Grand Marnier Orange Muffins #MuffinMonday

I am going to hazard a guess that most of my readers can walk into a grocery store or a liquor store and pick up a bottle of anything that suits their fancy, given the budget and an ID that says they are of age.  Here in Dubai, it’s not that simple.  When we arrived last November, my husband handed in his passport to the relevant authorities and waited almost three months for a resident’s visa.  Then the application process began to get a permit to buy alcohol.

I am not sure what the hold up was, but that was finally approved in June and handed over to him in August.  And it's only good for one year, expiring next June, of course.  He has a monthly spending limit and there are only a couple of businesses that are allowed to import and sell alcohol so you have to go to one of their outlets to shop.  And make sure you bring the permit card or alcohol license, as it is called here!

Up until this summer, we were stocking the bar with duty free purchases from when he traveled.  Now we are like real people who can go to the store and buy another bottle of wine when the urge hits.  Or when the weekend comes.  I’m sharing this little window into my world just to tell you that I used Grand Marnier in this recipe because, with a little skip and a jump, I can go into our bar now and find almost whatever I need for any recipe. Or go buy it.  Yay!

Since this week’s muffin ingredient is oranges, the orange liqueur intensified the flavor and made these muffins wonderful.  As they baked the whole house smelled like I was sitting in a citrus grove, basking in the warm sunshine.

Do you ever bake with liqueurs?  Please share your favorite additions by leaving a comment.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups or 220g all-purpose flour
1/2 cup or 115g sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup or 60ml Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
1/2 cup or 120ml freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup or 60ml sour cream
1 large egg
1/4 cup or 55g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Zest of 1 orange

Optional but recommended – sugar to sprinkle on before baking.  (I used several tablespoons full.  Don’t be shy. When it bakes, the sugar makes a nice crunchy crust.)

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

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, the sugar, baking powder and salt.  Grate in the orange zest and stir well.

In another bowl, whisk together the Grand Marnier, sour cream, egg, melted butter and orange juice.

Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together until just mixed.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Top each muffin cup with a generous sprinkle of sugar.

Bake in the preheated oven about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for a few minutes and then remove the muffins to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Honeycomb Crunch Candy

When the theme for this week’s Sunday Supper was announced as Crunchy Goodness, I was in the midst of trying to decide on a flavor for my upcoming BundtaMonth cake where the theme is candy.  I was browsing the candy aisle of one of my local grocery store chains, the British import, Waitrose and nothing jumped out at me.  If you’ve been reading along for a while, or if you know me personally, you know that I don’t have much of a sweet tooth.  There are a couple of exceptions to this rule and they include all things caramel, especially if there is salt involved.  And suddenly, the solution came to me!  I could combine these two challenges by making crunchy honeycomb candy and then using it in a honey Bundt cake.  Win-win, right?  And to celebrate my personal triumph of ideas, I headed over to Tavola and bought myself a new Bundt pan.  Hey, any excuse for a new Bundt pan!  (Come back on 4 October when the cake will be unveiled!)

I researched my cookbooks using Eat Your Books and trawled through deep internet waters, looking for the perfect honeycomb recipe.   I finally settled on this one from Joy the Baker
but since it didn’t have honey, I substituted that for the corn syrup and changed the apple cider vinegar to white balsamic.  I decided to double the recipe – unnecessarily, as it turned out – to make sure we’d have enough to munch on and still have plenty for the cake.  One batch would have been sufficient.  But, working on the theory that one can never have too much honeycomb crunch candy, I have no regrets.  Store anything that is not consumed immediately in the freezer or refrigerator, well-sealed, with the layers of candy separated by parchment paper or waxed paper.  Unless you live somewhere cold and dry, it gets sticky very quickly at room temperature.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon baking soda or bicarbonate of soda
2 2/3 cups or 600g sugar
1 cup or 240ml runny honey
3/4 cup or 180ml water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
Butter for preparing the pan

Necessary equipment – candy thermometer and large, deep pot with heavy bottom, aluminum foil

Method
Sift your baking soda into a small bowl and set aside close to the stove.

Prepare a large baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil and buttering the foil liberally.  Set aside near the baking soda bowl.  If you can’t put a hot pot on your counter top, add a trivet or hot pad nearby (for the candy pot) and another underneath the baking pan.

Mix your sugar, honey, water, cream of tartar and balsamic vinegar in your deep, thick-bottomed pot.  Set it on the stove over a medium flame and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved.

Put the candy thermometer in and make sure the tip is in the liquid.  Gently swirl the pot every so often as it heats.  At one point, mine bubbled up a bit so I stirred with the whisk to settle it down.

You are looking for the thermometer to hit 300°F or 149°C.   When it reaches the correct temperature, remove the pot from the stove and set it on the counter or on the trivet or hot pad you have ready.

Remove the thermometer and pour in the baking soda and whisk quickly.  This will expand like crazy and suddenly the need for a deep pot becomes violently apparent.

 

Carefully pour the molten bubbles into your buttered, foil-lined baking pan and leave it to cool and harden.

After mine had cooled somewhat, I transferred it to the deep freezer to speed up the process but that’s just because I am impatient.

When it’s completely cooled and hardened, lift the foil out of the pan and turn the slab of candy over onto a cutting board.  Peel back the foil and gently break the honeycomb crunch with a small hammer you have borrowed from your daughter’s toolbox.  Just kidding.  Any hammer will do.

