Borrego Blueberry Muffins

I know, I know. More baking? I can't help myself.

Dan and I had strategically scheduled vacation this week, and silly me had visions of us playing on the beach every day with James...building sand castles and soaking up the sun. But after weeks and weeks of gloomy, cloudy, gray skies (Monday it was actually raining on my head on our morning walk), it was time for a getaway. My brilliant husband had the idea of heading east - to the westernmost extent of my beloved Sonoran desert. I jumped online and minutes later we had a condo booked for two nights in beautiful Borrego Springs. Interesting fact about this place: Borrego Springs holds the unique distinction of being the only California community completely surrounded by a state park (Anza-Borrego, the largest desert state park in the nation).

I had never been before, but Dan grew up going to Borrego and knew I would love it. And I did. It was breathtakingly beautiful. We had three lovely days of welcomed heat and gorgeous views of the expansive desert mountains surrounding the area. James loved going in the pool for the first time, and seeing frogs, dragonflies, rabbits, and lizards.

And I made these muffins. These glorious muffins were - dare I say it - THE BEST MUFFINS I HAVE EVER MADE. Yep. I combined the dry ingredients ahead of time and mixed in the melted butter, egg, buttermilk and fresh blueberries right before popping them in the oven on our first morning. Now, naturally, I thought they would be good. Blueberry muffins usually are. But wow. The buttermilk made for an incredibly perfect interior and a slightly tangy flavor that really worked with the blueberries. I added some coarse sugar on top for a beautiful texture contrast and the whole shebang was a huge success. Thank you Nigella Lawson (again). It really is the little things like this that make for warm and fuzzy feelings when you're away from home.

6 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 large egg
1 cup fresh blueberries
coarse sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin pan with paper cups. Melt the butter and set aside.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the buttermilk with the egg and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix to combine. Don't worry about lumps. They make for better muffins. Don't overmix!

Fold in blueberries and keep the mixing to a minumum.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes and let cool on a cooling rack.

Makes 12 small muffins.


Adapted from Nigella Lawson, How to Be a Domestic Goddess.

Orange Breakfast Muffins

These very simple breakfast muffins are as easy as languidly stirring the ingredients together. No mixer or beater required. Be careful not to overwork the batter though, as lumpy is what you're after. Made with just a little sugar, these delicious babies won't make you feel guilty the rest of the day for indulging first thing in the morning.  And because they're not very sweet, I advise you to go for it and enjoy them with a little jam. I had mine with strawberry and am inspired to take on homemade preserves with all the strawberries that are ripening so quickly around here. Stay tuned!

                    6 tablespoons unsalted butter
                    1 2/3 whole wheat pastry flour
                    2 tablespoons ground almonds
                    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
                    1 teaspoon baking powder
                    1/4 cup mascobado sugar
                    zest of 1 orange
                    1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
                    1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
                    1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups.

Melt the butter and set aside. Combine the flour, ground almonds, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and orange zest in a large bowl. Measure the orange juice and milk into a pitcher and whisk in the egg and then the cooled, melted butter. Now pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing with a fork as you go. The batter will be lumpy but that's how it should be: you want everything to be no more than barely combined.

Spoon the mixture equally into the muffin cups and cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove, in their paper cups, to a wire rack and let cool slightly. Serve warm with jam or preserves.

Makes 12 muffins.


Adapted from Nigella Lawson, Nigella Bites.

Broccoli Rabe Frittata with Chevre

Sorry, Omelet, but I think frittatas have you beat all around. Not only are they far easier to pull together, but I think they also taste better and are much prettier. You can have them warm or at room temperature, and I'm not sure how many times I've ever thought to myself, "Gee, that other half of my omelet is just beautiful and will make for a great snack later!" Maybe some of you out there disagree, and that's all good, but I'm not sure I will ever attempt another omelet again. I'm horrible at it, and I've concluded there's just no reason for me to.

I decided to switch things up and make this frittata as an individual portion (albeit a sizeable one!) in a 7" skillet. Whenever I've made frittatas, I've used 6 or 7 eggs, and in this case I wanted to see what would happen with 3. The results were perfect - this was my breakfast and afternoon snack and I was sad when it was over. Substitute any green you want if you don't care for broccoli rabe. We've been eating a lot of it around here and I'm pretty taken with it, myself.

                    3 eggs

                    5 tablespoons olive oil

                    1/2 shallot, finely chopped

                    2 cups broccoli rabe, stemmed and torn or chopped coarsely

                    1/4 cup chevre (goat cheese)

                    salt and pepper

Preheat the broiler to 425 and place a rack on the top shelf of your oven.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute the shallots until soft. Add the broccoli rabe and a tablespoon of water and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted and bright green. Set aside.

Beat the eggs with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the remaining oil in a 7" ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add the eggs and immediately turn the heat down to low. Let the eggs cook undisturbed until the bottom has set. Then use a spatula to pull the eggs away from the rim and let the loose eggs run under. 

Arrange the broocoli rabe, shallots, and goat cheese over the top and flash broil the frittata just to set it's surface, a minute at most.

Makes one 7" frittata.

Earl Grey and Orange Scones

Remember those scones I mentioned earlier in the week? Well, I couldn't shake the thought of them, so yesterday afternoon I made them happen. Something you may not know about me: I love scones. Love, love, love them. I think I might even prefer them over (gasp!) cookies, and definitely over muffins. I love that they're not too sweet and that they don't try to be pretty and perfect. Scones hang out on the rustic side of the baking spectrum, perfectly happy being who they are with no false pretenses, yet they surprise you with an unexpected and understated sophistication. I've been wanting to bake with tea for some time, so I came up with the idea of pairing Earl Grey with orange. Delicious. The combination of yogurt and cream in these makes for a perfect moist on the inside/crisp on the outside texture combination. I'm glad the recipe only makes six and Dan happens to love scones, too.

