Fish Steamed with Spicy Couscous

For this fish steamed with spice couscous, the fish fillets are steamed on top of the couscous so all the lovely cooking juices are soaked up, making the already spicy, herby couscous even tastier.

 

This is one of my favorite dishes to make when entertaining guests. See easy instructions to adapt for a dinner party at the end of the recipe.*

Parlez-vous français? Yeah, I really didn't either.
To say that three years of high school French prepared me poorly for living in Paris would be an understatement. As much as Madame Reat taught me about La Belle France, including our occasional field trips to a nearby French café where we were supposed to order in French to justify the educational status of said excursion, I learned more useful things by reading signs and labels in grocery stores and recipes on my own. 

I now know weird but handy phrases like laissez gonfler - leave to swell -  and saupoudrer de chapelure – sprinkle with breadcrumbs - and napper en sauce – coat with sauce - that hardly ever come up in normal conversation. 

Not a culinary word, but one I am very proud of learning is autocollant. It means self-adhesive. Not useful you say? Try ordering stamps and imagine miming, "the ones I don't need to lick," at the post office. 

Probably more importantly, I learned that Ah, bon, despite containing the word for good, can be used to acknowledge good or bad things, a confirmation akin to “I hear you”  - or a question, depending on inflection: “Really?”

Répétez après moi: Le couscous est simple à préparer.

I am always on the lookout for new and different starches to add variety to our plates, outside the usual triumvirate rice/potatoes/pasta so I was delighted to come across couscous for the first time in France. It’s a staple there, I am guessing thanks to the North African influence from the former French colonies. 

It has since become essential in my cupboard as well and the instructions on that first box of couscous, graine moyenne or medium coarse, is the source for my pet phrase laissez gonfler, which I have managed to work into more conversations that you would imagine. 

This spicy dish is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe from a series called Oliver’s Twist. I’ve been making it regularly since 2003 when the episode Flash in the Pan first aired. It’s perfect for this week’s Sunday Supper theme of Lighten Up for the New Year, with lots of flavor from the spices and cilantro and very healthy steamed fish on top. Make sure to scroll down to see all the other lovely lightened up recipes the group has made for you today!

Ingredients
For the spice mix:
1 1/2 teaspoons flakey sea salt (I use Maldon.)
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 (2-inch or 2.5cm) piece cinnamon stick

For the dish:
2 cups or 370g wheat couscous – medium grain
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
2 red chilies (Remove the seeds for less heat.)
1 large bunch cilantro or fresh coriander, leaves picked, stalks finely sliced
Four portion size filets of a relatively thin white fish like sole or flounder. Cod will do if it is not too thick.
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning fish
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Couple of handfuls cherry tomatoes (more or less to your taste)
1 large lemon, cut in half at the equator
Optional: another lemon cut in wedges for serving.

Method
Put the couscous in a bowl with enough hot - but not quite boiling - water to cover it. Seal the top of the bowl with cling film and then drape a towel over the top and set aside for at least 10 minutes. Laissez gonfler!

 The couscous will soften and double in size. When it's done, fluff it with a fork and keep covered till needed.

Make your spice mix by pounding the salt, fennel and cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cinnamon together in your mortar.  (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can use already ground spices.)

Mince your onion and one chili pepper. Slice the garlic and the other chili.

Cut the very tough bottom parts of your cilantro stems off and discard. Finely chop the rest of the stems up to the leafy part and then roughly chop the leaves. Some leaves are going to get in your stems and, of course, your leaf pile will have the most tender stems, and that’s okay.

Mostly leaves in front. Most stems in back.

Lay your fish out on a plate and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a large saucepan on a low heat, and sauté the onion, garlic, cilantro stems and chopped chili in a good drizzle of olive oil.

Add the spice mix to the pan with another drizzle of olive oil.

Cook for a few minutes and then add the butter. Let it melt then add the couscous.

Mix thoroughly with the spices and sautéed seasonings. Stir in most of the cilantro leaves, reserving some for garnish when serving.

 Turn the stove down to a very low heat, and lay the fish fillets on top of the couscous. Drizzle with olive oil and tuck the lemon halves, cut side up, and the whole cherry tomatoes in the couscous.

