Top of the Muffin To Ya

Call it the winter blues, perhaps, but the last few weeks I have been craving muffins. Not the Starbucks calorie laden versions (thank goodness) but the smell and taste of a home cooked treat. First, I made the apple sauce muffins from the Moosewood.The following week, I whipped up the batter for the apple spice cake recipe in the same cookbook (which only uses maple syrup for sweetener) and baked that in muffin tins. Similar to the apple sauce muffins but with instant oatmeal part of the list of ingredients, the end result was hearty and healthy.

Cross-section of the apple spice cake muffins with fresh cranberries

Then, with leftover ricotta in the fridge, I stumbled upon Giada De Laurentiis' Nonna's recipe for lemon ricotta muffins. It's stretching it a bit to call these babies "muffins." Chock full of moist goodness and super sweet, these were more like little cakes. Add some glaze or frosting and you're looking at a birthday party treat.

And then I ran the recipe through MasterCook. Clocking in at 274 calories and 13 grams of fat EACH, these were "special occasion" muffins and definitely not the winter workday morning everyday indulgence I was after.

So I went out on a limb and messed with the recipe. I know baking is a science, it's all about chemistry, yadda, yadda, but even scientists experiment. So I slashed the fat and added fiber. The end result? Down to 200 calories and 8 grams of fat per muffin. So not exactly made for an everyday breakfast, but good for a weekend indulgence. And, given the temptation of moist lemon cake and tart berries, good thing they freeze well. After all, no one wants to gnaw on a frozen muffin in February.

Lemon Ricotta Berry Muffins

Inspired by a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
1 Cup All-purpose flour

1 Cup Whole wheat flour
1/2 t. Baking powder
1/2 t. Baking soda
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 C. Sugar

5 T. Unsalted butter, softened
1 T. Lemon zest
1 C. Part-skim ricotta
1 Egg
1 T. Lemon juice
1/2 t. Almond extract
1/4 C. 1% Milk

1 1/2 C. Frozen blackberries, raspberries and/or blueberries

2 T. Sliced almonds

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour through salt) in small bowl.

In a larger bowl, cream sugar, butter and zest with an electric mixer; add ricotta and beat until incorporated.

Add egg, lemon juice and almond extract to ricotta mixture and beat until well combined.

Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by hand; adding up to 1/4 cup low fat milk if needed (batter should be stiff, but all dry ingredients should be well incorporated).

Fold in frozen berries by hand.

Using an ice cream scoop or two tablespoons, scoop batter into a 12 cup muffin tin that has either been sprayed or prepped with paper liners.

Sprinkle a few sliced almonds on top of each muffin.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes in pan before removing from tin and cooling on baking rack.

Union Square Revisited

I went into the city on Saturday for the first time since moving (three months ago). I had fun doing my old routine -- swimming at the Y on 14th Street, getting sushi at Whole Foods Union Square, trekking down to Chinatown for won ton soup, and walking through the Union Square Greenmarket.


I realize now I really took the greenmarket for granted. Living in the land of indoor markets, it'll be late spring before the vendors venture outside again. So I grabbed shallots and fingerling potatoes and about 8 lbs. of apples to haul back with me (after first taking them on a trip downtown through Soho and Chinatown. My left shoulder may never be the same).


Since I got a mix of eating apples and cooking apples (at $3 a 4 lb. bag, I was willing to take my chances with the "slightly imperfect" ones), I settled on making apple sauce muffins with half the haul.


The recipe, which is based on one in the Moosewood Low-fat Favorites cookbook, combines apple sauce with fresh whole cranberries and walnuts for a tart-sweet breakfast treat.

With a mix of white and whole wheat flour, and only two tablespoons of oil, this muffin beats the low fat options at your favorite coffee shop hands down. And helps justify buying a grande mocha latte to wash it down.

Apple Cranberry Muffins

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

Ingredients

1 C. White Flour

1 C. Whole Wheat Flour

1 T. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Salt

1/2 t. Cinnamon

1/4 t. Nutmeg

1 Egg

1 Egg White

1 C. Applesauce (Homemade or commercial)

1/3 C. Brown Sugar

Zest of one Lemon

2 T. Canola Oil

2 T. Skim Milk

1/2 C. Walnuts, Toasted and Chopped

1 C. Cranberries (Whole or Chopped)

Method

Preheat oven to 400; spray or grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

Sift together dry ingredients.

In another bowl, beat egg and egg white until frothy; add applesauce, brown sugar, lemon zest, oil and milk and beat until well incorporated.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mixed until just combined; fold in walnuts and cranberries.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin tins to just below the rim.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

London: Market to Market

After a hectic holiday, work took me to London the second weekend of January. It was a quick trip, and I literally had 36 hours of free time.

