Ginger peach muffins

When it comes to Eddie Murphy’s movies there are only two I like, but the first bite into one of these muffins and “The Heat is On” popped in my head. :)

The ginger adds a fresh, delicious kick to these muffins and I was amazed by how well the flavor goes with peaches.

Ginger peach muffins
from Good to the Grain

Topping:
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2-3 small peaches, ripe but firm
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey

Batter:
1 cup (100g) oat flour
¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour
½ cup (70g) whole wheat flour
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (44g) dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
generous pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick/84g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup (180ml) whole milk, room temperature
½ cup (130g) plain yogurt
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; generously butter a muffin pan with a 1/3 capacity.
Grate the ginger into a bowl – some will be used for the topping and the rest in the batter.
For the topping: halve the peaches, remove the pits, then slice the halves into slices about ¼ in thick. Add the butter, honey and 1 teaspoon of the ginger to a medium-size frying pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the ingredients melt and begin to bubble, about 2 minutes. Add the peaches, toss the pan to coat them with the syrup, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Make the batter: sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back any grain or other ingredients that may remain in the sifter. In a small bowl, whisk well the butter, milk, yogurt, egg and remaining ginger. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined – do not overmix. Scoop the batter into 9 holes of the prepared muffin pan – the batter should be slightly mounded above the edge. Lay one or two slices of peach over each muffin. Fill the empty cavities of the pan halfway with water before placing it in the oven.
Bake for 24-28 minutes or until the muffins are golden and smell nutty – gently twist a muffin out of the pan to check it – and the edges of the peaches are caramelized. Remove from the oven, wait 2-3 minutes, then very gently remove the muffins from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack to cool – do that to avoid soggy muffins.

Makes 9 – I used a muffin pan of the same size and got 12

Cherry and almond tartlets

I know, I know – another cherry tart in less than a week… But be honest with me: would you be able to resist such a beautiful dessert? I ran to the kitchen the moment the magazine arrived at my door. :D

Cherry and almond tartlets
slightly adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Filling:
500g crème fraîche*
100ml pouring cream
20g pure icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
fresh cherries, to serve

Cherry vanilla jam:
300g cherries, pitted and halved
1 cup (200g) caster (superfine) sugar
juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

Almond pastry:
90g natural almonds
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (100g) caster (superfine) sugar
2 cups + 2 tablespoons (300g) all purpose plain flour

For cherry vanilla jam, combine ingredients in a saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches setting point (6-8 minutes; see note), refrigerate until well chilled (1-2 hours).

Meanwhile, for almond pastry, process almonds in a food processor to form coarse crumbs (1 minute). Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until creamy, scrape down sides of bowl, add flour and almonds, beat to just combine. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.
Butter a 20x28cm rectangular tart pan.
Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick and line the prepared pan, trim edges, prick with a fork and freeze until firm (30 minutes).
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line the pastry with a large piece of foil and fill it with baking weights or dried beans. Bake until light golden (10-12 minutes), remove paper and weights/beans, bake until golden and crisp (6-8 minutes), cool completely.
Whisk crème fraîche, cream and icing sugar in a bowl until firm peaks form (2-3 minutes), refrigerate until required.
Spread jam in base of pastry case, spoon over crème fraîche mixture, top with fresh cherries, dust with icing sugar and serve.

Note: to test for a jam’s setting point, place several saucers in the freezer before you start cooking the jam. When the mixture becomes thick, remove from heat, spoon a little onto a chilled saucer and return to freezer for 30 seconds. When you draw your finger through the mixture it should hold a trail. If it doesn’t, cook for 1-2 minutes longer and test again.

* I made a different filling, inspired by a trifle recipe by Bill Granger: I combined equal parts of heavy cream and plain yogurt (1/3 cup of each for ½ the recipe above), 1 tablespoon icing sugar and the seeds of ½ a vanilla bean, then beat the ingredients together until soft peaks formed

Serves 6 – I halved the recipe above, used 9cm tartlet pans and got 10 tartlets

Plum burnt-butter pistachio cakes

I love stone fruit but they are not around for long – it’s time to enjoy these delicious treats while they’re in season here.

These cakes come from this beautiful magazine and even though I am crazy for plums they are not 100% necessary in this recipe: the burnt-butter pistachio cakes are so amazing I recommend them even without the fruit topping.

Plum burnt-butter pistachio cakes
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs
2/3 cup (133g) caster (superfine) sugar
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (125g) all purpose flour
75g finely ground pistachios
6 plums, halved and stones removed

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour six 1-cup capacity mini cake pans.
Place butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until dark golden, remove from heat and cool completely. Combine eggs and sugar in an electric mixer and whisk for 5 minutes or until thick and pale. Add flour and pistachios and whisk to combine, then fold in cooled butter. Divide mixture among prepared pans. Place 2 plum halves, cut-side down, over each and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Stand in pans for 5 minutes then carefully turn out and cool on a wire rack (the cakes are very tender).
Serve cakes warm or at room temperature.

Makes 6 – I halved the recipe, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity pans and got 5 mini cakes (used ½ plum per cake)

Bill’s cherry tart

I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas series!

I thought that this delicious tart would be perfect as my last post before Christmas: it’s pretty much a clafoutis with a crust – I am a crust kind of girl – and the recipe comes from one of my all time favorite cooks.

Happy Holidays!

Bill’s cherry tart
from Holiday

Pastry:
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons (90g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 ¼ cups (175g) all purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons almond meal (finely ground almonds)

Filling:
170ml heavy cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
550g fresh cherries, halved and pitted – I used only 450g

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; butter a 24cm (9 ½ in) round loose-bottomed tart pan*. Make the pastry: stir together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour and salt and stir to make a soft dough. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press evenly into the base and sides of the pan using your fingertips. Put the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the pastry is slightly puffy. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the almond meal over the base.
Now, make the filling: in a large bowl, whisk together the cream, eggs, vanilla and sugar. Add the flour and whisk until well mixed. Arrange the cherries, slightly overlapping, over the pastry base and pour the cream filling evenly over the cherries.
Return the tart to the oven for a further 40-50 minutes or until the filing is firm and golden. Leave to cool and serve with cream or ice cream.

*use a pan with high sides otherwise it won’t hold all the cream mixture

Serves 8-10

Mince pie cupcakes with brandy butter icing

If I tell you that I kept this recipe in a very special place since January already thinking of this Christmas series will you promise not to think I am insane? :)

These cupcakes are incredibly tender and moist, one of the most delicious cupcakes I have made so far; they are so good that a simpler icing could be used with great results – or no icing at all.

Mince pie cupcakes with brandy butter icing
from Delicious Magazine

Cupcakes:
½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
150g good quality fruit mince
¾ cup (105g) self raising flour
1 tablespoons corn starch
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Brandy butter icing:
1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups (245g) icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon brandy

Start with the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a 12-hole muffin pan – 1/3 cup capacity each cavity – with paper cases (you’ll get 10 cupcakes from this recipe; fill the empty cavities with water before placing the pan in the oven).
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, then beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the bowl with a silicone spatula.
Fold in the fruit mince and stir until well incorporated. Sift the flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt over the mixture and carefully fold together with the spatula – do not overmix.
Divide the batter among the prepared pans filling each cavity two-thirds full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until risen and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean – the cakes will appear moist, even when cooked.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.

Make the icing: in the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, add the milk and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar, then beat until you have a smooth, light and creamy buttercream. Beat in the brandy.
Ice the cupcakes with the buttercream and decorate with candy canes, sugar flowers or silver sugar balls.

Makes 10