Cover with some foil or a tight fitting lid, and cook for 15 minutes or until the fish is white through and flaky. You may need to add just a little bit of water so that the couscous doesn’t burn on the bottom, so do check it about halfway through. A very heavy pan or a diffuser will help with this problem.

Adding a few tablespoons of water about halfway through.

To serve, sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and sliced chili, squeeze the cooked lemon halves over everything and drizzle on some more olive oil. Divide the couscous between four plates and top each with a steamed fish fillet. Serve with additional wedges of lemon, if desired.

*Dinner party instructions
If you are having a dinner party for eight or 12, double or treble the ingredients and prepare as instructed up to the point where the couscous is ready. Allow it to cool then transfer to a greased baking pan (Make sure it is one that can go straight from refrigerator to oven) before adding the fish, the halved lemons cut side up, cherry tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil. If you want to get fancy, throw in some raw shrimp or prawns as well. Cover with foil and refrigerate if it’s going to be more that a half an hour till it’s cooked or if your kitchen is warm. Once the guests have arrived, bake your fish on couscous- still covered in the foil - in an oven preheated to 350°F or 180°C, allowing extra time for cooking the fish if the dish is chilled. Follow the same serving instructions above.

Enjoy!

If your New Year’s resolutions include eating more sensibly, I’ve got a great list of “lightened up” recipes for you this week. Many thanks to our great host T.R. from Gluten Free Crumbley!

Bright Beverages

• Almond Mocha Smoothie from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Chocolate-Covered Berries Green Smoothie from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Citrus DeTox Spa Water from La Bella Vita Cucina
• Peachilious Smoothie from Peanut Butter and Peppers

Blissful Breakfast Items

• Apple Crumble Smoothie Bowl from Try Anything Once Culinary
• Light Eggs Benedict from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
• Multigrain Scones from The Texan New Yorker
• Norwegian Egg Benedict from Brunch with Joy
• Nutty Granola Bars from Pies and Plots
• Reduced Sugar Donuts from The Ninja Baker

Appetizing Starters

• Broccoli Pesto from Curried Cantaloupe
• Fava Bean and Avocado Guacamole from Pancake Warriors
• Homemade Snickerdoodle Peanut Butter from Wallflour Girl
• Roasted Pumpkin and Chevre Bruschetta from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Spicy Curried Lentil Spread with Winter Veggies from Lifestyle Food Artistry

Savory Soups and Sides

• Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Detox Chicken Bok Choy Soup from Nosh My Way
• French Potato Leek Soup from Curious Cuisiniere
• Light Creamed Roasted Vegetable Soup from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Marinated Tomato and Mozzarella Salad from From Gate to Plate
• Quinoa Mango Pomegranate Spinach Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette from Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
• Red Cabbage and Golden Raisin Salad from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
• Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Endive Slaw with Champagne Vinaigrette from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Spinach and Black Bean Ravioletti Soup from Big Bear's Wife

Marvelous Mains

• Black Pepper Tofu with Black Garlic Sauce from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Fish Steamed with Spicy Couscous from Food Lust People Love
• Greek Style Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce from Nik Snacks
• Kale Pesto with Squash Noodles from Ruffles & Truffles
• Mexican Turkey Cutlets from Magnolia Days
• Meyer Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs, Fennel & Sweet Potato from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Portuguese Kale Soup from Recipes, Food and Cooking
• Salmon with Mushroom Sauce from Cooking Chat
• Skinny Chicken-Leek Pot Pie from The Weekend Gourmet
• Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Quinoa from Bobbi's Kosy Kitchen
• Slow Cooker Italian Barley & Sausage from Foxes Loves Lemons
• Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwiches from Food Done Light
• Tomato Goat Cheese Arugula Flatbread from Family Foodie

Delightful Desserts

• Easy Blackberry Crumble from Recipe for Perfection
• Easy to be Green Chocolate Chip Cookies from What Smells So Good?
• Fruit Parfait from Desserts Required
• Maple Pear Scones from Killer Bunnies, Inc

Top Five Recipes to Date and Thank You - 2014

Each year around this time, I take a little time to go through my blog statistics and see which recipes have been most popular over the last year. From year one to year two, many of the favorites remained the same. Finally, this year, we have a few new contenders but it looks like nothing is going to unseat the muffin in the top spot!

