Sweet Potato muffin with Dates and Cranberries サツマイモマフィン

This is another of my wife’s baking projects. The original recipe appeared in Washington Post as “Sweet potato bread with dates and cranberries” but she converted it to muffins. One of the reasons she made this is that we got some Japanese sweet potatoes a week ago and she wanted to use them before they went bad. This recipe was a bit unusual in that the dates were pulverized with oil, eggs, and milk and become a part of the wet ingredients.  The original recipe also calls for fresh cranberries but we didn’t have any so we used dried cranberries (craisins). Since craisins have added sugar and dates are quite sweet, we were afraid the muffin would be too sweet but it was just pleasantly sweet. The texture appeared dense but was very tender. Overall, this is a good unique muffin/bread. We enjoyed it for our breakfast. I ask my wife to continue.

Ingredients
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) neutral oil, (We used Crisco)
1 1/2 cups (190 grams) pitted dates
1 cup mashed, roasted sweet potatoes (We used Japanese sweet potatoes)
1/3 cup (80 milliliters) milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (65 grams) whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (60 grams) almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup (95 grams) fresh whole cranberries (We used craisins)
1/2 cup (60 grams) chopped raw pecans

Directions:
Prepare 2 sweet potatoes by piercing the skin, then putting them into a silicone cooking container with a little water. Cover and cook in the microwave until tender (about 4-5 minutes). Remove the skin. Mash them and then run them through a ricer to get rid of any remaining lumps. 

Place the dates in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the sweet potato puree, oil and milk and pulse until smooth. (Small bits of the dates will remain.) Add the eggs and vanilla, and pulse to combine. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

In another large bowl, whisk together the whole-wheat, AP, and almond flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the sweet potato mixture, and stir just until evenly incorporated. Stir in the cranberries and pecans; the batter will be very thick.

Transfer the batter to the prepared muffin tins. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then remove from the pan.

Lemon Sponge Pudding/Pie レモンスポンジプッデング

This is another one of my wife’s PA Dutch baking projects. This is based on a recipe in Marsh Adams “PA Dutch cookbook”. My wife made this as a pudding by cooking it in a ramekin. But it can be cooked in a pie crust making it a pie. (The original recipe made it as a pie.) In both cases as can be seen in the following pictures, the top is a nice sponge cake with a lemon custard on the bottom. This is not too sweet and nice light dessert. Here she comes.

Ingredients:
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell if making a pie, otherwise several small ramekins

4 eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
6 tbs. AP flour (or 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs.)
1/2 stick butter melted
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 lemon rinds
2 lemon lemon juice 

Ingredients ( X1/2)

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell if making a pie, otherwise several small ramekins

2 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
3 tbs. AP flour 
1/4 stick butter melted
1/4 tsp salt
1 cups milk
1 lemon rinds
1 lemon juice

Directions for pudding:
Preheat oven to 400°.  Beat egg yolks until smooth. Beat the egg whites until stiff. In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, melted butter, egg yolks and grated rinds. Then add the lemon juice, salt and milk and blend. Fold in the egg whites, then pour into the ramekins. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool completely before eating.

Directions for pie:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Use a deep dish pie plate and set out the pie crust in it. (If making the 1/2 recipe use a regular pie pan.) Beat egg yolks until smooth. Beat the egg whites until stiff. In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, melted butter, egg yolks and grated rinds. Then add the lemon juice, salt and milk and blend. Fold in the egg whites, then pour into the pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce to 350 for an additional 20 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting

This is a lovely light dessert. The contrast in texture between the chiffon topping and the lemon custard underneath is quite nice. This is a classic.

Nutmeat Pate 木の実のパテ

This is a very interesting pâté recipe from “Frog Commissary Cookbook” my wife found. This is a pâté made of white beans and nuts. The color is a bit drab but it almost tastes like a meat pate (#1). After a few days, the flavor and texture got better. This is a perfect appetizer for vegetarian friends but the omnivore will also enjoy it. I will ask my wife to take over.

Ingredients: Makes 3 small loaves. 

One can of white navy beans whizzed until smooth in a food processor 

2 cups walnuts (½ pound), lightly toasted and finely ground
2 cups pecans (½ pound), light toasted and finely ground
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese (¼ pound)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup minced scallion
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried thyme (I used fresh from our garden)
½ teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary (I used fresh from our garden)
1¾ teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon pepper
⅓ cup heavy cream
1½ teaspoons minced garlic
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tablespoon brandy  
1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted in warm water, drained and minced

(These are other herbs called for in the recipe but I didn’t use)

⅓ cup minced parsley 
½ teaspoon dried marjoram 

Directions:
Toast the walnuts and pecans. Grind them separately in a food processor and set aside. Grind the white beans in a food processor to form a “bean paste”. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well (#2) Preheat the oven to 350°. Fill the three small silicon bread pans with the pâté mixture and cover it tightly with tin foil (#4). Set in a larger baking pan filled with hot water half way up the sides of the baking pans.

Bake in the toaster oven for 1 hour. Let cool 10 minutes and then invert the baking pan onto a serving plate and unmold the pâte. The pâté can be served either hot or cold (#4).

As stated before this pâté tastes remarkably like it was made with meat. It is very savory and makes a nice appetizer with a glass of red wine. 

Vanilla Shoofly Pie バニラシュウフライパイ

This is one of my wife’s baking projects. She found this pie recipe in her old cookbook called “From Amish and Mennonite Kitchens”. This pie was simply called “Vanilla Pie”. Although she is very familiar with PA Dutch pies, she has never heard of it and decided to make it. It turned out to be “wet-bottom” shoofly pie with a bit of vanilla flavoring. We did not taste much vanilla.  If you like molasses flavor and shoofly pie, this is for you. In the picture you can see a nice “goo” layer on the bottom. (The pie crust looks a bit over-baked) (#1).

