Berry Buttermilk Muffins

No big travel plans for the summer? Perfect. Start planning your staycation.

A staycation is, as defined by Merriam-Webster, "a vacation spent at home or nearby". This term was added to the Merriam-Wesbter dictionary in 2009, as staycations have become ever more popular in recent years, what with a world financial crisis, rising gas prices, and all that other annoying stuff. Well, dear readers, why not plan a weekend that involves your very own austerity measures, i.e. your summer staycation? And what better way to start your staycation than with Staycation Muffins? These Buttermilk Berry Muffins take advantage of seasonal berries, are quick to make and the perfect treat for your very own stay-at-home vacation.

Just because you don't go away doesn't mean there aren't lots of things to do. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find some local festivals or events on in your city, and these are an excellent way to spend part of your staycation. For example, it is the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, which means here in Ontario there are lots of events going on to commemorate this bicentennial (see here). In addition to any events in your city, you could also go to a local farmer's market - where you can browse seasonal produce and pick up some summer berries for your muffins! I've found that in Toronto lots of farmers markets have been popping up recently, so as long as you know the day and location, you can stock up on lots of good food for your staycation. It's also important to fit in some rest and relaxation - so get the hard part of your staycation over with first (and no, these muffins are not difficult to make) and start your vacation in the kitchen. 

The Recipe:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon zest

1 1/2 to 2 cups berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc - fresh or frozen)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line muffin tray with paper liners. 

2. In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract. 

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Stir these dry ingredients together, and then gently fold in the berries. If using frozen berries, do not thaw first. 

4. Pour in the wet ingredients and then gently stir only until ingredients are combined. Do not over-mix.

5. Fill each muffin cup almost full with the batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 5 to 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely. Makes 12 muffins.

These muffins are perfect for a holiday because they are quite a treat. When baking them, I debated using some whole wheat flour instead of the entire amount of all-purpose flour, but I was happy with the result. The muffins are light and almost cake-like (thanks to the buttermilk no doubt). I used 1 cup of blueberries and 1 cup of raspberries. The raspberries weren't actually very sweet, but they go lovely in the lemony-sweet muffin.

If you do not have buttermilk on hand - don't worry, (the number one rule of staycationing should be not to worry) - you can easily make your own buttermilk. Simply add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk, and allow the milk to sit for about 10 to 15 minutes before adding it into the recipe. It won't be quite as smooth as store-bought buttermilk, but provides the right taste and texture for your muffins.

While the muffins are baking, you can make a "staycation playlist" and if you're not already in the middle of reading something, pick out one of the books you've been meaning to read (I'll try not to judge anyone too much who owns up to reading Fifty Shades of Grey, but there is other summer lit out there that's a little less trashy...). I'll even help you out here by recommending a song or two to include in your playlist. I can't stop listening to Alabama Shakes. I bought their album Boys & Girls a few months ago, and I love it, especially the songs "Hold On" and "Hang Loose." They sound just like summer should, so check out "Hold On" to see for yourself. 

Now, back to your staycation. I'm crossing my fingers that you have a sunny day. Once the muffins have a cooled a bit from the oven, you can take them out to your backyard or a park with your book and your new playlist, and enjoy the fact that it's summer and you're on staycation! 

If the opportunity arises where you are invited away to a cottage for the weekend or the beach for a day, by all means go and take the Staycation Muffins with you - I can guarantee they will be just as good away from home as they will be enjoyed at home on your staycation!

Happy Eating!

Caroline

Strawberry Mousse

Happy July, dear readers! It's still strawberry season here in Ontario (I can only imagine that you, like me, are thinking 'thank goodness!' to this statement) which means that finally here is my first strawberry-themed post!

When a friend came over last night to sample some of the object of this post, strawberry mousse, her response after the first bite was that mousse is an underrated dessert. I have to agree with her. Two of my other friends who I spoke to about making this mousse both gave rather surprised reactions. I can think of examples of chocolate mousse cakes that I've chosen to pass on because I assumed they would be too rich or too heavy - but strawberry mousse is in a different category. This is a refreshing and delicious way to end your meal on a hot summer night.