No. 5 - Homemade Cheese and Spinach Ravioli

This recipe is a personal favorite because making homemade ravioli is a fun family activity as well as a delicious meal. If you are over visiting, we’ll put you to work as well. Best part is, you also get to share the meal.

No. 4 - Vegetable Noodle Stir-Fry

I make this vegetable-full stir-fry often when I need a quick meal that’s not too heavy. I was surprised when it made it into the top five last year because it’s one of my older posts and the photos are pretty sad. It gives me hope though that the recipes matter more to you all than my pictures and I am pleased to think that at least I have improved since then.

No. 3 - Spicy Keema Naan

I love belonging to different blogger groups that challenge me to step outside my comfort zone and use ingredients or make recipes that are unusual. This keema naan was my last for a group called Twelve Loaves, which motivated me to start Bread Bakers with my friend Renee from Magnolia Days. If you are a bread baking blogger and would like to join us, check out the link to find out more.


No. 2 - D.I.Y. Veggie Cup Noodles

This do-it-yourself veggie noodle cup is a great recipe I adapted from River Cottage Veg (<affiliate link) for another of my favorite groups, Sunday Supper, which is dedicated to encouraging folks to gather once more for meals around the family table. It pleases me immensely that a relatively recent Sunday Supper recipe made it so far up the popularity list for the year.

No. 1 - Cheesy Spinach Muffins

And here again, for the third year running, are my cheesy spinach muffins in first place, so far ahead of the runner up that I really cannot imagine any post catching up. I love a savory muffin, especially when it involves cheese but I suspect the popularity of these can be attributed to the tomato slices perched so jauntily on top of the muffins before baking. They make something simple and delicious look fancy.

If you’d like to see 2012's top five list, click here. And here for the 2013 list.

Many, many thanks! 
It is my great honor that you take the time to visit me here and interact with me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Nothing gives me greater joy than to read your kind comments, especially those of you who let me know when you’ve made and enjoyed a recipe I’ve posted. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for stopping by and reading. I wish you all a marvelous new year filled with love and good food.

Fondly yours,

Stacy

Dried Plum Honey Muffins #MuffinMonday

These delicious muffins are sweetened with chopped dried plums - formerly known as prunes - cooked briefly with honey and a little Cognac, which softens them slightly and plumps them up but still leaves them nice and chewy. Great for breakfast or with a cup of tea at snack time.

Dried plums are just prunes with a better public relations campaign. Back in 2000, the California Prune Board received permission from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change the name, citing research that the fruit would sell better if it lost the negative moniker prune, more commonly associated with things old and wizen and past their best. 

That organization has since become the California Dried Plum Board and sales have indeed improved dramatically, a result I figure is akin to the Hollywood studios renaming future stars Marilyn Monroe, Rock Hudson and John Wayne, back in the day.

Salt prunes

As a child, I knew two types of prunes: Salt prunes, which are completely desiccated, salty, sweet and sour, which I adored, and the stewed kind. It was hard for me to fathom that these were even remotely related. Swollen and mushy, dark and forbidding, I avoided the black ones with all the ingenuity a repulsed child can muster. Which is to say, a lot. 

As I got older and more adventurous, I learned that soft dried prunes could be eaten as is, like very large raisins and, although they were still dark and a little scary looking, they were actually sweet, chewy and rather tasty. It was a happy turning point. Turns out soft dried plums are pretty healthy too. If you hated prunes as a child, it might be time to give soft dried plums a chance.

Perhaps someday the lowly prune or I should say, the soft dried plum, will become, like Norma Jeane Mortenson, Roy Scherer and Marion Morrison, as popular as it deserves to be, even as we all giggle at the original name. Here’s my effort to forward that goal.

