After a craving one evening for some blueberry muffins, I awoke in the morning with very little time to spare, but with a decision to deliver on the muffin front. I found and adapted a recipe online, and luckily, we had everything in the house for the preparation.
If you are in a real pinch for time but want to whip something up, this very quick muffin recipe will surely impress and satisfy. I made them with ten minutes to spare before I packed up to go to the airport. I let them bake while I was stuffing my suitcase.
The recipe only makes 6 muffins: just a little sampler or an á la minute breakfast. What sets these apart from the rest is the mix of cinnamon and blueberries, but you could also substitute the blueberries for apples, bananas, chocolate chips, or a combination of any or all. I like the idea of toasting slivered almonds and chopped walnuts and mixing them with plump raisins, banana slices, and chopped apples. But I’ll save that for another breakfast, when I have a little more time.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup whole milk
1 large egg
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen blueberries
raw sugar crystals
1. Grease or place muffin liners in a 6-muffin pan. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Melt the butter and let cool momentarily. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, and milk.
3. Beat the egg and add half of it to the mixture. Discard the other half.
4. In a 2-cup measuring cup or another bowl, mix the flour, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Pour into the wet mix. Stir until just incorporated and then softly fold in the blueberries.
6. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, sprinkle the sugar on top, and bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Slater Mussels
Today, in Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries, my go-to cookbook for “what’s left in fridge/seasonal cooking,” he calls for a spicy, clear soup of mussels. I couldn’t agree more with his assessment of what I would like to be eating this afternoon.
The recipe is simple and refreshing. Pick up a loaf of bread, prepare the broth, and you’ll have a delicate yet hearty winter dinner.
Simmer a bundle of mussels in chicken stock. The amount of mussels you purchase merely depends on how many you’d like. As they cook and begin to open, add red chili flakes. Squeeze in juice from one lime; add a pinch of sea salt and sugar. When all of the mussels have opened, cut in some cilantro.
Serve piping hot with crusty bread and extra lime wedges and cilantro.
The recipe is simple and refreshing. Pick up a loaf of bread, prepare the broth, and you’ll have a delicate yet hearty winter dinner.
Simmer a bundle of mussels in chicken stock. The amount of mussels you purchase merely depends on how many you’d like. As they cook and begin to open, add red chili flakes. Squeeze in juice from one lime; add a pinch of sea salt and sugar. When all of the mussels have opened, cut in some cilantro.
Serve piping hot with crusty bread and extra lime wedges and cilantro.
Park Avenue Sorbet
Park Avenue Winter, that restaurant that keeps changing with each turn of the weather, has a delicious selection of ice creams and sorbets for this season. Sure, winter may not be the time that one starts to crave these frozen desserts, but the Park Ave selection will have you licking the bowl.
Chili-Chocolate is a rich, velvety treat that seems totally decadent until you realize that it’s under the sorbet grouping. That’ll have you asking for a second scoop.
Cider-Carrot is also a sorbet. The sweetness from the carrots translates well into a frozen ending. And the balance of cider mellows out the vegetablish vibe, and brings a sophisticated tang to the bright orange boule.
On the ice cream side, the Brown Butter Pecan is well worth the fuller fat. The smooth, creamy nature of the homemade dessert goes perfectly with sips of espresso in between spoonfuls.
Chili-Chocolate is a rich, velvety treat that seems totally decadent until you realize that it’s under the sorbet grouping. That’ll have you asking for a second scoop.
Cider-Carrot is also a sorbet. The sweetness from the carrots translates well into a frozen ending. And the balance of cider mellows out the vegetablish vibe, and brings a sophisticated tang to the bright orange boule.
On the ice cream side, the Brown Butter Pecan is well worth the fuller fat. The smooth, creamy nature of the homemade dessert goes perfectly with sips of espresso in between spoonfuls.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Mushroom Penne in a Pinch
A few nights ago, hungry and tired late on a raining evening, my boyfriend and I tumbled out of a birthday party. Too late to sit down to a meal and too famished to wait for take-out, we racked our brain for what was left in the refrigerator at home.
Some white button mushrooms, an onion, garlic, tri-colore pasta, celery, and a red pepper were the neglected remains of a few home cooked meals from the week prior. A quarter of a jar of marinara sauce saddled up on the side shelf. It seemed like a bare-bones collection of ingredients for a meal, but with the help of my mandoline, I was able to whip up something fast and satisfying, with a touch of gourmet.
A mandoline is a device used in many professional kitchens to slice vegetables, fruits, roots, etc. very thin. They can get fancy and expensive, but there are also extremely functional $20 versions available quite widely. Mine is from the Bowery Kitchen Supply in Chelsea Market; and, as I cook more and more, I find myself using it for more everyday preparations simply for the sake of saving time (it slices incredibly fast). The thin slices also add an air of elegance to any dish.
And such was the case on the rainy, cold evening last week. Ravenous, I knew I had to act fast. I put a pot of boiling water on as soon as we walked in the door. I then sliced the mushrooms and onions with the mandoline, heated some oil in a pan and sautéed them down, and sliced garlic into the mix and sautéed a little more. I added the pasta sauce and let the mix simmer. I boiled the pasta while I sliced the celery and the red pepper with my magic machine. I tossed the green and red mixture with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and set it on the table. When the pasta was soft, I drained it, added the mushroom sauce, and set in on the table, too.