Here is a whole pie just out of the oven (#2).

Ingredients and Directions (makes one 9” pie)
Bottom Part:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 cups water
I egg, well beaten
1 1/2 tbs flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla
9" unbaked pie shells

In saucepan, combine all ingredients except vinilla. Boil until thick. (This could take some time and it doesn’t get very thick.) Set aside to cool. When cooled, stir in vanilla. Pour into unbaked pie shell.

Crumbs:
1 cup flour
3/8 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. baking powder

Mix all ingredients together to form crumbs
Sprinkle over tops of pies.
Bake at 375° for 50-60 minutes.

As we said, this is a classic wet bottom shoofly pie.

Kabocha Blini かぼちゃビリーニ

Recently, in keeping with the fall season, we got a whole Japanese “Kabocha” 南瓜 squash from Weee, I made the classic Japanese stewed kabocha かぼちゃの煮物 and potage かぼちゃのポタージュ.  Both dishes were great mainly because of the quality of the kabocha was extremely good—very tender (not dry and chalky) and slightly sweet. After some time, we had some of the potage left. My wife decided to make “Kabocha blini” from it. This turned out to be pretty good. It has a nice yellow color, moist inside crispy outside. The kabocha flavor is subtle but it’s there. This is a good blini variation.

Ingredients: makes 12 blini
2 cups kabocha puree (or in this case thick soup/potage)
6 tbs melted butter
3/4 cup cream
6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup + 4 Tbs. cake flour
1 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
may need additional liquid to bring the batter to the consistency of pancake batter.

Directions:
In a bowl add the kabocha puree, melted butter, cream and eggs. Stir until well blended. Then add the flours, baking powder, and salt and whisk until well blended. (You may need to add some additional liquid so the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.)

Melt 1 Tbs. butter. In a cast iron platar, brush some of the melted butter to grease each of the platar cups before adding the batter. Pour the batter into the cups until they are full using the largest ice cream scoop. Cook over moderately low heat, turning once, until set, about 5 minutes or more per side. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter.

These were remarkably good. They had a tender texture, were slightly sweet and had a lovely subtle kabocha flavor. They tasted great toasted and topped with butter. This just proves the possibilities for blinis are limitless.

Indian Pudding インディアンプディング

This is another of my wife’s baking projects. Although my wife is not PA Dutch, she grew up in rural Pennsylvania and is very fond of the PA Dutch dishes she ate as a child. As a result she has collected quite a few PA Dutch cookbooks. While she was browsing through the cookbooks, she found this recipe called “Indian Pudding”. ** This was one of her favorite childhood desserts and she had not tasted it in years, so she decided to make it. I found this to be a somewhat unusual dish—I had never tasted anything like it before. But it was a success and quite enjoyable as a dessert (#1). It has a nice but not too strong molasses flavor combined with a complexity of cinnamon, and ginger spices plus a burst of sweetness from the raisins. The consistency is like an extremely wet cake referred to as “pudding” consistency. While this was new to me I see why my wife likes it and now I do too. 

** Indian pudding originated with New England colonists in the 17th century, who adapted a traditional British "hasty pudding" to incorporate cornmeal, a staple crop learned from Native Americans. The name refers to the colonists' term "Indian meal" for cornmeal, not to the modern country of India. It became a quintessential American dessert, especially popular during the colonial era.

Ingredients:
(X1)
1/4 cup cornmeal 
1 cup milk, scalded 
1/2 tablespoon butter 
1/8 cup table molasses (1/16 molasses, 1/16 karo), 
1/3 cup raisins 
1 large egg, lightly beaten 
1 tablespoons granulated sugar 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1 cup milk 

(X2)
½ cup cornmeal
2 cups milk, scalded
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup table molasses (golden, barrel, or King Syrup), do not use baking molasses
⅔ cup raisins
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Stir cornmeal into hot milk with whisk, stirring until smooth. Add butter, molasses, raisins, egg, sugar, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Blend thoroughly and let stand until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Pour into buttered 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining cup(s) milk. Bake for 1 1/2 hours  (2 hours if double recipe) or until set. I used the small square corning bake dish. Serve warm.

We were not sure how the milk poured on top would work out. But as the picture we took while it was in the oven shows (#2) it eventually formed a crust topping which added another dimension of texture to the overall dish.

This is a picture of the final product (#3). Isn’t it a beaut?

This is a homey, hearty, savory dessert. It somehow evokes the image of a comfort food on a cold winter’s night. This was truely an old friend rediscovered for my wife and a new friend met for me.

Cheese Pennies チーズ (ペニー) バタークッキー

This is one of my wife’s appetizer projects. This is a savory and cheesy butter biscuit. The recipe came from the King Arthur.

Ingredients
2 cups (227g) sharp cheddar cheese, grated (Or any combination or cheese that may be available. We used sharp cheddar, smoked gouda, and parmesan.)
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (180g) All-Purpose Flour
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
paprika, optional

Directions:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients to make a cohesive dough, sprinkling in a tablespoon or so of water if the dough doesn't seem to want to come together. As soon as the dough starts to come together, turn off the mixer and gather it into a rough ball. Transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a 16" log about 1 1/2" in diameter (#1). Wrap the log in waxed paper or plastic wrap, and chill it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice the log crosswise into 1/8" rounds (#2). Place them on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving only about 1/2" between them; they won't spread much as they bake. Sprinkle them with a bit of paprika. Bake the cheese pennies in a preheated 400°F oven for 11 to 13 minutes, or until they're just beginning to brown (#3). Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan for several minutes before transferring them to racks to cool completely.

