blueberry muffin throwdown

What's a blueberry muffin throwdown, you ask. It is inspired by Bobby Flay's show, Throwdown, where he studies someone's signature dish, perfects it, then shows up to challenge them in a competition. I'm taking two blueberry muffin recipes, comparing them side by side, and selecting a winner based on which embodies the spirit, if you will, of a blueberry muffin. And may the best recipe prevail.

A. Blueberry Muffins, from Gourmet Magazine (via Food Network)

I found this recipe earlier in the week from a basic recipe search on Food Network. It was rated with 4 stars and sounded pretty simple. So I went ahead and made it.


3/4 C butter, softened
1/2 C vanilla sugar
1/2 C sugar
3/4 C milk
1 egg
1 3/4 C flour, sifted
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C blueberries (I used frozen)
1-2 tbsp flour (reserved for the blueberries)

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Grease or line a muffin tin; set aside.
   
2. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the egg, mixing well, then slowly add in the milk. Blend completely.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture until just blended.
4. Toss the blueberries with flour to coat, then fold into the muffin batter.
5. Fill the muffin tin to nearly the top nearly to the top. Bake muffins for 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Turn onto a rack to cool.
   

I found this recipe (as originally written) a real hassle, so I revised it a tiny bit to be less fussy (and added my own spin with the vanilla sugar and more blueberries!). Blending the milk into the butter/sugar was a soupy nightmare, I'm surprised the muffins even turned out as muffins.

The end result, though, is a very sweet, almost cake-like muffin that I thought was a bit sparse in terms of the blueberries. I really like a lot of blueberry in my muffins, otherwise what's the point of a blueberry muffin? The muffins also fall apart easily which make them a bit hard to eat.


B. Double Blueberry Muffins, from Gale Gand (via Food Network)

I've had this recipe in my arsenal for a few years now. Always super simple, always delicious. Like the above recipe, it is also rated with 4 stars on Food Network.


1/2 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 C blueberries (I used frozen)
2 C flour
1/2 C milk
1-2 tbsp flour, reserved for blueberries
1 tbsp sugar, reserved for muffin tops

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line a muffin tin, set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla, baking powder, and salt.
   
3. Mash 3/4 C of the blueberries and blend into the batter.
4. Add 1 C of the flour, mix well, then add 1/4 C of the milk and mix well. Repeat and mix until just blended.
   
5. Toss the blueberries with flour to coat, then fold gently into the muffin batter.
6. Fill the muffin tin with batter, then sprinkle muffin tops with the sugar.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the tin for 20-30 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

These muffins have a nice blueberry flavor throughout and a nice texture. I enjoy mine as a nice mid-morning snack with tea.


And the winner is...



B! I prefer this more traditional blueberry muffin for its texture, taste, and appearance. Not to mention it is really easy to make. If I were big on muffins, I'd probably use this recipe as a nice base to experiment with.

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Chapati with Coconut-Peanut Butter

I originally saw these flatbreads on Guy's Big Bite, then again in another cookbook and decided to give them a whirl. I love 'em because they are super easy to make and would go well with a lot of different flavors. I also make mine entirely with whole wheat flour. Yes, it may sound a bit scary, but I think it works. Feel free to stick to the "real" recipe and use regular flour.

Chapatis

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup water

Method

1. Combine flour and salt in a bowl, then stir in water until a stiff dough forms. Let rest for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat a skillet over medium to medium high heat.
3. On a floured surface, take small bits of dough (a bit larger than golf ball size) and roll out to 1/4 inch rounds.
4. Cook the rounds for 30 to 60 seconds per side. Be careful not to overcook!
5. Serve warm with your choice of toppings (see my favorite below), or plain if you like.

Coconut Peanut Butter

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp coconut milk

Method

1. Combine ingredients well.

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hope you're hungry!

Mmm...Thai food!

Dracula's Nightmare--

Pla Rad Prik--


Thailand Restaurant
http://www.yelp.com/biz/thailand-restaurant-beaverton

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try something new!

Last weekend I went out on a culinary limb and made a brussel sprout salad, inspired by this recipe from 101 Cookbooks. I have never really been a fan of brussel sprouts (though I do like them roasted and tossed with salty pancetta and balsamic vinegar), but I admit, these looked like they could be a winner.

I shredded the brussel sprouts and tossed them with a lemon vinaigrette similar to Heidi's. It made for a perfect light lunch paired with leftover roast chicken and bell pepper sticks.

With the said roast chicken, I also made chicken stock from the carcass. Very Martha Stewart of me, I know. But oh, wow, is that stuff good.

Chicken Stock

1 chicken carcass

1 onion, quartered

1 carrot, roughly chopped

zest of one orange

couple sprigs thyme

8 cups water

Place all ingredients in a large pot over medium high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover slightly. Cook for up to 4 hours, adding more water as necessary. Strain and refrigerate until ready to use.

My stock gelatinized, so you may want to heat before using.

A couple of days ago, I made a nice tofu and spinach soup with my stock--so good! To make, bring the stock to a boil, add a handful of spinach, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until spinach is wilted. While this is cooking, cube some silken tofu and place into a soup bowl. Pour stock/spinach over tofu and serve.

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yellow dal

I mentioned homemade chicken stock yesterday--I decided to make yellow dal with it. I found this recipe in the foodday section of the newspaper while browsing through the recipes. It also happens that I bought yellow split beans at an Asian grocery store this weekend.