                    2 cups white whole wheat all purpose flour 
                    1/3 cup sugar plus a little for sprinkling
                    1 teaspoon salt 
                    1 teaspoon baking powder 
                    1 teaspoon baking soda  
                    2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest 
                    2 teaspoons ground Earl Grey tea leaves 
                    4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled 
                    1/2 cup nonfat yogurt 
                    1/2 cup heavy cream

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400F.

Mix the first five (all the dry) ingredients into a medium bowl. Add the orange zest and the tea leaves, and combine well. Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the mix. Then pulse in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Whisk the yogurt and cream together in a small bowl. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for several minutes, folding and flattening it several times. Pat the dough into an 8x4" rectangle, about 3/4" to 1" thick. Using a pasty cutter or pizza wheel, cut the dough into 6 equal triangles and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Place the scones on the baking sheet and bake on the center rack for 18-20 minutes. When finished, the scones will be golden brown.  Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
 
Makes 6 scones.

Baked Eggs with Two Kales

What you see here, is yet another way for me to get my weekend eggs on. Baked eggs might be my new favorite breakfast food. Like with omelettes or frittatas, the options are limitless with this very tasty and easy dish. The egg's versatility never ceases to amaze me. And the horror of now knowing that I've missed out on the delight of baked eggs for so many years. Well, I don't even know what to say. Thank God it's behind me now.

What you see here, are several layers - the first: toasted whole grain triangles, the second: green and red kale leaves, and the third: three eggs cracked into little "nests" between the leaves. Any number of greens could be substituted here. Spinach, escarole, chard. Whatever sounds good to you (or whatever you happen to have picked up at the market) will most likely work. I chose to use individual stoneware plates, but you could also do family style in a bigger baking dish instead. Either way, these are great because they all come out at the same time, and you don't have to worry about someone's eggs (yours) sitting on the counter while you finish cooking someone else's.

                    1 tablespoon olive oil

                    1 small clove garlic, minced

                    1/2 bunch red kale, washed, stemmed, and torn into leaves

                    1/2 bunch green kale, washed, stemmed, and torn into leaves

                    salt and freshly ground black pepper

                    1-2 slices whole grain bread, cut into small triangles

                    butter for greasing the plate(s) and buttering the bread

                    6 large eggs

                    2 tablespoons cup creme fraiche (or heavy whipping cream)

                    1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and when it shimmers, add the garlic. Cook the garlic until fragrant and golden, about 3 minutes, then add the green kale (which will take a bit longer to wilt than the red). Reduce the heat to medium, add a pinch of salt and a few turns of freshly ground pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes. Then add the red kale, and continue to cook and stir until the leaves are just wilted. Transfer the kale to a bowl to cool (it does not need to cool completely before you proceed, but you don't want it so hot it will start cooking the eggs before they get into the oven).

Toast the triangles in a toaster oven (or the slices before cutting if you're using a toaster) and butter them as they are done.

Lightly butter two oven-safe plates or a baking dish large enough to hold the toasted triangles in one layer. Arrange them on the bottom of the dish(es) and evenly scatter the wilted kale over the top, making rough little nests to hold the eggs in place. Crack the eggs into the kale nests and season them with salt and pepper. Drizzle a tablespoon creme fraiche or whipping cream  (or two if using one dish)

over the dishes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and set on the lowest shelf of the oven. Cook until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.
 

Adapted from Marc Meyer and Peter Meehan, Brunch: 100 Recipes from Five Points Restaurant.            

Three-Bite Gouda and Cherry Muffins

Not sure why I have a penchant for small versions of things these days. I think it must have started with James's sweet little baby food jars, followed by Gaby's mini frittatas I posted a couple of days ago. Incidentally, I met Gaby the following day, as well as Cary of Delicious Days, another favorite, at a food photography workshop given by the fabulous Helen of Tartelette! I'm feeling inspired and all warm and smiley from spending an afternoon with these very gifted women.

So back to the muffins. Because I didn't want a bunch of these full-size muffins lying around the kitchen all day, I decided to half the recipe and make them little. I guess I feel better about having several when they're smaller. I love falling for my own half-brained rationalism. And they were so good, that several I did indeed have! I'm anxious to experiment with different cheeses and dried fruits. I adapted the recipe from Mary Cech's Savory Baking, one of my favorite books at the moment. She calls for Sharp Cheddar, which I didn't have. But there was Gouda! Cheddar would probably make for more flavor, but alas, sometimes you have to work with what you've got.

                   1/2 cup dried cherries
                   1 cup all-purpose flour
                   1 cup grated Gouda cheese
                   1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
                   1/2 tablespoon baking powder
                   1/2 teaspoon salt
                   1/2 cup whole milk
                   1 egg
                   1/8 cup canola or vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 and butter and lightly flour the inside of 8 small muffin cups. Put the cherries in a small bowl and pour enough hot water over them to cover the tops. Set aside for 10 minutes; then drain.

Put the flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and gently stir just to blend the ingredients. Whisk the cherries, milk, eggs and oil together in a small bowl. Pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture and stir together just until a soft, wet dough forms.

Spoon the dough evenly into each muffin cup. Bake until the tops are lightly browned and spring back when gently touched in the center, about 18-20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

When the muffins are cool, turn the pan upside down and tap the corner of the pan on the countertop to release each muffin. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for 4-5 days. Warm the muffins by splitting them in half and putting them under a broiler or in a toaster oven until lightly browned.

Makes 8 small muffins.

Adapted from Mary Cech, Savory Baking.