Ricotta cheese is like a reversible coat: it has two distinct sides and both are equally appealing. Ricotta salata (or “salted ricotta”) is a hard, aged cheese that is lovely for grating and garnishing; it reminds me a lot of Parmesan. Fresh ricotta, on the other hand, is creamy and sweet and tastes like summer. [...]
Continue reading about The Secret to Moist Muffins (or Taking Advantage of Fresh-Milk Cheeses)
February may have turned into April overnight (44F? Weather gods, what is going on??), but there’s still enough of a chill in the air to warrant baking muffins. Especially whole-grain muffins with a jammy surprise inside. I opted for locally made, naturally sweetened blackberry jam for this batch; next time I might go for raspberry [...]
Peanuts make my favorite butter and almonds and chestnuts make my favorite flours, but macadamias make my favorite nuts + chocolate combination. In this case, the final result was muffins. (Or — if you frost the muffins with melted chocolate and butter and pop them into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to harden your [...]
Now that summer has given way to leaf-strewn fall, the idea of going outside to grill something for dinner has gotten a lot less appealing. So much for mesquite-laced, smoky veggies and meats. (And fruits, too. Ever tried grilled pineapple? Sublime!) Seems like that signature mesquite flavor is only available during the summer months. …Or [...]
If you have some oddball herbs growing in your garden and you don’t quite know what to do with them, make savory muffins! Chopped fresh herbs will retain more of their flavor when you bake rather than sautée them, and really, any fresh herb works in a muffin setting. I chose a combination of lemon [...]
As promised in yesterday’s post, I’m back with more ways to use goat’s-milk yogurt! This time, I paired goat with oat in the form of muffins. And since I used honey instead of sugar, these muffins are very moist and slightly crunchy on top — honey caramelizes more readily than sugar does, so baked goods [...]
Now that we’re heading into fall and then winter, jamming and canning are on a lot of people’s minds. Mine, too — it sure would be great to enjoy summer’s ripe fruits in January! I haven’t quite gotten up the nerve to jam or can full-tilt (although both are near the top of my to-do [...]
These nutty, tart muffins are perfect autumn breakfasts, best served chilled and drizzled with maple syrup. I’ve used a blend of whole-wheat flour, almond flour, and flaxseed flour rather than white flour; if you’re a fan of mixed whole flours, you’ll love these naturally-fortified muffins! Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease a standard [...]