But I made good use of the time, seeing a show ("An Inspector Calls"), dining in two of my favorite quick casual restaurants, attending evensong services at Westminster Abby (I think I prefer St. Paul's, but still worth checking out) and of course, visiting two of my favorite markets: Greenwich and Borough.

Greenwich, just down the Thames from London, is a really cute college town I got to check out on my last visit (in October). Back in late October, the weather was still nice enough to take the river cruise to Greenwich. However, with the bitter January weather, I decide to take the train. And the one hour journey (tube to DLR) was worth it for the shopping and food.

Greenwich market has a ton of stalls selling everything from handcrafts to fashion to accessories. And many offer unique items at reasonable prices. The market is also lined with really interesting stores specializing in clothing, jewelry or home goods, so you could spend the whole day there.

On this visit, I picked up two makeup purses at Afxentiou. I discovered the stall on my last visit, the bright graphic prints (one could say almost Orla-Kiely-esque) catching my attention straight away. And since it's a small, London-based company with prices that are most definitely not Orla-Kiely-esque, the purses make great gifts too.

I also couldn't resist buying a funky chicken doorstop from refab (despite not really having a door to prop up!).

And then there's the food. From Portuguese to crepes to "Louisiana sausages," you could eat around the world from the food stalls. I decided to try a lahmacun wrap. The flatbread was crisped on the griddle and then stuffed with salad, hummus and a yogurt sauce. Nice and compact for eating on the go.


Later that day (after training back to London, meandering through Soho and attending services at Westminster), I walked across the London Bridge to Borough Market.

Sadly, I arrived a bit too late. By 30 minutes before closing, most stalls had gone or were breaking down for the day, including Kappacasein. With no cheese toastie for me this visit, I followed my nose (and the scent of grilling meat) to a new stand -- Northfield Farm.

Northfield operates in the market as both a butcher and food stall. On one side, you can get your raw meat product and the other, cooked meat product.

The "cooked side" had quite a menu -- from beef to pork to lamb. Although I was hoping for a sausage, by the time I made it to the front of the line, all they had left was lamb, lamb or lamb. So I opted for a lamb burger with mature cheddar and a sweet curry mustard.


Once I peeled off the top bun (too much bread!), I actually enjoyed the burger. The lamb patty had been seared a deep brown on the outside but was still moist inside. And the cheese, although cold and not melty, was a nice touch. The burger really couldn't compare to a cheese toastie, but was a good substitute, especially since I was cold and hungry!

The moral of the story is, when visiting either market, go early, go hungry and go to the ATM, as there's a lot of temptation at London's food, bric-a-brac and antique markets!

Greenwich Market is open Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Take the DLR to "Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich" station. For more information, visit http://www.greenwichmarket.net/.

Borough Market is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday but most of the food stalls are only open Friday and Saturday. Although the market closes at 6:00 p.m. on Fridays and 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays, many stalls begin breaking down much earlier. Take the tube to London Bridge. For more information, visit http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/.

Ham for the Holidays

January 5. Also known as the 12th day of Christmas, making it an apropos time to reflect on the holiday season. Although I am back to the grind, I did enjoy a great few weeks upstate with family and friends. And while I did not do a lot of cooking, I did do plenty of eating. But when I did drag out the pots and pans, the one ingredient that kept showing up time and time again was ham.

Full disclosure: I don't even really like ham (it has something to do with college and the biology for non-majors class I was required to take -- I'll spare you the details). But there is something about spiral ham that screams holiday. So serve ham diced in a jambalaya-style stew, or hide it under scalloped potatoes, and I'll eat it. Especially if the potatoes are covered with leeks and cream and Gruyere, as in the Williams Sonoma Potato-Leek gratin recipe.

I think this is a perfect holiday recipe because, frankly, it's time consuming to clean and cut and cook the leeks, and peel and slice the potatoes, and grate the cheeses. But the end result is worth it. An easier weeknight take on the recipe would be to use the ingredients to make a potato leek soup (after all, if you're going to puree everything, no need to take the care to make perfect 1/4 inch slices!).

Of course, this is also a perfect holiday recipe because it's not exactly low calorie. But if your New Year's resolutions allow for a splurge now and then, bookmark this recipe.


Happy New Year!

Sweet Potato Biscuit Muffins - A Holiday Baking Mishap

Ironically, it's always this time of year -- prime baking season -- when I have baking mishaps. I chalk it up to being in a rush and not reading directions. Case in point, a few weeks before Christmas, I hosted another holiday open house and decided to make Sweet Potato Biscuits with Ham, Mustard and Honey. Although the recipe was recently published in the December issue of Bon Appetit, I had been wanting to make it since reading about it in Molly Wizenberg's book, A Homemade Life. Heck, I even tracked down the mustard she recommended in preparation.