These are cheesy, slightly salty with hits of spices from mustard and cayenne pepper. This is a good appetizer that goes well with red wine but it is not a dessert. We really like it.

Funny cake ファニーケーキ

My wife grew up in rural Pennsylvania and although she is not Pennsylvania Dutch herself. She is very fond of the many Pennsylvania Dutch dishes that she ate as a child. Among these were “Shoo-fly pie” and “Funny cake”. For many years, she had to bake them herself, if she wanted them, since they are strictly Pennsylvania regional specialties not available elsewhere. Especially funny cake which is unique specifically to the area where she grew up. (Even a Pennsylvania Dutch specialty food store in a nearby town in Maryland said they never even heard of it when we asked if they had funny cake.) Then she discovered that a bakery near where she grew up made these pies. They were extremely good quality. (“Probably better than what I was making,” she claimed). (This was her assessment not mine). In addition, joy-of-joys, she found she could mail order them. So for quite some time this was her source of these delicacies and she didn’t have to bake them herself. But during and after COVID, the bakery stopped their mail order service. After some hiatus she decided that if she wanted these childhood favorites, like the “old days” she would again have to go back to making them herself.  We naturally assumed, we posted the recipes for funny cake and shoo-fly pie before but to our surprise we have not posted either. So my wife sprang into action and made a funny cake (picture #1). Although we usually do not partake of substantial desserts like cake, in this case we clearly had to make an exception.

One interesting thing about this cake is that the chocolate “goo” layer is made by pouring the liquid chocolate mixture over the batter in the pan before going into the oven. Then during cooking it forms a chocolate jelly-like layer on the bottom while the batter forms a cake layer above the chocolate (picture #2). Hence the name funny cake. But this is actually a cake/pie since it is made in a pie crust.

The recipe is based on the recipe on-line at “Serious Eats” but a modification was made to increase the chocolate “goo” on the bottom.

Ingredients

1 store-bought pie crust or any recipe you may have for pie crust.

For the Cake:
144g all-purpose flour (15 ounces; 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons (6g) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
56g unsalted butter (2 ounces; 4 tablespoons), softened
150g granulated sugar (about 5 1/4 ounces; 3/4 cup)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk

For the Chocolate Sauce: (for less sweet goo reduce the sugar to taste) 
200g granulated sugar (7 ounces; 1 cup)
52g unsweetened cocoa powder (about 2 ounce; 2/3 cup) (Since this is Pennsylvania Dutch in origin the chocolate has to be Hersheys). 
2/3 cup (160ml) boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Pie crust: On a clean, lightly floured work surface, roll pie crust into a 12-inch circle about 1/8 inches thick. Transfer to 8-inch pie plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F (175°C).

For the Chocolate Sauce: 
In a 2 cup heat-proof spouted measuring cup, whisk sugar and cocoa powder to combine. Add boiling water and vanilla extract and whisk until sugar and cocoa powder dissolve and no dry bits remain in the bottom of the cup, about 20 seconds. Sauce will be very fluid. let it cool somewhat.

For the Cake: 
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together. Place butter in a separate medium bowl and, using an electric mixer fitted with beaters, whip butter on high speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute more. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix on high speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Using a flexible spatula, scrape down sides of the bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter- egg mixture, then start mixer on low speed and gradually increase to medium speed, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds. On low speed, add half of the milk and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Repeat with remaining flour and milk, mixing until pale and creamy with no visible pockets of flour, about 1 minute. Do not overmix. Set aside.

Assembly: Spoon batter into prepared pie crust in 3 to 4 large dollops. Do not spread. Using a butter knife, swirl batter. Briefly whisk chocolate syrup to recombine, then pour over batter, beginning around outer edge into the middle. Bake until the crust and cake are a deep golden brown, cake is risen with a few cracks, and a cake tester or sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Remove cake from oven and cool on wire rack.

Oh the joy of a childhood favorite rediscovered. (My wife decided her home baked funny cake, of whatever quality, was infinitely better than no funny cake). This is truely unique but extremely good. Not to be missed.

Scallion Cheese Pinwheels ねぎとチーズの渦巻き

This is another one of my wife’s baking projects. This could be eaten as a part of breakfast or appetizer. Nice slightly sweet biscuits with layers of cheese and scallion is a good combination. (#1) The picture below shows a sliced cross section of the of the pinwheel (on the left and in the middle) and the whole baked pinwheel (on the right).

Ingredients:

Ingredients for the cream biscuits dough 
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (130 grams) cake flour
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons fine salt, divided
1 1/2 cups (340 grams) heavy cream

Ingredients for the pinwheels 
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups (165 grams) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (or any combination of cheese you like)
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus more for garnish (We used chopped scallions.) 
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (We used 1/8th tsp of cayenne instead ) 
1 large egg, 1/8 teaspoon fine salt for glaze. 

Directions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Directions for Biscuit dough:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Add the cream and stir with a flexible spatula until no loose flour remains. (If the dough is too loose to work add more flour until a smooth dough is formed.) 

Directions for pinwheels:
Transfer the biscuit dough to a generously floured work surface and knead it a few times until it comes together and is smooth. 

With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rough 14-by-10-inch rectangle with the long side facing you, and spread the mayonnaise over the dough, leaving a 1/2- to 1-inch border at the edges. 

Evenly sprinkle the cheese, chives and pepper over the mayonnaise, pressing down lightly with your hands to help it adhere.