Ingredients
Generous half cup, chopped roughly, or 110g soft dried plums
1/3 cup or 80ml honey
2 tablespoons Cognac or Armagnac
2 cups or 250g flour
1/4 cup or 50g sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup or 120ml buttermilk
1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil

Method
Put your roughly chopped dried plums in a small pot with the honey and the Cognac.

That golden color is from my UAE honey. Well, and the Cognac.

Bring to the boil and then take the pot off the stove and allow to cool.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by greasing it liberally or lining it with paper muffin cups.

In one big mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another smaller bowl, whisk the egg with the buttermilk and oil.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. There should still be lots of dry flour showing.

Take out a couple of spoonfuls of the dried plums with syrup to add to the top of the muffins before baking.

 Then fold the rest into the batter.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups.

Top each with a piece or two of the honeyed dried plums with a little syrup.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Remove from the muffin pan and finish cooling on a rack.

Enjoy!

La Marquita Cocktail #NorthAmericanWhiskeyGuide #Giveaway

Twin ruby liquids, fresh cranberry juice and sweet rhubarb syrup combine with Tennessee whiskey to make a delicious cocktail that is perfect for the holidays or, indeed, any time of the year. 

I could tell embarrassing stories on myself of underage bourbon drinking back in the Dark Ages that may or may not have involved Big Gulp Coca-Colas from 7-11 but suffice to say that bourbon was my drink of choice for many years. I have since expanded my repertoire considerably, but our bar at home still always has Jack Daniel's as it’s my husband’s favorite cocktail time beverage: no Coke, just ice and water. And the quantities are more sensible. We don’t often use it for mixed cocktails though so I was delighted to see a bourbon drink in the list of recipes I could publish from the recently released, North American Whiskey Guide from Behind the Bar.

Clearly we have not branched out enough in our exploration of whiskeys! According to authors, Chad Berkey and Jeremy LeBlanc, there are more than 900 whiskeys from which to choose. And that’s just those made in North American – that is to say, the United States and Canada. I discovered that Jack Daniel’s is not just bourbon, but a subcategory of same called Tennessee whiskey because of the unique process of filtering the bourbon through sugar maple charcoal before it is put in barrels to age. No wonder it has a sweetish quality – which is what makes it so drinkable and so popular.

If you are looking for a gift for the whiskey lover in your life, look no farther. This book is the ONE. Full of recommendations from top bartenders who have blind taste-tested more whiskey than I even knew existed, to give you a short list of 250 well worth drinking. Just the reviews make me want to buy a bottle or three. For instance, the Cabin Still Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is described by one of the bartenders thus: “Candy corn and kettle corn. It's like Halloween and the Town Fair had a whiskey baby.” Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Or the Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey: “The nose on this is beautiful. Vanilla, spice (cloves, I think) and maybe a hint of orange blossom. There's some burn to it but you'll still get the vanilla and spice. This is a good one.” I’ve never tried rye whiskey but now I’d really like to, especially the Sazerac. Make sure to scroll on down to the bottom and enter the giveaway for your copy of this great book, courtesy of Page Street Publishing.

The North American Whiskey Guide also gives you loads of information on origin, age, proof and price so you can make an informed decision before buying or ordering but my favorite part of the book (aside from 30 cocktail recipes, of course!) is the North American Whiskey Drinkers’ Bucket List detailing 20 whiskeys that every serious whiskey drinker should try, many of them quite rare and hard to find. Challenge accepted! I’m printing off the list, as suggested, to take along on my travels.

On to the promised bourbon cocktail
The description of the Marquita says that the pomegranate arils will take on a smoky flavor after sitting a while in the cocktail. I had my doubts but they really did! The beautiful rose-colored drink itself is delicious and those smoky sweet arils at the end were a treat. The step-by-step for the rhubarb syrup can be found here,  except make sure to add in the appropriate amounts of sugar, rhubarb and spices as outlined in the ingredients list below.

Recipe printed with permission of Page Street Publishing

Ingredients 

For the cocktail:
Ice
1 1/2 oz or 45ml whiskey - We like to use Gentlemen Jack for this recipe. (I didn't have any so I used the normal Jack Daniel's.)
1/2 oz or 15ml red cranberry juice
1 teaspoon homemade rhubarb syrup*
2 teaspoons pomegranate seeds

*For the syrup:
2–3 small stalks rhubarb, chopped
1 cup or 190g cane sugar
2 cups or 470 ml water
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 vanilla bean pod

Syrup Instructions
Combine ingredients in a small pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes, then let cool completely. Strain ingredients. Syrup will keep well covered in fridge for 2 weeks.

