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June 13, 2007
Ham & Pineapple Pizza Muffins
I was hit by "3-30itis" as they say it in the Campbell soup ads on telly. Severe hunger pangs I tell you! I picked up this little book called "The Muffin Bible" and started flipping pages. I have in the past experimented with a few recipes from this book and I have always had to make major modifications. The recipes have obviously been printed without testing first or have simply been scaled up or down, again without testing. But I do like the ideas that are presented in the book ... more than 100 fun combinations to make both sweet and savoury muffins can't be all that bad. This time around I was looking for a savoury snack and I stopped on the page that said "Pizza Muffin", my curiosity piqued. Just scanning through the ingredients, I mentally made a note of some modifications and additions I would make and set out to gather my ingredients. It actually took me around 15 minutes to assemble, mix and pop the trays in the oven. In another 20-25 minutes, delicious golden topped Pizza Muffins oozing with pockets of cheese were ready to be devoured.
Ham & Pineapple Pizza Muffins
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Makes : 9/Prep Time: 20 mins/Cooking Time : 20 mins
Ingredients
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2 cups plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1/2 cup smoked ham, finely chopped
1 small onions, finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup milk
1 egg whisked with water to make 1 cup mixture
chilli flakes, dried oregano and bacon salt to sprinkle
Method
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Preheat oven to 200 deg C. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add cheese, onion, tomato, ham and pineapple. Mix lightly. Combine egg and water mixture, pineapple juice and milk in a separate bowl and whisk lightly. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix lightly till just combined. Spoon mixture into well greased or lined muffin tins/trays. Sprinkle with chilli flakes, oregano and bacon salt. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes until well risen and golden brown on top.
Serve with BBQ sauce or tomato ketchup.
Posted by Gel at 10:26 PM | | Comments (0)
June 2, 2007
Hot Cranberry Scones
When I was living in Singapore, one of my favourite bakeries to visit was "Four Leaves". They had amazing cakes and a delicious array of baked buns and goodies. I surprise myself when I say this but I think Singapore had better bakeries and a mind boggling variety of freshly baked goodies than I have seen here in Australia. One would think otherwise, but it is most definitely true if you start counting "Kaya Buns", "Green Onion Scrolls", "Pineapple Tarts", "Pork Floss Buns", "Curry Doughnuts" [yummm!], "Rotiboys" [this calls for an entirely new blog entry], "Coconut & Raspberry Cupcakes", "Chicken Twists", "Cheese Volcanoes" ..... and the list is endless. I used to love the "Cranberry Scones" offered every weekend at Four Leaves. They were golden brown and crunchy on the outside, soft and doughy on the inside with the delicate sweetness of cranberry bursting red with the heat of baking. With no official recipe at hand, I tried out on a series of Sundays, these delicious scones and finally managed to figure out a recipe which came very very close.
HOT CRANBERRY SCONES
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Makes : 12/Preparation Time : 25 Minutes/Cooking Time : 15 minutes
Ingredients
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2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup dried cranberries/craisins
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
a pinch of salt
40g chilled, unsalted butter
1 cup milk
Method
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Preheat oven to 220 deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter lightly with your fingertips till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add cranberries and sugar. Mix lightly. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the milk and mix with a flat-bladed knife, using a cutting action, rotating the bowl as you go until the dough comes together in lumps. At this point the dough should be wet and slightly sticky.
With floured hands, gently lift the dough and place on a floured surface. With light pressure, pat the dough into a smooth ball. Do not knead. Using a rolling pin, lightly roll the dough out to 2-3cm thick. Using a floured 6cm scone cutter, cut rounds and place them on the lined baking tray. Gather scraps of remaining dough and proceed to roll and cut again till all the dough is used up. Brush the tops of the rounds with milk and bake in the highest part of the oven for approximately 15 minutes until risen and golden.
Wrap them in a clean tea-towel and serve warm with butter, jam and fresh whipped cream. Best eaten straight from the oven as they tend to dry out quickly.
Notes
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* Use a light hand while mixing or like muffins they will become tough and chewy. Never knead scones.
* Scones have to be baked quickly and at a high temperature.
* The addition of sugar reduces the floury, mealy taste.
* If after adding milk, you feel that the dough is a tad dry, add more milk.
* Scones freeze very well.
Posted by Gel at 12:33 PM | | Comments (0)