This is what I consider an ideal summer recipe. Not only does it use fresh seasonal fruit, but it is also simple to make. Even with the best air conditioning, it still can sometimes feel a bit wrong to me to turn the oven to bake anything when it's so hot outside. This mousse is made on the stovetop and chilled in the fridge so it doesn't do too much to heat up your kitchen. The lemon flavour shines through, which contributes to its refreshing-for-summer appeal. It's also pretty to serve, you can get creative about what you serve it in (last summer I opted for martini glasses) - and garnish with a fresh strawberry or two!

The Recipe:

4 cups strawberries
6 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 pint heavy cream, OR 1 cup firm yogurt*

1. Wash strawberries, hull, and slice. When washing strawberries, just run them under the tap - there's no need to soak strawberries as they absorb water this way which will dilute the flavour. Place the 4 cups of sliced strawberries in a medium-sized saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries look like soup. Transfer to a medium sized bowl and set aside.
2. Without washing it first, use the same saucepan for this step. Combine the cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice in the pan, and whisk until uniform.
3. Pour the still-hot strawberry soup back into the lemon juice mixture, whisking constantly. Return the pan to the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick. This should take between 5 and 8 minutes - and feel free to sample the strawberry mixture at this time. If there is any bit of a residual cornstarch taste, continue to cook the strawberry mixture. Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in the lemon rind.
4. Transfer strawberry mixture back to the same bowl the strawberries had been in, and cool to room temperature.
5. Puree until smooth in a food processor or blender, and return to the bowl. Cover tightly and chill until cold.
6. Fold in the whipped cream or yogurt and serve garnished with a strawberry.

*Whipped cream vs. yogurt: I've made this mousse enough times that I've tried the various options. It is absolutely delicious with freshly whipped cream - however it is also much richer this way. I find that when I have made the whipped cream version, I only want to eat a few spoonfuls of this mousse before it becomes too much. When I first tried using yogurt, I used plain 0% fat yogurt - and the result reminded me rather of an extra delicious and fresh tasting strawberry yogurt - not quite a mousse. This time I tried Greek yogurt for the first time. Although the mousse wasn't quite as light as it would be with whipped cream, I found the balance of the thicker yogurt with the sweet strawberries to be delicious, and definitely not too rich. If you do opt for yogurt, make sure to stir the yogurt before adding it to the strawberry mixture to help give it an airy texture. Let me stress again though that all the options taste delicious - it just rather depends on how rich you want this dessert to be.

Although you could make this mousse any time of year, even with frozen strawberries in the winter, there is nothing more perfectly summery than sitting outside and enjoying a long summer evening with a good friend or two, and serving of strawberry mousse.

Happy Moussing!

Caroline

Borough Market Salad

Greetings from London, dear readers! I'm sorry it's taken me quite so long to write a new post - but somehow being a tourist has gotten in the way of blogging about delicious food. I've been in London for nearly three weeks now, so that makes me almost a local, right? Well, I'm enough of a local that today I went to one of London's finest food markets, the Borough Market, and loaded up on fresh, local ingredients... including English strawberries, asparagus, salad greens, a cucumber (which at home would be called an English cucumber, but here it was just called a "Cuc"), darjeeling tea, focaccia bread, plump dried cranberries and honeyed almonds, fourme d'Ambert blue cheese, and English cider... unfortunately the only reason I stopped there was because I ran out of cash and then it seemed like a good idea to go home.

The strawberries are in season in England now and they are juicy and sweet. I would love to make strawberry shortcake with them, or scones with clotted cream and fresh strawberries. It would be a bit too challenging for me to make scones or shortcake today though (without any of the ingredients or some of the proper equipment), so both you and I, dear readers, will have to wait until I return to Toronto (when hopefully Ontario strarwberries are in season) for those recipes. Going for afternoon tea here has motivated me to learn how to make the perfect scone - not that my blueberry lemon scones aren't delicious, but I want to make plain, light scones that are meant to be served with clotted cream and jam.