Voilá! The tri-colore pasta laden with caramelized onions and velvety mushrooms steamed at the table. Next to it rested the refreshing little salad. There was nothing fancy or fussy about the dinner—served at midnight—but there was something incredibly luxurious about it. We lit a candle, served each other, and thoroughly enjoyed our late-night fungi on the fly.
Some white button mushrooms, an onion, garlic, tri-colore pasta, celery, and a red pepper were the neglected remains of a few home cooked meals from the week prior. A quarter of a jar of marinara sauce saddled up on the side shelf. It seemed like a bare-bones collection of ingredients for a meal, but with the help of my mandoline, I was able to whip up something fast and satisfying, with a touch of gourmet.
A mandoline is a device used in many professional kitchens to slice vegetables, fruits, roots, etc. very thin. They can get fancy and expensive, but there are also extremely functional $20 versions available quite widely. Mine is from the Bowery Kitchen Supply in Chelsea Market; and, as I cook more and more, I find myself using it for more everyday preparations simply for the sake of saving time (it slices incredibly fast). The thin slices also add an air of elegance to any dish.
And such was the case on the rainy, cold evening last week. Ravenous, I knew I had to act fast. I put a pot of boiling water on as soon as we walked in the door. I then sliced the mushrooms and onions with the mandoline, heated some oil in a pan and sautéed them down, and sliced garlic into the mix and sautéed a little more. I added the pasta sauce and let the mix simmer. I boiled the pasta while I sliced the celery and the red pepper with my magic machine. I tossed the green and red mixture with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and set it on the table. When the pasta was soft, I drained it, added the mushroom sauce, and set in on the table, too.
Voilá! The tri-colore pasta laden with caramelized onions and velvety mushrooms steamed at the table. Next to it rested the refreshing little salad. There was nothing fancy or fussy about the dinner—served at midnight—but there was something incredibly luxurious about it. We lit a candle, served each other, and thoroughly enjoyed our late-night fungi on the fly.
Good Seats
A few weeks ago, I was helping a friend with a few things near Union Square. When we’d completed our chores, we were left with empty stomachs and a craving for Mexican food. Luckily, I remembered that a branch of Rosa Mexicana was nearby. Unluckily, I realized that getting a table would be almost as difficult as getting them to return something for you at Scoop without a receipt. But, before I could get too bent out of shape, my partner in crime discovered a nook of seats behind the receptionists alter. We cozied up in the corner and snagged a passing bar busser. In no time, we were sipping margaritas, ordering from the full menu, and devouring the famous-for-a-good-reason guacamole. Next time you’re in a tizzy for tacos, remember these easy access seats!
Steak n’ Eggs At Lodge
Lodge opened as a gimmicky hipster spot in Williamsburg about a year and a half ago. The corner spot is split into bar and dining area and features glossy white antler lights and other mod-taxidermy-themed touches. I’d always been curious about checking it out but never had such a specific reason to mingle amongst the cool-than-though, Beacon’s Closet-clad set.
Brunch is reason and a half: specifically, the steak and eggs at brunch. A plate divided into a full dinner portion of flank steak, buttery scrambled eggs and diner-style potatoes make for an ideal Sunday morning combo platter.
Go with your drinking buddy from the night before and split this dish. It only costs the few bucks you managed not to spend the night before, and it’s plenty for the hung-over set. It’ll have you fully recovered—or back into bed for a well-sated afternoon nap—in no time.
Brunch is reason and a half: specifically, the steak and eggs at brunch. A plate divided into a full dinner portion of flank steak, buttery scrambled eggs and diner-style potatoes make for an ideal Sunday morning combo platter.
Go with your drinking buddy from the night before and split this dish. It only costs the few bucks you managed not to spend the night before, and it’s plenty for the hung-over set. It’ll have you fully recovered—or back into bed for a well-sated afternoon nap—in no time.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Ger-ice Cakes
The rice cakes at Geronimo led me to develop my own!
Ingredients
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 c jasmine rice
½ c toasted, sliced almonds
¼ c soy sauce
¼ c baby capers
Panko crumbs
Salt
1. Make the jasmine rice as the package directs. Toast the almonds on a pan, being careful not to burn them. Crush them into slightly smaller bits.
2. Heat 3 inches of oil in a saucepan.
3. Stir the eggs, rice, toasted almonds, soy sauce, and capers in a large bowl to combine.
4. Roll about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into a patty and then cover in panko crumbs. Repeat until all the batter is used.
5. In batches, carefully drop the patties into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about four minutes.
6. Drain and dust with a salt. Serve very hot.
Ingredients
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 c jasmine rice
½ c toasted, sliced almonds
¼ c soy sauce
¼ c baby capers
Panko crumbs
Salt
1. Make the jasmine rice as the package directs. Toast the almonds on a pan, being careful not to burn them. Crush them into slightly smaller bits.
2. Heat 3 inches of oil in a saucepan.
3. Stir the eggs, rice, toasted almonds, soy sauce, and capers in a large bowl to combine.
4. Roll about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into a patty and then cover in panko crumbs. Repeat until all the batter is used.
5. In batches, carefully drop the patties into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about four minutes.
6. Drain and dust with a salt. Serve very hot.
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