Starting from the long edge of the rectangle closest to you, begin tightly rolling up the dough, until a 12-inch long log is formed. Pinch the dough with your fingers to seal the seam and the ends. (#2)

Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into 16 equal pieces (each about 3/4 inch long) — the dough will be sticky — and place them on the prepared baking sheet. (#3) Transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes. (I didn’t do this and it didn’t seem to make a difference.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and salt until combined. Using a pastry brush, brush each pinwheel with the egg wash and transfer to the oven.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the tops and bottoms of the wheels are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. (#4)

These pinwheels are very good. The dough is very soft and almost has the texture of a dough made with yeast. The mayonnaise makes the filling very rich. The flavor of the cheese and scallions comes through very nicely. This is a great appetizer to go with a glass of red wine.

Yellow Squash Garlic Bites イエロースクワシュ、ガーリックバイツ

The other day, my wife picked up two yellow squash from Whole Foods. This led us to question, “What is the difference between “zucchini” and “yellow squash?*” Our conclusion is that both belong to the squash family and “yellow zucchini” exists but “yellow squash” is not “yellow zucchini”. We ate one of the squash sautéed for dinner which meant there was one left. My wife decided to use it before it went bad by making this dish inspired by the recipe she saw on-line called “Zucchini Garlic Bites”. As usual, she made some changes mostly due to what we had on hand. (For one thing we had “yellow squash” on hand not zucchini.) I helped by prepping the veggies. This came out rather nicely; with crunchy outer crust and soft, moist interior with subtle garlic and onion flavors. The cayenne pepper added a nice zing. Perfect nice bites. They actually got better with time as the various flavors melded together. Instead of making a dipping sauce, we just used the marinara sauce I made which we keep in the fridge mostly for pizza. This went very well.

*It appears that ”Yellow squash” is not a common vegetable in Japan. I see descriptions and recipes for dishes made of “zucchini” but not yellow squash.

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded yellow squash drained well** (The original recipe calls for zucchini)
1 clove garlic grated fine
2/3 cup breadcrumbs (used Panko)
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh green onion (the original recipe calls for chives)
(the original recipe calls for 1 tbs chopped parsley)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried), we used dried
pinch of salt and cayenne pepper (1/8 tsp or more)
tomato sauce for dipping

** I use a potato ricer to squeeze out the moisture. This works better than other methods we tried.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Cover a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.
Use a box grater to grate the yellow squash. Using a potato ricer, squeeze out moisture (in batches).
Mash the garlic using a garlic press.
Add the shredded squash, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, green onion, basil, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper to a medium bowl. Mix well to combine. 
Shape a tablespoon of the mixture into your hands, pat into small balls. (You may need to add more breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet to hold its shape). Place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven until golden. Serve warm with marinara sauce. Recipe makes about 16 bites.

Prosciutto, dates, and goat cheese bites

This is another one of my wife’s baking projects. She wanted to make savory small bites which will go well with red wine. Since we had extra prosciutto, she wanted to use it up. After searching recipes on-line, she found a recipe using pancetta, dates and goat cheese at Washington Post. Although the recipe specifically called for pancetta, we have learned that among the trinity of Italian cured pork, i.e. prosciutto, pancetta, and guanciale, the major difference between them is the part of the pork they come from; i.e. thigh, belly, and jowl, respectively. So my wife figured she could substitute the prosciutto she had for the pancetta she didn’t have in this dish. The recipe also called for dates. Upon inspection of the back of the pantry, we discovered that the only dates we had were an unopened package of dried dates which had passed their BUB (best-used-by) date by a large margin. We tasted the dates. They tasted OK but the skin was getting a bit hard. So we soaked the dates in hot water to see if that would help and it did. The dates were perfectly usable. In addition the recipe called for making the batter into a loaf of bread but my wife wanted something small to nibble with wine so she cooked the recipe in mini muffin tins. Thus these small bites or muffins were made. The dates added sweetness and prosciutto added a nice saltiness. They both went well with the goat cheese which made the muffin moist.

Ingredients:
3 ounces prosciutto (or pancetta), chopped into pea-size pieces (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 medium onion, minced (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 pitted dates, chopped into pea-size pieces (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley (optional)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves (optional)
2 teaspoons minced fresh chives (optional)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
1/2 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
About 3 ounces (1/3 cup) fresh goat cheese, crumbled into pea-size pieces

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a mini muffin tin by either greasing it or lining it with paper cups.

Cook the prosciutto in a dry skillet over medium heat until crisped, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the prosciutto to a plate to drain. As needed, pour off all but about a teaspoon of the rendered fat in the pan, then return to medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is wilted and lightly browned in spots. Remove from the heat.

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and herbs (if using them) in a mixing bowl. Add the pieces of goat cheese. Using a pastry blender cut the cheese into the flour until it is evenly distributed as you would if making biscuits. Add the onion mixture and stir until evenly distributed. Add the chopped dates and use your fingers to break up the sticky pieces and coat them with the flour mixture. This will help keep those solids from sinking to the bottom during baking.

Whisk together the oil, milk and eggs until well incorporated. Using a flexible spatula gently stir and combine the liquid and dry ingredients, scraping the dry ingredients up from the bottom of the bowl regularly.

Scoop the dough into the prepared mini muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

These are very flavorful little bites. The combination of savory prosciutto and goat cheese with the sweetness of the dates is a very pleasing contrast. Perfect with a glass of red wine.