Cocktail Instructions
In a shaker, combine a scoop of ice and whiskey.

Pour in the juice and syrup.

Shake vigorously for a count of 15 seconds, strain and pour into a cocktail glass.

In your glass, add seeds and stir for about 10 revolutions. Cheers and enjoy! Merry Christmas everyone!

A good vigorous stir! 

Win your own copy! 
The rules: If you’d like to win a copy of The North American Whiskey Guide from Behind the Bar, please leave a blog comment telling me what your favorite whiskey for sipping or for cocktails is, then click on the Rafflecopter widget for other opportunities to enter. Not leaving a comment will disqualify your other entries. Please be aware that the publisher will only ship to US and Canadian addresses. The winner will be randomly picked by Rafflecopter and will be notified by email and have 48 hours to respond. After 48 hours, another winner will be randomly chosen. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of The North American Whiskey Guide from Behind the Bar to review but no other compensation was offered or accepted. Links to the book are Amazon affiliate links.

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Fresh Cranberry Muffins #MuffinMonday

A delicious muffin made with fresh cranberries in a vanilla batter which lets the cranberry flavor shine through. These babies would be perfect for Christmas morning or for bringing along to a Christmas brunch. 

T'is the season for fresh cranberries in the United States, and from the looks of the refrigerated supermarket shelves here in Dubai, the trend has spread. Last year I had a comment on muffins I had made with dried cranberries, asking if they could be made with fresh as well. So this recipe is for my friend, Marilyn, who lives in cranberry country, that is to say, the US northeast. I have been a regular reader of her blog, Communicating Across Boundaries,  since I connected with her through a post about Egypt, where I was living at the time and she had lived for many years. I knew I’d met a kindred expat spirit as I read about her struggles to fit in and at the same time maintain traditions while living overseas and raising children. And with the challenges of moving back to the US after a life abroad. Every word she publishes enlightens me and makes me think. If you are a third culture kid or are raising some, I am sure you will love her too.

Along with fresh cranberry muffins, may each of you enjoy the wonderful Christmas I wish also for Marilyn and her family!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups or 170g fresh cranberries
1 cup or 200g sugar, plus two tablespoons
2 cups or 250g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup or 120ml milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup or 60g butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by greasing it or by lining it with paper muffins cups.

Chop the cranberries roughly and put them in a bowl. Separate 12 little pieces of cranberry to top the muffins with before baking, if desired. Sprinkle the rest with the 2 tablespoons extra sugar and toss to combine.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the rest of the sugar and the flour, along with the baking powder and salt.

In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla.

Add your sugared cranberries in the dry ingredient bowl and toss them lightly with a spoon to coat them.

Fold your wet ingredients into your dry ones until just combined. You may still see a little flour showing and that’s okay.

Divide the batter between the muffins cups. Top with reserved pieces of cranberry, if you kept some back.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Holiday Mint M&M Chocolate Fudge

This quick and easy Holiday Mint M&M Fudge recipe has two layers of both chocolate fudginess and holiday mint M&Ms. Change it up to add the chips or M&Ms of your choice. It's easy to make but hard to give away. You'll want to eat it all yourself.

So, Christmas Week comes to a close with this fifth and final day. Now the actual holiday baking of pecan pies and roast turkeys begins! I told a friend jokingly today that our Christmas dinner was already cooked. All organized! And she took me seriously. Truth is, I don’t have one thing done. Oh, sure! I’ve been making candy and baking cakes and muffins but those are just welcome extras. At our house, there’s got to be turkey and stuffing. Or baked Christmas ham with pineapple, brown-sugar-mustard glaze and those weird cherries that look so cool but that no one eats. Does anybody anywhere eat those?!

