Monday, April 15, 2013

Jammy Peanut Butter Muffins #MuffinMonday

These lovely peanut butter muffins have jam swirled through the batter. Top them with candy berries for extra special decoration.

Food Lust People Love: These lovely peanut butter muffins have jam swirled through the batter. Top them with candy berries for decoration.

I know, I know you are probably saying to yourself, “But she just DID peanut butter.”  And, so I did.  But this week, our ingredient was jam and what goes better with jam than peanut butter?  I submit to you that the correct answer is NOTHING.  I used the lovely peanut buttery muffin recipe from My Baking Addiction and then swirled jam through the batter to create these lovely things.  And then, just for fun, I topped them with some Haribo “berries” for decoration.  And, frankly, I was very pleased with myself until right at the end.

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g flour
1/2 cup or 115g sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml creamy peanut butter
1 large egg (Ignore what looks like two eggs in the photo.  My egg had a double yolk!)
1 cup or 240ml whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup or 120ml mixed berry jam – or jam of your choice

Haribo candy “berries” to decorate, if desired.

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your muffin pan by greasing it or lining it with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients: the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.


In a smaller mixing bowl, add all of your wet ingredients EXCEPT the jam: the creamy peanut butter, egg, whole milk and vanilla extract.

Can't remember the last time I've opened an egg that had two yolks! 

Give your helper the peanut butter jar to lick clean for recycling.


Use a fork to break up the peanut butter and continue mixing until the whole mess is homogeneous.  That is to say, smooth and of the same consistency throughout.


Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ones and fold gently.  If there is still a bit of flour showing, that is fine.



Add your jam in big spoonfuls and then fold it in as well.  You want to see streaks of jam and we are no longer going for homogenous here.


Food Lust People Love: These lovely peanut butter muffins have jam swirled through the batter. Top them with candy berries for decoration.

Divide the batter between your prepared muffin cups.


Press a Haribo candy into each cup of batter, if desired.

Food Lust People Love: These lovely peanut butter muffins have jam swirled through the batter. Top them with candy berries for decoration.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.   I must confess that I checked these at 20 minutes and the Haribo candies were still whole and perky on top and I am sure the muffins were probably done, but I was chatting with my mother-in-law on Skype and decided they could wait another five minutes till I took them out.  After the additional five minutes, the muffins were fine but the “berries” had collapsed.  Could have kicked myself.  Ah, well.

Food Lust People Love: These lovely peanut butter muffins have jam swirled through the batter. Top them with candy berries for decoration.

After allowing them to cool for a few minutes, remove the muffins and place on a wire rack to finish cooling.


Looks aside, these muffins were still very tasty in all their peanut butter jamminess.

Food Lust People Love: These lovely peanut butter muffins have jam swirled through the batter. Top them with candy berries for decoration.

Enjoy!

Food Lust People Love: These lovely peanut butter muffins have jam swirled through the batter. Top them with candy berries for decoration.






Sunday, April 14, 2013

Spicy Sichuan Noodles

Spicy Sichuan Noodles are a fragrant, spicy noodle dish with stir-fried ground pork. It's one of our favorite one-pot meals.


Have you ever seen the movie Eat Drink Man Woman?  If you love foodie movies, this is one of the best.  Shot in Taiwan and directed by Academy Award winning director, Ang Lee, Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) is the story of an aging chef who tries desperately to keep his family together by cooking elaborate feasts for his three daughters every Sunday.  In the opening scene, he prepares dish after dish and you can’t help but think that he must have a crowd coming.  With every plate that was finished, I wanted to be at that table!  I counted at least 14 dishes and then the chef mentioned, as he rushed off to deal with an emergency at his restaurant, “The crab dumplings are still in the steamer!”   Crab dumplings?  Yes, please!  (I read somewhere that the opening cooking scene actually took two weeks to film.  I believe it!)

A screenshot from the movie of the LADEN #SundaySupper table, just as the chef rushes off to his restaurant. 

This week’s #SundaySupper theme, hosted by the delightful Heather of GirliChef, is movie-inspired recipes.  What could be better inspiration than Eat Drink Man Woman, where Sunday supper is the most special, unifying meal of the week?  We love Chinese food of all kinds so it was hard for me to choose just one dish, but, finally, I decided that the Spicy Sichuan Noodles from Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery would be perfect.  Noodles in Chinese culture symbolize long life (so you never cut noodles!) and anything spicy is a winner in our house.   Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you.  This comes together quickly and is sooooo tasty.   Like many noodle dishes, it gets better and better and leftovers will be your favorite lunch ever, the next day.  If you have any left over. 