Cheese Straws チーズツイスト

We like small snack-y foods that go well with wine or sake. My wife, for some reason, decided to make these “Cheese straws” which are based on a recipe she found on the web. When she took out the frozen puff pastry sheets, however, she saw they were significantly past the BUD (best-used-by-date). After pondering a while and looking at what condition the puff pastry was in, she decided to take a chance and make this dish. She needed to modify the recipe mainly because of the cheeses on hand. She used smoked gouda and sharp cheddar. Despite the “passed BUD” puff pastry, this was quite good. Light, crispy and airy with cheesy flavors.

Ingredients:
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. light brown sugar
1 frozen puff pastry sheet
All-purpose flour, for rolling
4 oz. smoked cheddar cheese, finely shredded (about 11/2 cups), divided
1 large egg, beaten

Directions  
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and sugar in a small bowl until combined. Unfold the thawed puff pastry sheet on a floured work surface. Roll the pastry into a 16-by-12-inch rectangle, with long side parallel to edge of counter. Sprinkle about half of smoked paprika mixture over the surface of pastry. Sprinkle half the cheese over half of the rectangle lengthwise. Carefully fold the rectangle in half lengthwise over the cheese. Press the edges together to seal. Gently roll the folded pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the pastry into 16 (1-inch-wide) strips. Transfer the strips to the prepared baking sheets. Twist the ends in opposite directions to form spiraled sticks. Press the ends of the strips into the parchment paper, if needed, to help them hold their shape.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. (Cover with plastic wrap if refrigerating for more than 1 hour.). After removing from refrigerator sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and remaining smoked paprika mixture. Bake in 375 degree oven until cheese straws are golden brown and puffed, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating trays and moving between top and bottom racks halfway through.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Despite the fact the puff pastry was past the BUB date these were perfectly OK; spicy crunchy and flavorful. Perfect to have with a glass of wine. 

Savory Breakfast Mini Cheesecakes ミニチーズケーキ

This is another one of my wife’s baking projects. This time it was small cheesy bites called “Savory Breakfast Mini Cheesecakes” which she found on-line. She made quite a few modifications using her CCK (Common Culinary Knowledge). For example just looking at the list of ingredients for the crusts  listed in the recipe on the web she knew there was no way they would be enough to form crusts on 24 full sized muffin tins. She doubled the amount of ingredients and it was still not enough to fill all the mini muffin tin. Also the three 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (a total of 24 oz.) seemed a bit excessive so she significantly reduced the amount she used. (She wonders if sometimes the people who publish some of the recipes on the web have actually made them). The list of ingredients listed below includes all the specific alterations my wife made. Despite the numerous alterations in ingredients the cheese bites certainly turned out pretty well. They had a nice crunchy crust and cheesy center which cannot go wrong. But with the amount of eggs, cheese and butter that went in, this has to be more spectacular to be repeated.

Ingredients:
1 cup dry bread crumbs (I used Panko)
2/3 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I used parmesan)
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 package (8 oz.) cream cheese (or 1/2 package cream cheese plus1/4 chive and onion cream cheese)
2 large eggs
1 cup shredded cheese (gruyere, cheddar, smoked gouda)
2 pieces cooked bacon crumbled
1/4 teaspoon salt
other items could include cooked shallots, green onions, red peppers).

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin tin cups with cooking spray or use paper liners.

Mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and melted butter together in a small bowl. Spoon about 1 teaspoon mixture into each of the prepared muffin cups. Using your fingers press down the bread crumbs to form a crust for the cheese filling. (This procedure is the very definition of tedious). 

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined. Stir in the cheeses, bacon and any other additions you might be using. Scoop the cheese mixture into the bread crumb crusts. (I used the smallest ice cream scoop). 

Bake in the preheated oven until cheesecakes are firm to the touch and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in muffin tins for 10 minutes.

These were not bad. The crust was crispy because it was essentially oven fried. The cheesy filling was smooth and very pleasant. The bacon somehow didn’t stand out as much as we would have liked. It also made a nice cheese bite to go with wine. Subsequent note: These actually got better with time. Somehow the flavors stood out more and the crust actually was a good addition. 

Lemon Crumb Bar レモンクラムバー

One day, my wife announced she was going to make this lemon cream bar from a recipe she saw on line. She had purchased a similar item from Whole Food and thought she would try making a similar one herself. In any case, the end product was a nice crunchy, sweet candy bar like cookie thing. We did not taste any strong lemon flavor despite using the juice and zest of one lemon as called for in the recipe.

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt (1/2 tsp in dry ingredients, 1/4 tsp in the sweetened condensed milk). 
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled or quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 or 2 lemons
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8x10-inch baking pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper, positioning them perpendicular to each other and making sure they are long enough to hang over all four sides by at least 1 inch to form a sling. Toast the oats in the toaster oven until brown and fragrant. Set aside until cooled. Cut 1 stick unsalted butter into 8 pieces and melt. Add the vanilla to the melted butter. Add 3/4 cup packed brown sugar in the butter and stir to melt the sugar. Put 1 cup AP flour and the 1 1/4 toasted oats in a bowl. Add 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a flexible spatula until no dry spots remain. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture for topping.

Transfer the remaining crumble mixture into the baking pan. Pat into an even layer. Bake until fragrant and lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the lemon filling. Finely grate the zest of  1 or 2 lemons (about 2 tablespoons) into the bowl. Juice the zested lemons until you have 1/2 cup, then add to the bowl. Add 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and whisk until smooth.

Pour the filling over the hot crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumble mixture evenly over the filling. Return the baking pan to the oven and bake until the edges are lightly browned and set, 22 to 24 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. If the filling is softer than desired, refrigerate for 30 minutes once completely cooled to firm up. Grasping the excess parchment paper, lift the slab out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into 12 pieces.