The first year I started this blog, I wrote about my grandmother who always made a variety of fudges for presents at Christmas time. It was kind of a competition between her and her sisters to see who made the best.  The two I remember best were a snow white divinity fudge and a chocolate pecan fudge, both of which I’ve tried to replicate.

I think my grandmother would have been thrilled at the ease of the fudge I've made for you today. No thermometers or tricks. Just boil, simmer, mix and pour.

Make sure you scroll on down to see all the Day 5 treats my fellow Christmas Week bloggers have made for you.

Ingredients
3 cups or 600g granulated sugar
2/3 cup or 150ml evaporated milk
3/4 cup or 170g butter
7 oz or 200g marshmallow creme
12 oz or 340g semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup or 9.9oz or 280g Holiday Mint M&Ms, divided in half

Method
Line a 9x13 in or 23x33cm pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray, below to help it stay in place and on top to help the fudge turn loose later.

In a large pot, combine your sugar, evaporated milk and butter over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often.

Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. It’s still going to bubble gently the whole time since that is the nature of sugary candy.

Remove the pot from the heat; add the marshmallow creme and chocolate chips, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Then stir in the vanilla and salt.

Pour half of the mixture into your prepared pan and spread it around.

Scatter half of the M&Ms over the fudge.

Spread the remaining fudge over the top. Shake the pan to help the fudge spread out in the pan.

Sprinkle the remaining M&Ms into the fudge. Shake the pan gently again. The hot fudge will continue to spread. Tap the M&Ms gently to make sure they are stuck into the fudge.

Allow the fudge to cool until firm. Cut into squares.

Store in an airtight container. This stuff makes excellent gifts if you can bear to give it away.

Still looking for Christmas inspiration? We’ve got you covered!

• Biscoff Chocolate Chip Cookies by Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• Boozy Cherries by Cooking In Stilettos
• Caramel Corn Chocolate Chip Cookies by Mind Over Batter
• Chocolate Dipped Madelines by My Catholic Kitchen
• Chocolate Mint Fudge by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Gingerbread Fudge by Cravings of a Lunatic 
• Holiday Mint M&M Chocolate Fudge by Food Lust People Love
• My Mother's Lefse by Farm Fresh Feasts

Pin this Holiday Mint M&M Fudge!

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Dark Chocolate Mint Truffle Mini Bundts #BundtBakers

Homemade dark chocolate mint truffles make these darling little Bundts special. Start at least one day ahead to make sure the truffles have time to set and freeze before baking your little cakes. 

Technically this is not part of the official Christmas Week posts but, seriously, what is more Christmassy than mint? I'm thinking candy canes, After Eights, York Peppermint Patties and all manner of candy bark with crushed mints. I submit to you, nothing is! That is why I was delighted when this month’s Bundt Baker host, Laura from The Spiced Life chose mint as our theme. And since my younger daughter is now home for the holidays, I went with one of her favorites, mint and chocolate. From the time she was tiny, her favorite candy has been those York peppermint patties. It’s a classic combination.

Make sure you scroll on down to the bottom of my recipe to see the mint delights that all the other Bundt Bakers have created for you today.

Ingredients
For the truffles:
1/3 cup + 5 teaspoons or 100ml whipping cream
7 oz or 200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces (I used one bar of plain dark and one bar of dark with mint to add more minty goodness.)
1 1/2 teaspoons mint extract
Cocoa and/or powdered sugar, for rolling

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups or 190g plain flour
1 cup or 200g sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup or 27g best-quality cocoa powder
3/4 cup or 170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup or 150ml sour cream

For the mint glaze:
1 cup or 125g confectioner’s or icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
1-2 tablespoons milk

Method
First we need to make the truffles. They are super easy but the chocolate/cream mixture needs time to set before rolling into balls. And then you want to freeze them before adding them to the batter to bake. So, as mentioned in the headnote, start a day early.

The Truffles
Bring the cream just to the boil in a pan or in a microwaveable bowl in the microwave oven. Remove from the stove or microwave and stir in the mint extract and chocolate.

You could eat this with a spoon. Try not to. 

Stir until melted. Cool, then chill in the refrigerator until the mixture is solid, about 2-3 hrs.