But in my haste, I did not read the whole recipe closely enough and neglected to let the sweet potato mash (made from potatoes purchased during my final farmers market run) cool before mixing it with the dried ingredients and cold cubed butter. Needless to say, the chilled butter melted on contact with the mash, resulting in a gloppy mess. Since there was no way I could roll out the sticky dough, I decided to try to salvage the biscuits by scooping the dough into muffin tins and baking as is. Although the end result was a little flat and heavy, it actually worked really well, and the "biscuit muffins" were perfectly shaped -- even more so than they would have been had I attempted to cut them out of the rolled dough. Just goes to show that there are holiday miracles this time of year after all. Maybe I should get out the almond meal and attempt macarons again...or maybe not!

Review of The Scarsdale Winter Market

Last weekend, I drove over the (Saw Mill) River (Road) and through the (sparse) woods to Scarsdale, NY on a quest to find the indoor farmers market. Scarsdale has a reputation for being a rather tony place (in fact, the village's Wikipedia entry list dedicates quite a bit of space to the famous and infamous who live(d) there).

Which is probably why everyone was flocking to the downtown area on Saturday afternoon. By the time I navigated the quaint and cramped streets lined with Tudor-revival-style architecture and Land Rovers, I was ready to make this my one and only visit to the market. But as I pulled into the municipal parking garage, I realized the indoor market was really incongruous compared to the other parts of the village.

Because the market is literally set up in a parking garage. No frills, but it works. With a mix of vendors selling everything from cheese to honey to woolen scarves, you can pretty much find anything you want (except takeout Indian. Chutney Masala was not there, as I had hoped).

In fact, the lone produce vendor had quite the assortement -- including purple cauliflower and a variety of mushrooms. He even had greenhouse tomatoes (which, if not as tasty as summer tomatoes from the field, were at least locally grown).

I picked up some apples and shallots, plus a head of purple cauliflower (still looking for inspiration on how to use it!) and drove back home, passing a Hastings farmers market sign on the way. Yes, I could have avoid the trip (and probably scored some samosas) as my local market is open one Saturday a month during the winter season. Oh well, I would have missed counting Land Rovers.

Notes:

The Scarsdale market is located in the garage at 1 Christie Place every Saturday.

Future dates for the Hastings on Hudson market are January 9, February 13 and March 13 at the Community Center on Main St.

'Tis The Season for Entertaining

The holidays are here and everyone is scrambling to shop, cook, eat and entertain. This year, I am trying to take a simpler approach in every way possible, including parties. Take last weekend -- I hosted a family brunch for nine adults and two babies. I planned the menu around things I could either: make ahead or in an instant, have people make themselves or items I could cook once and eat twice (or thrice!).

So the day before I prepared the spinach artichoke dip and frittata filling, made all of my desserts, and prepped the vegetables for crudité and tossed salad. The morning of the brunch, I juggled oven space, heating the dip, baking off the frittata in muffin tins, warming a spiral ham and cooking scalloped potatoes. At the last minute, I baked the thawed-from-frozen croissants and threw together a fruit salad and batter for make-your-own waffles.

Thanks to a few helpers, everything came together beautifully, everyone enjoyed the meal and I had a ton of leftovers. In fact, some of those leftovers, including remaining slices from the 8 lb. ham currently tucked in the freezer, will make a second appearance next Sunday at Holiday Brunch -- The Sequel. After all, 'tis the season.

Happy Holidays!

Pumpkin Trifle (adapted from Gourmet)

Do a Google search and it seems like everyone and their brother has a pumpkin trifle recipe. Last weekend, I made this as written but am thinking about using artificial helpers (e.g., the old instant pudding and whipped topping route) next time to get a lighter and fluffier mousse with fewer calories. Will let you know how it goes!

Ingredients

1 8x8 pan of Gingerbread cake (prepared from scratch or from a mix like the one from Trader Joe's)

1 (1/4 oz.) Envelope of gelatin

1/4 C. Water

1 14-15 oz. Can of Pumpkin (unless you're lucky to have fresh puree on hand)
1/4 C. Brown sugar
1 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Nutmeg
Dash of Salt
2 C. Whipping cream
1 1/2 t. Vanilla extract

1 1/2 T. Sugar

Method

Using a bread knife, cut the cooled, prepared gingerbread cake into 1 inch cubes and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, spices and salt; whisk until well incorporated.

Pour the water in a small pot; sprinkle on gelatin and let sit one minute. Heat mixture, whisking until gelatin dissolves completely. Pour gelatin mixture into pumpkin mixture and combine.

In a separate bowl, combine whipping cream, vanilla and sugar and beat until the mixture forms and holds soft peaks.

Fold 2/3 of the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture, reserving 1/3 of the cream.

In a clear glass bowl, layer 1/3 of the gingerbread cubes and top with 1/3 of the pumpkin mixture; repeat for two more layers.

Top the bowl with the reserved whipped cream; cover and chill for two hours or overnight.