This is nice, sweet and crunchy almost like a cookie. The toasted oats gave it a nutty aftertaste. The evaporated milk became slightly solid and added a pleasant creamy texture and taste. We didn’t notice much lemon flavor, however. This definitely satisfies the sweet tooth.

Babka Cookie Muffin バブカ クッキー マフィン

Last Christmas, we received chocolate babka as a gift. We enjoyed most of it but a small amount (a few good sized irregular pieces but mostly thick crumbs) remained in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator. Everything was still good. Its consistency and flavor made my wife remember some cookie butter crumb muffins she made some time ago and decided to use these babka left-overs to make a babka variation of cookie crumb muffin. My task was to pulverize or batter the left-over babka into crumbs. The resulting “battered babka crumb” was very chocolatey and much more moist than we expected but was just the amount needed to make the muffins.  The resulting muffins were very good with nice chocolaty flavor. They were not too sweet even with a crumb topping. Perfect for breakfast.

Ingredients:
FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:
1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

FOR THE MUFFINS:
1 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/2 cup (140g) “battered babka crumbs”
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter milk

Directions:
TO MAKE THE CRUMB TOPPING:
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.
Add the butter, and mix with your fingers until the mixture forms crumbs. Set aside (#3).

TO MAKE THE MUFFINS:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line or grease a 12-cup standard muffin pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, sugar, and babka crumbs until thoroughly combined.
Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well. Add the milk and mix well (#1).
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until fully blended (#2).
Scoop the batter into the muffin tins. (I used the second largest ice cream scoop).
Distribute the crumb topping over the muffin batter (#3). 
Bake 20 to 25 minute, or until the muffins are lightly browned and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (#4). Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

These muffins were quite good. They had a mild chocolately/bobka flavor. They were not too sweet and had a moist dense texture. The crumbs were literally “the icing on the top” with a slight browned butter sugar sweetness. We may have to go out and buy another babka for the next batch.

Ricotta Lemon Cookie リコッタチーズ レモンクッキー

I just made meat balls with Ricotta and parmesan cheeses using ground chicken instead of pork. I used only 2 tbs. from the container of ricotta. I mentioned to my wife that not only was that container open and mostly full but we were getting a back log of other ricotta cheese containers in the fridge, although luckily they hadn’t been opened. (Apparently, for some reason, every week we bought another container from the grocery store). I suggested to my wife that we should push using ricotta cheese for a while. Then, she saw the recipe of Ricotta cookies at King Arthur site. This was just what we needed and decided to make some. The original recipe used a glaze but we both agreed we did not need one. The original recipe also called for something called “ Fiori di Sicilia” which we didn’t have. But the recipe suggested micro-grated lemon zest and vanilla could be substituted for the “fiori di Sicilia” which is what she did. This turned out to be a great and not-too-sweet cookie. It has a soft consistency almost cake like rather than cookie. We had this as a part of morning breads (#1). We really liked it.

Ingredients X1
1 1/4 cups (150g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (41g) Semolina Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (149g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup (227g) ricotta cheese, whole milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Lemon zest from one lemon (micro-grated) or 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia*


Ingredients (X2)
2 1/2 cups (300g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 
1/2 cup (82g) Semolina Flour 
2 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon Kosher salt 
12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature 
1 1/2 cup (298g) granulated sugar 
2 large eggs, at room temperature 
2 cups (454g) ricotta cheese, whole milk
2  teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Lemon zest  (micro-grated) or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia* 


Instructions
To make the dough: Weigh your flours; or measure them by gently spooning them into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. (The mixture will not be lightened in color or fluffy in texture.)
Add the egg and mix until fully combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat briefly. Add the ricotta, vanilla, and Fiori di Sicilia. Briefly mix to fully combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta mixture all at once. Mix slowly until no dry floury streaks remain. Cover the bowl or transfer the dough to an airtight container and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Scoop the chilled dough into generous tablespoon portions.
Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly apart (about 12 dough balls per baking sheet)
Bake the ricotta cookies for 15 to 17 minutes, until the edges of the cookies just start to turn light brown.

This was a very nice cookie. It had a soft cake like texture and the lemon flavor really came through nicely  giving it a light slightly sweet flavor. It went very well with our morning coffee. That excess of ricotta cheese won’t be around for long now that we have discovered these cookies.

P.S. Out of curiosity we bought some “fiori di sicilia” flavoring and tried it out in another batch of cookies. While the resulting cookies were very different in flavor from the ones make with just the lemon zest and vanilla, they were still very good. The flavor was much less lemon but had an intriguing somewhat floral after taste. The texture of the cookie was still moist and soft like the previous batch. Next time I may add more of the flavoring to see if I can make it a bit stronger.

Mock Tofu 擬制豆腐

I saw this recipe of “Mock tofu” or “Gisei-dofu 擬制豆腐” on Youtube by Chef. Kasahara 笠原. It looked interesting and I happened to have extra tofu and fresh shiitake mushroom which needed to be used up before going bad. Supposedly, this is a common form of “shojin-ryouri 精進料理” or vegetarian cooking done by Buddhist monks. The name “mock” or “gisei” reportedly comes from the fact that tofu was crumbed, other ingredients are added,  formed into an original rectangular shape of tofu and cooked. No eggs should be used in the original shojin-ryori but modern renditions use eggs as binder and some recipes even call for ground meat. 