As previously mentioned, this turns soft and sticky when exposed to air so line a plastic container with parchment or waxed paper and store the candy in the refrigerator or freezer.  Many recipes also suggested that dipping the candy in melted chocolate would keep the moisture out as well.   If you try that, let me know how it goes.

Save the little crunchy shards too!  They will be great to sprinkle on a honey cake! 

Enjoy!

Do you love crunchy things?  Then this week’s Sunday Supper round up, hosted by Susan of The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen, will be your favorite week.   I know it’s one of mine.

Crispy Appetizers

• Bitterballen from The Urban Mrs.
• Caprese Wontons from Jane’s Adventure in Dinner
• Crispy Broccoli Cheddar Bites from Curious Cuisiniere
• Waldorf Salad from Noshing With The Nolands

Crunchy Entrees and Sides

• Crunchy Baked Chicken with Homemade Shake and Bake from Growing Up Gabel
• Crunchy Crusted Chicken Strips with Chipotle Honey Mustard from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventure
• Flautas de Rajas con Requeson (Cheesy Poblano Pepper Taquitos) from La Cocina de Leslie
• Penny’s Taco Salad from Webicurean
• Popcorn Chowder from The ROXX Box
• Rosemary Garlic Croutons on Layered Savoy Cabbage Soup from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Strawberry and Mozzarella Flatbread from Family Foodie

Munch on Snacks

• Crunchy & Chewy Chocolate Hazelnut Granola from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Crunchy Granola Bars (Better than Nature Valley) from Shockingly Delicious
• Crunchy Pumpkin Pie Spice Roasted Chickpeas from Daily Dish Recipes
• Duck Fat Chex Mix from The Texan New Yorker
• Easy Vegan Granola from Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Fried Veg Momos with Cheese Recipe from Masala Herb
• How to Make Healthy Homemade Sweet and Salty Trail Mix from Neighborfood
• Orange Spiced Cashews from Hip Foodie Mom
• Peanut and Pretzel Popcorn Balls from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Hezzi-D’s Cooks and Books
• Slow Cooker Bar-B-Q Party Mix from Hot Mamma’s Kitchen Chaos
• Sourdough Grissini from girlichef
• Spicy Lentil Crackers from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Sweet and Spicy Roasted Pepitas from Alida’s Kitchen
• Sweet Potato Chips from Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Unbaked Healthy Oatmeal Sesame Bars from My Trials In The Kitchen
• Vanilla Almonds from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Crisp Desserts

• Boo Berry Cereal Treats from Pies and Plots
• Choco-Caramel Squares from Basic N Delicious
• Chocolate Covered Potato Chip Rice Krispie Treatsfrom The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Chocolate Pecan Biscotti from The Food Army Wife
• Cookie Brittle from Juanita’s Cocina
• Double Banana Pie Krispie Treats from What Smells So Good?
• Honeycomb Crunch Candy from Food Lust People Love
• Momofuku Chocolate Chip Cornflakes Cookies from Ninja Baking
• Nutty Wedges with Brown Sugar Whipped Cream from Magnolia Days
• Salted Caramel Cashew Cookies from Mess Makes Food

Apple Brown Betty Bread Pudding

If you’ve been reading along for a while, you might recall when I belonged to a group called Cooked in Translation.  The idea was to take a recipe and give it a twist into another culture.  I enjoyed the monthly challenge and was disappointed when the group fell apart.  This recipe is one I made for Cooked in Translation but never posted, a fusion of the American classic apple brown Betty and the English classic bread pudding.  As it’s apple season in the northern hemisphere, I thought this might be a good time to share it.  This is a comfort dessert, if there ever was one.  On both sides of the big pond.

Ingredients
1 cup or 200g dark brown sugar
1/2 cup or 115g sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup or 240ml heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup or 120ml milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
7 slices or about 9-10 oz or 255-280g strong white or wheat bread
3 whole apples, preferably Granny Smith or similar
1/4 cup or about 55g butter plus extra for greasing the baking dish

Recommended for serving:  more heavy whipping cream

Method
Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and prepare your baking dish by buttering it liberally and completely.   Don’t be shy with the butter here.

Mix the sugars together thoroughly with the salt.

Whisk your eggs with the whipping cream, milk and vanilla.

Slice bread into a small dice, or tear into very small pieces.

Peel, core and thinly slice your three apples.

Sprinkle a little less than one-third of the brown sugar in the buttered baking dish.

Then add about one-third of the apple slices then one-third of the bread cubes.

Repeat these layers twice more, finishing the last time with small chunks of butter rather than bread and the balance of the sugar mixture.

So it goes: Sugar, apples, bread - sugar, apples, bread - sugar, apples, sugar, butter.  Got it?  Easy peasy.

Pour on the whisked egg mixture and top with a bit of cling film.  Press down gently on the whole thing and leave to sit for a few minutes so that the bread absorbs the liquid.

Remove the cling film and cover the baking pan with foil.  Bake in a 375-degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Remove the foil in last five to 10 minutes of baking to brown the top.  This is most delicious served warm.

Bread pudding is one of my husband’s all-time favorite desserts and he insists that it is incomplete without a generous pour of whipping cream on top.  This now applies to Apple Brown Betty Bread Pudding.  Pour it on!

See the sticky syrup that was created?  YUM. 

Enjoy!