they are on the menu. For my second course I enjoyed a small pissaladiere, which is rather like a caramelized onion tart. Both divine. Best day ever!

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  11. Girl - you are a serious world traveler! I bet Simon misses your cooking while you are gone! These muffins look so wonderful and the combo of brie and bacon is very refreshing!

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  12. OMG! I am a HUGE smoked bacon/lardon lover and I also PREFER savoury scones too, so these are my kinda muffin! Lovely post, as always and a delectable recipe Stacy! Karen

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  13. Oh my gosh - YUM!? This looks amazingly delicious.

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