Magnolia Mae's Black Current Streusal Muffins

I love the fall! This weather makes me feel so alive and well and I'm a firm believe that good ole fresh air can really do a body good. Today I stumbled across a jar of  black current preserves that I picked up at Black Horse Farms in upstate New York. We we spending a weekend at my brother's house in New Baltimore when we stumbled across this farmer's market. The place had so many wonderful offering all fresh and organic. Of course being that it was the end of the summer they were well stocked up on preserves so I picked this one up. What a score!Not only was it fantastic on toast but it made a fantastic filled for the muffins below.

My office peeps had the luxury of gobbling these morsels up!

Black Current Streusel Muffins:
Software:

1 Jar of your Favorite Preserve or frozen berries
1 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest you can also use Orange I did =)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Hardware:
Cupcake Baking Tin 16-18 count
Cupcake Wax papers
Mixing bowls
Hand Mixer or a good whisk
Pastry Blender


The first thing you want to do is warm the house... I mean oven. You might as well warm the house too while you're at it. The nice thing about baking on a nice cold crisp Autumn day is that when you get your oven going the house warms up a few degrees and the air is intoxicating with flavor. Forget the Oxygen bar I'd be up for flavored air. That's a hell of a way to get amped.

Get your oven to about 359 degrees F for about a good 30 minutes as you prepare the ingredients. You're going to want the oven rack in the middle so it can get evenly heated from top to bottom.

Whip out your16-18 muffin tins, spray with non stick oil and place cupcake papers in them.

For the wet team mix together the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Remember in baking measuring is crucial so take care to top of each measuring cup before mixing it into the bowl.

Now onto the dry team. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl  then cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blend. It should start coming together like wet sand.

Set aside one cup of the mixture into a separate bowl to make the streusel topping. As for the remaining muffin batter, gently fold in the blueberries and Orange/Lemon zest. Add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture gently incorporate the increments do not whisk or mix too much as it will create a dry hard muffin.

Fill each muffin cup with the batter, using a tablespoon measuring spoon or a mini ice cream scooper.  Be sure not to spill the batter over the lining onto the tin.

Now with a spoon give each muffin a spoonful of the preserves or frozen berries. Be sure to try and place each spoonful into the center of each muffin.

Now onto the final  streusel topping: Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and drizzle over the reserved 1 one cup of streusel topping. Mix together with a fork until it is crumbly and looks like wet sand.

Sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of the streusel over the top of each muffin with your hands.

 Place in the oven and bake until very lightly blonde and firm,  a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, about 18 - 22 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy your muffins its a great way to make sure of the summer preserves you've got in the fridge.

Who are you calling a Crepe?

Helllo everyone! It's been a couple of weeks for me since my initial entry. Thank god for Bernie covering my butt while I had and unexpected visit from the Stork. Yes, our baby girl Chelsea arrived a month early and completely caught me off guard. The last thing that's been on my mind has been cooking since our "bun" has come out of the "oven." However, it's been two weeks and she's finally home with us now so I've got to get back on a regular schedule which means cooking nutrious meals for my growing family. It's been a week of take out and fast food quickies. Certainly not the ideal meal.

Inspirations for meals come from practicality and flash of inspiration. I don't to make it sound so magical it really isn't. Today's "Lunch" was inspired by an DVRed episode of Everyday Food, Vol. 1 - Fast, Family-Friendly Ideas. It was a direct recipe from one of the episodes along with my recipe based on what's in the fridge. Here's what you'll need:

Tools (hardware):
All-Clad Stainless 11-Inch French Skillet
All-Clad Stainless 11-Inch Nonstick French Skillet
All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Saucier Pan
Orka All-Purpose Silicone Spatula, Black
Shun Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife

Ingrediants (software):

Crepe:
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat (2 percent) milk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon melted unsalted butter, plus more for skillet

Bechamel:
1 cup of any cheese you have left over diced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
S n' P (Salt and Pepper)

Stuffing:
1/2 cup Any proteins you have left over. I used sliced deli ham
2 cups of any veggies you have left over. I used 1 zucchini diced, 4 mushrooms quartered, 1 scallion sliced greens for garnish and whites for stuffing, and 1/2 onion diced.
1 Clove of garlic minced
1 Tablespoon of butter or "OO" (Olive Oil)

You start with the bechamel sauce. Heat up your saucee pan with the butter and once melted stir in the flour. This is the beginning of a roux. Stir on medium heat to cook the flour for about 3 mins. Once cooked, stir in the hot milk and continue stirring until you do not see any more lumps. Now stir in the chopped cheese, smashed garlic, and "S n' P" to taste and set aside to cool.

Now for the stuffing. Heat up the olive oil or butter and garlic into your 12 inch skillet. Once the garlic becomes fragrant 3 -4 minutes start mixing in the densest ingredients first at 2 minute intervals, Onions, Zucchinni, Mushrooms then finally the ham or protein. "S n' P" to your taste and set aside.

Okay for the crepes. Mix all of the ingrediants into a bowl and stir until lump free. Be forwarned if you are new to this you might want to have a couple of practice runs at this before showing off to your friends and family. Heat up a non stick pan on medium heat with a tablespoon of butter. Pour 1/2 cup of the batter into the pan and whirl the pan until evenly coated. Once you see the sides start to brown (like a pancake) use the rubber spatula to lift and flip. The next side will only need 60 seconds to cook. Gently slide onto a plate. Work quickly.

To assemble lay your crepe on a plate and line your stuffing down the middle. Fold each side over and top with your cheese sauce. Voila! You have a crepe! Enjoy the recipe. Later this week we'll use the same crepe recipe for a sweet crepe. Until then. "Bon Soir!"