Back to the Borough Market - and the Borough Market Salad I've created with my fine, fresh ingredients. The Borough Market is located right by London Bridge - and according to their website, there have been food markets in this area since 1014. The market has over 100 stalls, which range from fruit and veg, to bakers and butchers. I walked around the market at least three times before I was ready to start buying anything. I had to study each produce stand to decide where to buy my fruit and veg (the prices were not the same across the market), and look at all the cheese stands, and sample olive oils that I didn't buy, and inspect the baked goods and breads at all the bakeries so that I knew I was making the most informed decisions. I went to the market with a vague idea of some ingredients to buy, but luckily I found more than enough inspiration across the stands. Here's my salad to prove to you just how well I did at the market:

The Recipe:

Note: this recipe is a rough guideline only - with salads, I'd say it's not important to follow strict measures - just go with what you like!

Mixed salad greens
(English) cucumber, chopped
handful of dried cranberries
handful of honeyed almonds
Fourme d'Ambert (or any blue cheese of your choice), crumbled
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Focaccia bread, sliced, to serve on the side

1. Wash lettuce thoroughly and dry. Top with cucumber, cranberries, and almonds.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss together lightly.
3. Serve with focaccia bread on the side and a local English cider.

At the produce stand where I bought my mixed salad greens, there were giant bins of about six different types of greens - none of them labeled. So I picked a mix of them, taking more of the ones I thought would taste best, but making sure to get some of them all to try.

When I went to buy the cheese, I originally had planned to get an English Stilton. Somehow I ended up with a French cheese instead. To be honest, I haven't really acquired a taste for any type of blue cheese yet, and so I asked the man for the "least strong" blue. He obviously laughed at me. He let me sample some of the cheeses though, and I decided on the Fourme d'Ambert. I find that crumbled into a salad of flavourful greens, complimented by the sweet cranberries and almonds, the cheese is just right.

Happy Eating!

Caroline

Arugula Pesto Pizza

I'm not sure how it is already May (or will be in an hour and a half) and we your friendly cooks/bakers at scrambledeggsetc have not done a post on pizza. Pizza is one of my favourite foods. I love how versatile pizza can be - as this here recipe will exemplify.

Just a few weeks ago, I went out for dinner at the recently opened Terroni Yonge St restaurant with some of my girlfriends, for, you guessed it - pizza. I'm not intending to give a review of the restaurant here, but I will say that I liked the new space. I had been to the Yonge and St Clair location lots of times before it closed since it was always a convenient meeting spot for good, but overpriced Italian food. I chose a pizza called "La Pecuri" that was topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, goat cheese, sundried tomato, arugula, and parmigiano (I didn't remember that there were that many cheeses on my pizza but I just looked up the menu - no wonder it was so delicious!). The pizza came covered in a thick layer of arugula - and since that pizza, I've been craving arugula.

Other names for arugula include: rocket, roquette, or rucola

Arugula has a rich peppery taste. You're most likely to see arugula in salad, but it goes really well on pizza. When making pizza with arugula, you want to add it just before the pizza is finished cooking, or after it comes out of the oven to avoid wilting. Or - create your own version of an arugula pesto, like I did with this recipe. I've also added it to pasta, tossed with olive oil, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and black olives. Arugula may be my new favourite leafy green. Let's get back to pizza though...

I discovered this recipe through Huffington Post but the recipe is based off of one from Giada De Laurentiis. As you may recall, she provided us with our recipe for the most amazing tomato sauce that we used in our Italian Feast. If you haven't done so yet, go back and try the tomato sauce recipe - I guarantee you won't regret it. I had a good feeling that Giada's recipe for Arugula Pesto Pizza would be delicious - and so it was.

I have to admit before I post the recipe that I used a store bought frozen pizza dough for my crust. I have every intention of making pizza dough from scratch for a post in the near future (I'm not lying when I say pizza is my favourite food) - but by using a store bought pizza dough, you're able to save on time and the results are still delicious!

The Recipe:

1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I used light ricotta)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 packed cup arugula
Flour, for dusting
1 1 lb store bought pizza dough
Olive oil, for drizzling
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced

1. In a food processor or blender, combine ricotta cheese, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
2. Add the mozzarella and arugula. Pulse until just combined, but still chunky. Note: since I used a blender rather than a food processor, I chopped up my arugula before adding it into the blender, since I didn't really trust my blender's ability to do it for me.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pizza dough. I cut the ball of dough in half first, to create 2 10-inch pizzas. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
4. Spread the ricotta mixture onto the pizza dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top.
5. Follow the instructions for baking the pizza dough: I baked my pizzas for about 15 minutes each, at 425 degrees. Depending on how thick your crust is, you may need them to bake for more or less time. Pizza is ready when the crust has browned around the edges.
6. Remove pizza from oven and allow to cool a few minutes before cutting and serving.