I have absolutely no experience with Indian cooking so I didn't know what to expect. The recipe was really easy to make, though, and tasted pretty good. Unfortunately, I forgot to add salt when cooking but it's a fairly easily remedied mistake. Here's my lunch, served over brown rice--



Yellow Dal

the peas:
1 C yellow split peas
1/2 bay leaf
1/4 tsp tumeric
3 cups chicken stock (obviously not vegetarian, but I don't mind)
Salt

1. Rinse the peas extremely well with running water in a sieve. Water should run clear. Add the peas to a pot with the other ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes until tender. Season with salt.

the tadka:
1/4 C vegetable oil (or ghee)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 C thinly sliced onion
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. In a pan, heat the oil over medium high to high heat. Add cumin seeds and fry for 10 seconds, then add the onion. Cook the onion over medium heat for 12 minutes until golden brown. Add in the crushed red pepper flakes and cook for another 2 minutes or so.
2. Serve the tadka over the top of the dal.
   

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Semolina-Citrus Turbinados

The best way to spend a Sunday? In the kitchen of course! A friend and I made these wonderful cupcakes, along with citrus turbinado sugar cookies and chicken stock of all things. Sadly I don't have the recipe for the cupcakes myself. But the general idea is steeping the milk in earl grey tea. We whipped up a quick lemon cream cheese frosting to finish.


I recently spotted a natural sweetener cookbook--Sweet!--at the library on the new arrivals wall and instantly grabbed it. The gorgeous cover photograph really sealed the deal. When I did take a look inside, I had to buy it. The Semolina-Citrus Turbinados are the second recipe I've tried from it and I haven't been disappointed.

Semolina-Citrus Turbinados from Sweet!

1 C turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw brand is everywhere)
zest of 1 orange
1 C flour
3/4 C semolina flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg

In a food processor, pulse the sugar and orange zest. Add flours, baking powder, and salt and pulse until blended. Add the cold butter and pulse until you have a bread crumb like texture. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and lemon juice; add to the food processor, running the machine until the dough forms a ball.

Knead the dough a bit, divide, and form into two 1 1/2" logs. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350. Slice the dough into 1/4" rounds and place onto a nonstick cookie sheet. Be sure to leave enough room for the cookies to spread a bit. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Keep an eye on them because the sugar may burn quickly. Transfer to a rack to cool. After cooling, spread icing on top of cookies, if desired.

To make the icing:

2 oz cream cheese at room temp
2 tbsp orange juice
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
orange zest, if desired

Whisk the cream cheese and orange juice (and orange zest, if using) until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and mix well.

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Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

I can't resist cookies. And these ones are pretty fantastic.

Espresso Cookies

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Bob's Red Mill Sourdough Muffins

Honestly, I bought the Bob's Red Mill Baking Book on a whim at Powell's. Considering it was on sale for half the original price, I'd say it was a pretty good deal. The book is filled with all kinds of recipes using all kinds of grains.

I really like this recipe, especially with a sourdough starter sitting in the fridge. The best part trying different additions, like dried fruit or grated cheese. Just be sure to add it to the dry ingredient blend. I made two variations in one batch--white cheddar and provolone, and a dried blueberry/cranberry combination (the recipe recommends 1 3/4 cups of cheese for one batch, or 1 1/4 cups dried fruit).



Sourdough Muffins
from Bob's Red Mill Baking Book

1 3/4 C whole wheat flour
1 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups warm milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 C vegetable oil

1. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to moisten (this doesn't need to be well incorporated at all).
2. Cover with a lint-free dish towel and sit out at room temperature for 12 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 and spray a muffin tin. Stir batter to combine, pour into muffin tin, and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
   

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david lebovitz--revisited

Winter is almost here--


It's been perfect hot chocolate drinking weather...I was out taking pictures this afternoon and needed to warm up. Enter David Lebovitz and his fantastic chocolate recipes. I enjoyed a nice hot cup of hot chocolate (made with soymilk and Ghiradelli's) with marshmallows, and later in the afternoon, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.


I recently read some new information (new to me anyway) about the proper care of butter in making cookies, from using it at the right temperature to creaming it properly. I was curious and anxious to bake cookies with my new found knowledge.

The cookies ended up pretty flat which I'm not used to, but the flavor is great. I especially love the chocolate chip to dough ratio. The outside is slightly crisp, but the inside is nice and chewy. I will probably make them again just to see if the flatness is due to the recipe or execution. Looking at the ones Heidi made, though, I'm thinking it's on my end...perhaps that butter article wasn't so good after all.

Don't they look tasty?

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a long overdue intro to david lebovitz

I discovered David Lebovitz' blog last week...and oh how dangerous it is! I know I've heard about him countless places around the internet, but never actually took the time to visit his site. I instantly bookmarked a ton of recipes upon visiting his recipes page and honestly wish I had done so long ago. So far, I've had the Parisian hot chocolate, marshmallows, and cheesecake brownies, all of which are fantastic.


I really want to talk about the brownies today. I thought I had an amazing recipe with Jamie Oliver's fifteen brownies...I might have been mistaken. These brownies have that wonderfully fudgy texture paired with the sweet and tangy cream cheese. Honestly, I couldn't decide which was better even if I had them side by side. Nor would I want to!


As for the marshmallows and hot chocolate, I couldn't recommend them more! The hot chocolate tastes like a delicious, creamy, melted chocolate bar (which is basically what it is). If you go all out and make it with fancy chocolate, you wouldn't dare plop a marshmallow on top; save the marshmallows for other hot chocolate mixes or "lesser" chocolate...I personally used a half a king size Hershey bar (purchased super cheap at Grocery Outlet). A half batch of these marshallows do make quite a bit so I wouldn't recommend making more than that unless you plan on using them for something else (I've got my eye on some rocky road!).

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