Ingredients
13 1/4 oz or 375g ground or minced pork
1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (sometimes called Special Soy in the grocery stores) 
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
Cantonese-style egg noodles
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lb + or 500g dried Cantonese egg noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3-4 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
5 tablespoons green onions
2 tablespoons sesame paste (tahini) or smooth peanut butter (I used peanut butter.)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons chili bean sauce
2 tablespoon chili oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup or 250ml chicken stock

For the garnish:
2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns

Method
Mix the pork with the next four ingredients: the dark soy sauce, the rice wine or dry sherry, the salt and black pepper.  Stir well, cover the bowl with cling film and set aside.  (This can be done earlier in the day, in which case, refrigerate until needed.) 


Put some water on to boil in a pot big enough for your egg noodles.  Add a little salt to the water. 

Peel and finely mince your garlic and ginger.  Finely chop your green onions.  Set aside. 



When the water comes to a boil, drop in the noodles and cook about 3-5 minutes, until they are done. 



Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with hot water.  Drain again.  


Put the noodles in a bowl and pour over the tablespoon sesame oil.  Toss to coat and cover.  This can also be done early in the day and refrigerated until needed.)


Mix the sesame paste or smooth peanut butter, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, chili bean sauce, chili oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl, and set aside until you are ready to cook the dish. 


Meanwhile, toast your Sichuan peppercorns in a small skillet for a few minutes, and then grind them up with a mortar and pestle. 



Okay, are you ready to cook and eat?  

Heat your wok or large skillet until screaming hot and then add the peanut oil.  

Yeah, I didn't measure too carefully.  Sorry. 

When it is really hot too, stirfry the garlic, ginger and green onions for a couple of minutes. 


Add in the seasoned pork and break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.  Cook until all the pink is gone.  




Now add in the bowl of seasonings you mixed together (with the peanut butter) along with the chicken stock.   



Let it bubble along for a few minutes, and then add in the noodles. 


Stir well so the noodles are well-coated with the liquid seasonings and cook until they are hot through again.  I find it most effective to use two spoons and toss the noodles as you would a salad. 


Pour the noodles into a serving dish and sprinkle with the ground Sichuan peppercorns (and a few random chopped green onions for color, if desired) and serve immediately.  



Enjoy!  



Have a look at all the wonderful movie-inspired recipes the #SundaySupper group have for you today!  Is your favorite foodie movie among them? 


NOW SHOWING: 

Toast (bready things)


No Reservations (soups and salads)


Today's Special (fish, chicken, beef, and pork)


Forks Over Knives (veggie-heavy dishes and sides)


Udon (pasta and noodles)


Just Desserts (sweet treats)


Bottle Shock (beverages)




 

Monday, April 8, 2013

Cookies and Cream Muffins #MuffinMonday



It’s Monday so we are baking muffins again!  As we do.  Or, I should say, as I do.  Anyone out there baking with me?  Here’s a muffin I don’t think you are going to be able to resist.

Our ingredient this week is the classic Oreo, which made its debut in 1912 so they are the same age as my beloved grandfather (if he weren’t dead) which means they turned 100 last year.  Did you hear of any celebrations?  I certainly don’t remember any!  What I do know is if you are going to buy and eat Oreos, you might as well go all the way, so I bought the Double Stuff.  It’s a little known fact but in the United States, they are known as Double Stuf, because apparently Nabisco thinks Americans can’t spell or don’t care about spelling.  Or something.  In the United Kingdom (and Dubai) they are labeled Double Stuff.  My editor OCD is much happier here.  Call them what you will, they make a fine cookies and cream muffin.  They also make a fine Chocolate Chocolate Chip Oreo Muffin.

Ingredients
12 Double Stuff Oreos
2 cups or 250g all-purpose flour

3/4 cup or 170g granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil
2 eggs

3/4 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease your muffin pan or line it with paper liners.

Chop the Oreos roughly with a large knife and separate them into two piles of about two-thirds and one-third.  Just eyeball it, no need to measure.  The bigger pile will go into the batter. The smaller one will be sprinkled for topping before baking.


In a large bowl, mix together your flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.


In a smaller bowl, whisk your eggs, whipping cream, oil and vanilla together.



Pour the liquids into the bowl of dry ingredients and fold them together until they are just mixed.  If there is still some flour showing, you've done it perfectly.



Fold in the bigger pile of Oreos bits.


Divide your batter between the cups in the prepared muffin pan.


Sprinkle the tops with the smaller pile of Oreos and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.



Enjoy!