The arugula pesto on this pizza is cheesy and full of flavour from the arugula. The tomatoes compliment it nicely, but you could also try adding red peppers. I would avoid any salty toppings like olives or sundried tomatoes.

If you love pizza as much as I do, but you are not a huge fan of arugula, this may be a good way to try it out! Eat this pizza as a main, or cut it into small wedges and serve as an appetizer.

Happy Eating!

Caroline

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Have you ever had the perfect oatmeal chocolate chip muffin? I'm talking about a muffin that isn't dry but has a crisp muffin top. It has a perfect ratio of chocolate chips to dough. It doesn't leave you feeling like you just ate a mini cake - but at the same time, it's not really the type of muffin you'd want to eat for breakfast. If you haven't had this perfect muffin yet, then yes you're missing out - but I have the solution for you, right here:

Just look at those beautiful chocolate chips! I've already covered the most important reasons for why we would choose the combination of oatmeal chocolate over oatmeal raisin in our recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. But maybe now you're wondering why I would post about a muffin that is quite similar to a cookie we made not that long ago? Well, these muffins are - dare I say it, easier to make than cookies.

The best bakery oatmeal chocolate chip muffins I've ever had came from Card's Bakery in Kingston, Ontario. We served these muffins at Common Ground at Queen's, and they were always a popular choice. I was reminiscing about how I haven't had such a good oatmeal chocolate chip muffin since leaving Queen's - and that's what inspired me to bake my own! I'm not promising that these taste exactly like the Card's muffins, but they are definitely worth a try!

The Recipe:

1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

1/3-1/2 cup vegetable oil*

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat and 3/4 cup all-purpose)

1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1. Combine oats and milk and allow to stand for 15 minutes. I combined my oats and milk in our 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup and then added the other wet ingredients to this measuring cup later, rather than using an additional bowl. So if you have a giant measuring cup too, I recommend taking this route as well - if not, combine oats and milk into a medium sized bowl and let stand 15 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line standard muffin tray with 12 papers. 

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. 

4. Stir egg, oil, brown sugar and chocolate chips into the oat and milk mixture.

5. Pour oat mixture over flour mixture and stir until all the flour mixture is incorporated, but like always with muffins, avoid over-mixing. 

6. Fill each cup of the muffin tray about 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes before transferring from muffin tray to wire rack to cool completely. 

*The recipe I used calls for 1/2 cup of oil - which is how much I used. I found that the muffins are too oily though - so I recommend starting with 1/3 cup and then if when you are stirring the oat and flour mixtures together, you find the batter is too dry, you can always add a bit more oil. 

This is my 4-cup measuring cup that served as my second bowl for this
recipe - I'm all for cutting down on dishes for the clean up after!

And see how nicely you can pour your oat mixture into the flour mixture
when you're pouring from a giant measuring cup?

Here is your perfect chance to make the perfect oatmeal chocolate chip muffin. Trust me, these muffins taste just as good as they look. Actually, you may want to double this recipe, because realistically, how long will 12 muffins even last? I baked these muffins on Saturday (because weekend baking is the best kind of baking) and they're already disappearing quickly! I'm going to share my exciting news with your right now dear readers (if you've made it this far): I baked these muffins right after I booked my flight to London! I'm not leaving for a few weeks, but I'll be away for nearly a month - so maybe start to look forward to a post on tea and crumpets? Or some other British delicacies? 

Happy Eating!

Caroline

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

Lemon and poppy seeds go together perfectly - especially in loaf form. You wouldn't be nearly as excited if I told you this was a post about simply a Lemon Loaf, right dear readers? And I'm sure a Poppy Seed Loaf would seem like it was missing a key citrus-y flavour. But Lemon Poppy Seed loaf - now that's a classic. The lemon is fresh but sweet. The poppy seeds can be a bit annoying, say if you spill a tablespoon when you're making your loaf (did you know that there are 3,300 poppy seeds in ONE gram?) - but they add a hint of flavour and texture that you'll want in your loaf.