Scoop out teaspoons of the mixture and roll into tiny balls with your hands, then roll the balls in cocoa or powdered sugar.

You want at least 24 balls (two per mini Bundt) but will probably get many more since they have to be small to fit in and on the little Bundts. Not to worry. They are delicious and any extras will get eaten. Freeze the truffles till you are ready to bake.

I did half cocoa and half powdered sugar. And yes, there are three big ones. I got tired of rolling when I had enough little ones. 

Okay, so it’s the next day now, right? And your tiny truffles are frozen. On to the cake!

This recipe is from Nigella’s Feast and could not be easier. She chucks everything straight in the food processor but I like to sift my dry ingredients (except the sugar) since sometimes they have lumps. Feel free to follow her method. Original recipe can be found online here.

The Cake Batter
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Grease and flour your mini Bundt pan or use that baking spray that has flour in it.

Measure your flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix well.

Put the rest of the cake ingredients - sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream - into a food processor. Sift the dry ingredients into the processor.

Process until you have a smooth, thick batter.

You could also eat this with a spoon. Try not to.

Put one scoop of batter into each cup. Press one mint truffle into the batter then top with the remaining batter. I put the powdered sugar ones in the cakes and saved the cocoa ones for on top.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes or until the tops are springy to the touch. Clearly the toothpick-in-the-middle test won’t work here.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes then turn the Bundts out to cool on a wire rack. I trimmed the overhanging edges off of my mini Bundts to neaten them up but you can leave yours on if you want.

While the Bundts cool, mix up your glaze.

The Glaze
Put the powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl with the mint extract and one tablespoon of milk. Stir well.

Keep adding milk a 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you get the pouring consistency you desire. I like a thick glaze but some people prefer thinner so you have to be the judge.

When the little Bundts are cooled completely, pour or drizzle on the glaze. I like to use a piping bag because it’s less messy than actual drizzling and I have more control.

Top each mini Bundt with a little chocolate mint truffle.

Enjoy!

The truffle inside makes a nice minty,chocolate rich bite near the top of the mini Bundt.

Your Bundts with mint! We've got 'em!

• Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze and Mint Frosting from La cocina de Aisha
• Candy Cane Bundt Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Candy Cane Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache Drizzle from The Freshman Cook
• Candy Cane Chocolate Bundt Cake from Cassie's Kitchen
• Candy Cane Cup Bundt Cake from From Gate to Plate
• Candy Cane Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake from Patty's Cake
• Chocolate Bundt Cake with Peppermint Dark Chocolate Ganache from Brooklyn Homemaker
• Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake from Making Miracles
• Creme de Menthe Bundt Cake from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Dark Chocolate Mint Truffle Mini Bundts from Food Lust People Love
• Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake from Adventures In All Things Food
• Double Chocolate and Mint Cheesecake Bundt Cake from Un Mordisco Un Pecado
• Double Mint Mountain Bundt Cake from Baking in Pyjamas
• Fudgy Peppermint Bundt from A Day in the LIfe on the Farm
• Gluten Free Chocolate Mint Bundt Cake from Box of Stolen Socks
• Mini Minty Bundt Cakes from Brunch with Joy
• Mint Tea Mini Bundts from Passion Kneaded
• Orange and Mint Bundt Bread from A Kingdom For a Cake
• Peppermint Candy Bundt from Tea and Scones
• Peppermint Candy Cane Bundt Cake from I love Bundt Cakes
• Peppermint Cappuccino Cake from Magnolia Days
• Peppermint Mocha Pound Cake Bundt from DessertStalking Blog
• Peppermint Patty Bundt Cake from Eat, Drink, and Be Mighty
• Peppermint Whipped Cream Pound Cake with Shaved Mint Chocolate from The Spiced Life

What is Bundt Bakers? It's a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Bundt Bakers Pinterest board for incredible Bundt cake recipes and inspiration.  You can find information and links to the recipes for each month in our  #BundtBakers page.

How is the monthly theme determined? We take turns hosting each month and the host gets to choose the theme/ingredient.

Would you like to join in the fun? If you are a food blogger, send an email with your blog name and url to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

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