D257: Blackberry Muffins

Well they look fine but I'm not sold on the taste...

I used the CTAW muffin recipe, which I love coz it's got butter and not veggie oil, and substituted the blueberry variation with blackberries.  I was concerned about their juices making it too moist, or the purple-ish colour making them grey.  The juice was fine, the colouring is a little bleh.  

I think what it needs though is a squeeze of lemon, or something sharp to raise the berry flavour.  They're just a bit meh.  I'm not sure what compliments blackberry... Maybe it needs to be blackberry jam and not the berries alone. Maybe more sugar would do it...? 

Speaking of lemons, did it tell you I made up some lemon madeleines the other day? Just the juice and jest of half a juicy lemon in the mix, in place of honey. I made a light syrup of juice and sugar (to taste, zapped for batches of 10sec to dissolve) and gave their wavy backs one generous brush each, so as not to drown them and keep them light.  Was very pleased... Might do a recipe post for that one...

D208: Simple & complicated

Well, its not terribly creative but it is made.

Bub now has a small stash of chicken and leek risotto in the freezer.  Luckily she seemed quite happy with it for the next day's lunch.  It is exactly what it sounds like:

One finely diced leek, softened with a bit of oil in a saucepan, about 200g of chicken mince added and cooked, about two handfuls of arborio rice heated through and then about 2¹/₄ cups of water, added a half cup at a time, and stirred through until the rice is tender.  I added some thyme, rosemary and a smidge of dill and salt.

Two trays went in together - the tall ones are from the top rack :)

These are the spicy pumpkin muffins I've made before. 

I had a little extra pumpkin so decided to increase the recipe in proportion and, although it was only an extra fifth of stuff, I added a second egg.  

I know egg binds and acts as an emulsifier, and I've definitely had brownies that have had a yucky egg flavour, but otherwise I wasn't too sure what it would do.  Nothing disastrous, it would seem.  This time...

D167: Serendipity

Hub doesn't understand why I like watching telly sometimes.

I can see his point: Ads are ridiculously annoying, inane and loud. But then, we have a mute button, and other channels to entertain us in the gaps.

Sometimes I can flick on the telly and find a show for what ails me, such as an Antiques Roadshow, or a celebrity I like on a talk show, or even an idiot of recent politics at whom I can rant and work out a few demons.  

Hub gets frustrated that we have so many good shows to watch on the computer - dozens, in fact - yet I'll watch a telly rerun of Friends instead of a Supernatural, Black Books, The West Wing*, or even Buffy.  

What's worse, sometimes I'll want to watch the movie that's on.  Insult to injury, not only may I have seen it before, but we'll already have it to watch ad free!  (If I haven't seen it before, Hub wishes I would get the movie and then watch it ad free, but what if it's not as good as I thought...?)

Poor guy. I'm all "I like that this movie is on now! And I don't have to start it or do anything!" And what good fortune, that amongst all the rubbish and Lethal Weapons, here is a movie I like, or even have affection for! Nope, it's a sign! I shall watch this and enjoy the Magic-Faraway-Tree-ness of the discovery.  Joy!

Serendipity adds a certain I don't know what to things. And that's how it happened with this recipe, which arrived with our fruit and veggies from Aussie Farmers Direct, just as I'd looked at the pumpkin in the freezer and wondered what I would do with it...

I made a double batch, with just under what I needed for the pumpkin, and I had Jap, not butternut. Anyhoo, the first batch are a bit solid in the middle, so shall stay home, but the second batch I left in for a few minutes longer so hopefully they'll be liked at our family gathering today.

I don't really like veggie-things-as-sweet-meals, which include pumpkin or sweet potato pie, but these are reeeeeeally nice!  They're a little bit dense, possibly over-mixed due to a big batch?  Not sure, but I'd do them again.

And! I know my numbers have jumped a bit: I've some backtracking to do. :)

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* I don't think I could watch a random West Wing episode.  I think I'd need to watch it from start to end all over again, for the third time!

D47: Cranberries? Can-berries!

Bub's been waking more during the night recently and today's lethargy had me thinking I might extend my break an extra day.  But then I went and made cranberry muffins! :D

We received a pack of dried cranberries (craisins?) for Christmas.  I've never worked with cranberries before, even though I've enjoyed some official Craisin.  I've been a bit shy about using them.  I figured muffins must surely be the safest and friendliest way to break ground with a new fruit.

These muffins were created using the Basic Muffins secipe in the AWW Home Library series Country Cooking cookbook.  (My mum actually gave this one to me - no associated guilt! Yay!)  My misgivings about using oil in baking were muffled: "Who can be bothered with creaming butter at this hour?!" said the silver lining.  I followed the blueberry variation and found it to be a terribly easy recipe - sift, stir, stir, spoon out, sprinkle, spoon out again, rub, sprinkle again, bake.

I attempted to reconstitute the cranberries but because they were all broken no puffy sultana-effect was possible.  Still, it helped to soak them in cold water beforehand.  I soaked a lot of cranberries... best to round up when trying to estimate 200g of reconstituted anything, I say! 

Spooned, sprinkled, and spoon & 'sprinkle' some more

The last thing to do is rub some flour, brown sugar and butter to a 'breadcrumb' texture and sprinkle it over the muffins.  In this variation, the berries go on top too.   Somewhere in there I measured too much butter, or not enough flour, or it's just plain too hot in here, coz there was no breadcrumbing to be had with this part.  I mashed it all up with half the berries so that the 'sprinkling' would be more efficient, and divisible, and hoped for the best.

The reconstituted cranberries and the 'breadcrumbed' topping.  O_o

I was off settling Bub when the first batch came out and I didn't realise that the clump of 'crumble' would appear wet and spongey on top.  When Hub answered the timer he though they were underdone, so that's why there is a dark brown batch and a lighter brown batch.  They're both terribly yummy though!  The berries have a nice tang, like raisins or dried muscatels.  I may have a need to use the other half of the pack soon enough! :D