Similar to my recipe for chocolate chip banana bread, this loaf is simple to make with results that won't disappoint. You may be tempted to call this lemon poppy seed loaf a "cake", since it is light and sweet (and not very bread-like at all) - but I feel like the word "cake" is too often associated with birthdays or other special occasions, while this recipe is good to make and eat at any time.

The Recipe:

1/2 cup of butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Lemon Syrup:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/4 cup lemon juice

1. In large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
2. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, poppy seeds, lemon rind, baking powder and salt. Note for grating the lemon rind: if you are using a grater with multiple sizes, smaller is better - you won't want big chunks of lemon rind in your loaf! I used the rind of one big lemon and it was enough for the 1 tablespoon for the loaf and the 1 teaspoon for the syrup.
3. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of the flour mixture and 2 of milk.
4. Spread into greased loaf pan and bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees for one hour, or until cake tester in centre comes out clean.
5. Lemon Syrup: in saucepan, warm together sugar, lemon rind and lemon juice until the sugar has dissolved into the lemon juice. With a skewer or toothpick, pierce hot loaf so that you've almost reached the bottom of the loaf. Pour lemon syrup over the loaf.
6. Let loaf cool in pan for 30 minutes. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely.

Before adding the lemon syrup to the loaf, pierce it with a toothpick to help the syrup sink in (see picture below). This loaf isn't overly sweet, and so the syrup provides the sweetness. You could make the loaf without the addition of the lemon syrup - but it adds such a nice glaze that seeps deliciously throughout the cake, I mean, loaf...

One warning: be careful not to let any poppy seeds get stuck in your teeth when enjoying this loaf!
Happy Eating!

Caroline

Easter Egg Nests

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Mini Eggs are the best Easter chocolate and although you can now buy Mini Eggs all year round, there really is no better time to eat Mini Eggs than Easter. I took it upon myself to find a recipe for an Easter treat that would use Mini Eggs, be visually pleasing - and of course, taste delicious. The result: mini Easter Egg Nests.

The most challenging part of this recipe is not eating all your Mini Eggs before you use them for the nests. Otherwise, all you need is some basic ingredients and enough space in your fridge to allow these no-bake treats to cool.

The Recipe:

4 oz of chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp corn syrup*
1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
30 Mini Eggs

1. Line a muffin tray with 10 muffin papers and set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate, butter and corn syrup together. To melt chocolate, it is best to use a double boiler or heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir while the chocolate melts to a smooth consistency.
3. Once chocolate has melted, remove from heat and add the Rice Krispies. Stir until all the cereal is coated.
4. Spoon chocolate Rice Krispie mixture into prepared muffin tray, pushing it down with a spoon to form a "nest" shape. Top nest with 3 mini eggs.
5. Once all the nests are prepared, refrigerate for at least one hour.
Makes approximately 10 Easter Egg Nests.

* I'm not 100% sure if the corn syrup was necessary. I based this recipe off of a recipe I found on the BBC that called for "golden syrup" - which I googled and discovered is an inverted sugar syrup that is popular in the UK and more difficult to find in Canada... especially on Good Friday when most grocery stores are closed. I think you could make these treats without the corn syrup and just make sure you stir the chocolate and butter continuously so it does not harden until you're ready to put the nests in the fridge.

On another note, the original recipe called for Corn Flakes instead of a crispy rice cereal - but I had Rice Krispies on hand and decided to substitute. I think I made the right decision - but these would still work well with Corn Flakes!

Making these Mini Easter Egg Nests reminded me of making Rice Krispie Squares - but the chocolate is so much easier to handle than melted marshmallows are (it's a lot less sticky and a lot easier to form into nest shapes). I probably don't also need to tell you that these taste delicious - the Mini Eggs plus chocolate probably gave that away from the start - but if you remember the chocolate bar Nestle Crunch, these taste similar to that!

Once your nests are completely cooled, you'll probably want to take them outside for a photoshoot, like I did. Just ignore any weird looks from your neighbours and go to it! They look best in trees.

The only thing missing from these adorable little Easter Egg Nests...? That's easy - "Put a bird on it!"

Happy Easter!

Caroline