While I was making this, I realized a U.S. block of tofu is larger than a Japanese block so I was afraid that the final loaf which had more tofu may not firm up but it did. The cut surface looked more like tofu than omelette (picture #1). I did not make it too sweet but this is a very good looking dish and tasted very gentle with nice texture.  Adding more tofu appeared to work. According to Chef Kasahara, this is his regular osechi “new year” dish. I may add this to my osechi next year. Since this could be a new year osechi dish, I served the slices on a small crane design plate we bought in Kyoto some years ago since the “crane” is very suitable motif for new year cerebration.

Ingredients: (made two loaves measuring 2 1/2 and 5 1/2 inch)

1 package (14oz or 400gram*) tofu (I used medium firm), drained, wrapped in paper towel with a weight on the top (I used two cutting boards as weights) for 20 minutes, crumble by hand

3 large eggs, beaten

4-5 caps of shiitake mushroom, thinly sliced

1 small carrot, julienned

3 scallions finely chopped

1 tbs vegetable oil

*Apparently Japanese one block of tofu is smaller. The original recipe used one block which was 300grams. 

Seasoning*:

1 tbs x 4 concentrated noodle sauce or soy sauce either light colored or regular

1 tbs mirin

* Original recipe calls for soy sauce and sugar. The above is not as sweet.

Directions:

Prepare loaf pans (I used two 2 1/2 x 5 1/2 inch silicon loaf pans) by lining with parchment paper and lightly oil for easy lifting (see “A” in the composite picture).  Preheat oven to 350F*.

In a frying pan on medium heat, add 1 tbs vegetable oil and sauté the carrot and mushroom. After few minutes, add the crumbled tofu and keep stirring for another 5 minutes or so until water is not seeping out from the tofu. Add the seasonings and cook until no liquid is visible on the bottom. Add the scallion, mix and shut off the flame.

Add the half of the eggs and mix. The residual heat will semi cook the eggs. Add the remaining eggs and mix.

Pour in the mixture to the loaf pans and press and flatten the surface with a silicon spatula.

Place the loaf pans in the 350F oven for 30 minutes (“A” in the composite picture) .

*Original recipe calls for 250C oven which is over 480F. I thought this was way too hot. Using my own discretion, I baked at 350F (about 180C) using the toaster oven in convection mode.

After cooling down for 10 minutes, I lifted the load out of the pan using both ends of the parchment paper (“B” in the composite picture). I sliced it after it cooled to near room temperature.

As I mentioned before, because of the larger proportion of tofu in my rendition (albeit by accident), the cut surface looks more like tofu than omelette. I do not think this dish should be omelette with tofu mixed in. More like tofu dish hiding the use of eggs like some Buddhist monks may have done. 

Obviously, you could alter the vegetables you can use in this dish. Renkon, wood ear mushroom, green beans, hijiki, ginnan, mitsuba etc were suggested. I also saw the recipes adding ground meat but I do not particularly like that idea.

In any case, we really like this dish as I made it (by accident??).

P.S. I made this dish again with few modifications. 

1. Seasonings: I used 2 tsp sugar and 2tbs x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce making it sweeter thatn the first. This appears to have worked. Both of us liked the a bit sweeter taste better.

2. I used three silicon loaf pans without parchment paper lining but coating the inside with a small mount of oil. The giese-tofu came out without problem. I am not sure the oil is needed.

Apple Pie Muffin and Pan Cake アップルパイ マフィン

As part of the season, we received some fresh fruit which included of several Granny Smith Apples. In general, these apples are not good eating apples and are typically used in baked goods such as cake. My wife remembered that she had saved a recipe she found on the internet about apple muffins that taste just like apple pie and thought this would be a perfect use of the Granny Smith Apples.

The original recipe came from “Serious Eats”. This is a somewhat complicated muffin to make. It comes in 3 parts. First is making the apples by coating them with spices and then cooking them in melted butter until they start getting soft. Second is a layer of crumbs to put between two layers of dough. Third is the muffin dough itself.

My wife made muffins (pictures #1 and #2) and baked in a baking dish as a flat cake (picture #3).

The problem was that these three different parts were not specified in the original recipe but instead all clumped together with phrases like, “2 1/4 cups AP flour divided” and it wasn’t until you were knee deep in the directions that you discovered 1/2 cup of the flour was supposed to be used to make crumbs and the other 1 3/4 cups was used for the actual muffin batter. As a matter of fact the recipe did not even specify there was a layer of crumbs and it took my wife some time to figure out the recipe consisted of 3 parts at which point the recipe started to make sense. Added to all that we wanted to use up all the Granny Smith apples but once we cooked them all we realized we had too many for just one batch of a dozen muffins. So we decided to double the recipe and make 1/2 as muffins and 1/2 as a pan cake (i.e. a flat cake baked in a baking pan). Hopefully we have sorted out the three components of the recipe below so they are clearer than the original and by showing the recipe as X1 for just muffins and X2 for muffins and pan cake. Good Luck.

Ingredients (X 1)

For the Spiced Apples:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small tart apple such as Granny Smith cut into 1/4 inch pieces (1 cup chopped)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

For the crumbs:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbs butter

For the muffins: 
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour,
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon,
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened,
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/3 cup apple cider, at room temperature (We didn’t have any cider so we juiced another apple)

Ingredients (X2) We wanted to use up the Granny Smith Apples but we ended up with too many apples so we chose to double the recipe and make 1/2 as muffins and 1/2 as pan cake

For the Spiced Apples:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tart apples such as Granny Smith, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

For the crumbs:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup flour
3 tsp cinnamon
8 tbs butter

For the muffins:
1 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened,
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2/3 cup apple cider, at room temperature (We didn’t have any cider so we juiced another apple)

Directions: whether making 1X or 2X of the recipe just use the quantity of ingredients specified for that amount.

For the Spiced Apples:  In a 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, add apple pieces, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pie spice and cook, stirring frequently, until apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer apple mixture to a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Thoroughly strain, gently stirring to remove as much excess moisture from apples as possible; set aside to let apples strain until they reach room temperature, about 15 minutes. Spread strained apples in an even layer on a large plate and refrigerate uncovered until cooled, 15 to 20 minutes. Reserve strained sauce for use as a glaze. 

Prepare oven and cooking utensils: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. If making pan cake grease the medium sized pyrex cooking pan then line with greased parchment paper.

Make the crumbs for the Muffins: Stir together brown sugar, pie spice,1/2 cup of the flour, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon in a medium bowl until well combined. Work in 4 tablespoons of the butter using fingertips until mixture is well combined and resembles wet sand. Set aside.

Make the batter for the muffin: In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat granulated sugar and remaining 2/3 cup butter on medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition, about 30
seconds.

In a medium bowl, whisk together salt, baking powder, baking soda, remaining 1 3/4
cups flour, and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

In a small measuring cup whisk together sour cream and cider (apple juice) until well combined.

Stir flour mixture into butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream mixture, until flour mixture is moistened but large flour streaks remain. Fold cooled apples into batter until evenly dispersed and batter is just combined. (Do not over-mix.)

Assembly: Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into bottom of each paper liner. Sprinkle 1 packed teaspoon brown sugar mixture evenly over batter in each muffin liner; top with remaining batter (about 3 tablespoons per well) spreading into an even layer. (Liners will be very full.) (1 and 2 in the composite)

Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 12 to 18 minutes, rotating pan halfway. Let cool in pan 10 minutes.

If making pan cake, spoon 1/2 the batter into the baking dish, cover with crumbs, and cover crumbs with remaining batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes reduce temperature to 375 and bake for 30 minutes and start testing for doneness by seeing if wooden pick comes out clean (3 and 4 in the composite).

Carefully remove from pan and serve warm or at room temperature, drizzling with reserved strained apple juices from step 2 just before serving.

Although this is a fairly convoluted recipe for apple based muffins it is probably worth it because the end result is very good. They do taste distinctly of apple pie. The texture is very light, soft and tender. The cooked apples introduce a burst of cinnamon flavored moistness that is very pleasant. The crumbs kind of melted into the texture making an internal layer of buttery cinnamon flavored dough. The pan cake had all the similar characteristics but was simpler to make. These muffins are a bit unique in the combination of flavors and textures they deliver. Despite the initial difficulties now that we have the recipe sorted out we will be making them again.

Chestnut olive oil bread 栗とオリーブオイルケーキ

This is a variation on the theme of  “olive oil cakes” that my wife has been making recently. Previous versions were: “almond olive oil cake” and “Hazelnut olive oil cake”. The hazelnut olive oil cake was gluten-free but since our purpose in making these cakes was to use various unusual nut flours rather than make gluten-free cakes, she added a small amount of AP flour in the almond olive oil cake which appears to make the cake more stable by preventing the center of the cake from collapsing after it cooled. This time, she added more wheat flour and the cake consistency is closer to “regular” cake. The chestnut flour gave a really nicely distinctive flavor. Next time, she said she might add chunks of prepared chestnuts.

Ingredients
2 cups firmly packed chestnut flour
1/2 cup AP flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (medium quality is OK)

1 cup sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 20 cm 8" springform pan with olive oil then line with baking paper (parchment paper), then grease the paper. In a medium bowl, mix the chestnut flour, AP flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the olive oil, eggs and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes on speed 7 or 8 until it becomes pale and thick (like pouring cream or runny mayonnaise). Add vanilla extract and beat on speed one for 10 seconds. Add the Dry ingredients and mix in gently using a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. It will puff up dramatically in the oven but it collapses as it cools. (This version did not collapse as much as previous nut olive oil cakes). Remove from the oven and allow the cake to fully cool in the pan before releasing from the springform pan. This is a rustic cake that has higher edges and a flatter centre.

This is a very distinctive cake. It has a moist dense texture and a deep rich nutty chestnut flavor. (The flavor is unique, in a good way, and very distinctive.) Because of the intense rich flavor a small piece goes a long way. We found it is particularly good served with a slather of blueberry flavored cream cheese. 

Almond Olive Oil Cake アーモンドオリーブオイルケーキ

This is a variation my wife made of “Hazelnut olive oil cake”. Instead of hazelnut flour (which is a very expensive flour), she used almond flour. She made a number of  modifications. It turned out very nice (#1). Since she used small amount of wheat flour, this is not gluten free.

Because of the olive oil, the cake is very moist and nice alomond flavor coming from both the flour and the almond essence. Since this is not too sweet, perfect for breakfast.

Ingredients
1 1/4  cups firmly packed almond flour
1/2 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil (medium quality is OK)
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
>1 tsp almond extract (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 20 cm/8" springform pan with olive oil then line with baking paper (parchment paper), then grease the paper. In a medium bowl, mix the almond flour, AP flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the olive oil, eggs and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes on speed 7 or 8 until it becomes pale and thick (like pouring cream or runny mayonnaise). Add vanilla and almond extract beat on speed one for 10 seconds. Add the Dry ingredients and mix in gently using a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. It will puff up dramatically in the oven but it collapses as it cools. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to fully cool in the pan before releasing from the springform pan. This is a rustic cake that has higher edges and a flatter centre.

This is nice variation on the theme of breads made with exotic flours. This has a very moist tender texture and a nice flavor from the combination of almonds and olive oil. (They go surprisingly well together).