Coconut White Chocolate Muffins #MuffinMonday #CandyBarSeries

Start with a white chocolate bar crunchy with bits of coconut, add more coconut and coconut milk powder, then all the usual muffin ingredients like eggs and oil and flour. What you get is one delightfully coconutty muffin with bits of sweet white chocolate. Perfect for breakfast or snack time.

This week everyone is using Easter leftovers for recipes (myself included, if you count the savory tart I posted yesterday) but shocking through you might find it, I don’t have any leftover Easter candy. I did buy plenty, of course, but I made up gift bags for my girls while I was visiting the US and left almost all of it behind. My husband got a small basket – my Bread Bakers will appreciate this because I used my new banneton meant for proofing dough – and I imagine he’ll eat it all before long.

Yes, we do own Easter baskets. And, yes, I do crack myself up.

So I am dipping back into my secret stash of candy bars for these muffins, the fourth in what I am calling my Candy Bar Series, made with a white chocolate bar full, and I mean, so very full of coconut that there is no square millimeter of the chocolate that doesn’t have bits of coconut in it. I’m actually beginning to like white chocolate now. Alone it is cloyingly sweet, but with lemon and now coconut, it’s good. And it makes a tender, fabulous muffin.

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
2 1/8 oz or 60g coconut milk powder
1/2 cup or 100g sugar
1/2 cup, packed, or 60g freshly grated coconut plus extra for decorating
3 1/2 oz or 100g white chocolate coconut candy bar
2 eggs
3/4 cup or ml milk
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and either grease your 12-cup muffin tin or line it with paper liners.

Chop your candy bar up into bits.

In one big mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients: flour, coconut milk powder sugar, grated coconut, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In another small bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and oil.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.

There should still be some dry flour showing.  Separate out 12 pieces of candy bar to put on top the batter when baking.

Fold the rest of the chocolate into the batter.

Divide the batter between your 12 prepared muffin cups.

Top with a sprinkle of fresh coconut and one piece of white chocolate bar.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for a few minutes. Take the muffins out of the pan and continue cooling on the rack.

Enjoy!

What’s your favorite candy bar? Which candy bar would you like to see made into a muffin?

Savory Basque Tart

Puff pastry, tender baby leeks, juicy little tomatoes and creamy cheese transform your leftover baked ham into a new and delicious meal that everyone will enjoy. 

How do you eat leftover ham? 
My favorite way to eat leftover ham is simply sliced on a plate, topped with the honey-mustard glazed pineapple it was covered with when baked and extra lashings of yellow mustard. I know, I know. I’m weird but I don’t want to waste stomach space on bread so a sandwich is out of the question. That ham, pineapple, mustard combo is perfection, just as it is. But the truth of the matter is that there’s only so many times in a row I can eat it before I start looking for other options for the rest of the ham, like ham and split pea soup, ham and spinach quiche or my crockpot spicy ham and 10-bean soup.

Wait, Basque tarts also come in savory? 
This savory Basque tart is a new addition to the mix, motivated by leftover ham, some Tomme de Pyrenees cheese in the freezer that was begging to be put to good use and the adorable baby leeks I came across in my nearby supermarket. And, of course, this week’s Sunday Supper theme of Easter or Passover leftovers. Make sure to scroll down to the bottom to see all the great ideas we have for making the most of whatever you’ll have leftover, sweet and savory, from appetizers to desserts.

This recipe is adapted from two sources, Spanish Food About.com and RealFood.Tesco.com. According to the first source, savory Basque tart would traditionally be served as a first course but could also served as a main course for brunch or a light dinner.

Ingredients
7 oz or 200g baby leeks
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
8 oz or 225g ready rolled puff pastry
3 eggs
7 oz or 200g baked ham
3 1/2 oz or 100g cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup or 115g crème fraîche
3 1/2 oz or 100g Tomme des Pyrenees (Semi-soft French ewe’s milk cheese)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus a little sprinkle for decoration, if desired
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
Trim the leeks of any dried green bits on the top end and any roots on the bottom.

Set one aside for garnish and sauté the rest in a little drizzle of olive oil, over a low heat, until just tender. This will take about 10 minutes or perhaps less if you put a lid on the saucepan. Remove the leeks from the heat and leave to cool.

Fit your puff pastry into the tart pan. Dock the bottom and sides with the point of a knife and trim the excess pastry from the sides. This is easily done by folding the excess over the top and then using a rolling pin to press through the pastry.

Put the crust in the refrigerator to chill until your filling is ready.

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Cut your ham into small strips and halve the little tomatoes. Set aside just a few of each for garnish. Slice the reserved baby leek into little circles.

Whisk the eggs and crème fraîche thoroughly with the black pepper and smoked paprika. Add in the milk and whisk again.

Arrange the sautéed leeks in the pastry crust and poke the ham and tomatoes in all around them. The design doesn’t really matter since it won’t be seen once covered with the egg mixture but I was attempting an even coverage with my arrangement. Plus, it was fun.

If your tart pan has a removable bottom, I suggest placing it on another flat pan for support before baking. It's very easy putting it cold in the oven without incident but removing a hot tart can be tricky and I find the extra support is very helpful.

Pour the egg mixture into the crust and top with the reserved ham pieces, tomato halves and leek circles.

Cut off any hard rind and then crumble or cut your cheese into small pieces.

Arrange them more or less evenly around the tart. My cheese had been frozen so it was more crumbly that a fresh Tomme would likely be. Add a little extra pinch of smoked paprika sprinkled around for decoration, if you'd like.

Bake in your preheated oven for 15 minutes and then turn the temperature down to 350°F or 180°C and continue baking for about 30 more minutes or until the filling is set and the crust is lightly golden.

Cool on a rack until the tart has cooled enough to handle, then remove the pan.

Serve warm or room temperature as a starter or perhaps with a side salad or some warm dressed green beans as a light meal.

Enjoy!

Are you already anticipating what to do with the leftovers of your beautiful Easter Sunday Supper or your Passover feast? We’ve got you covered! Many thanks to this week’s host, Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake for taking the helm! I've already got her Easter Candy Brownie Cookies pinned to bake!

Appetizers

• Bacon and Sriracha Deviled Eggs by Casa de Crews
• Buffalo Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Jalapeño Cilantro Deviled Eggs by Our Good Life
• Rissole by Brunch with Joy
• Savory Basque Tart by Food Lust People Love

Breakfast and Brunch

• Breakfast Burritos by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Breakfast Enchiladas by Curious Cuisiniere
• Gluten-Free Ham Spinach & Gruyère Quiche by Amee's Savory Dish
• Ham and Egg Hash by Whole Food | Real Families
• Matzo Brei Pancakes by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Savory Ham and Scallion Corn Cakes by The Weekend Gourmet

Main Dishes

• Black Pepper Fried Brown Rice with Ham by Food Done Light
• Cajun Hambalaya by Palatable Pastime
• Cal-Mex Avocado and Egg Salad by eating in instead
• Chunky Healthy Egg Salad by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Ham Fried Rice by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Kimchi Fried Rice by Wallflower Girl
• Pan-Fried Ham with Okra and Red-Eye Gravy by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Salmon, Asparagus and Capers Panini by Family Foodie

Soups and Salads

• Ham and Corn Chowder by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Southern Ham Macaroni Salad by Magnolia Days
• Split Pea and Ham Slowcooker Soup by Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Desserts

• Apple Blueberry Flip Flop by Recipe for Perfection
• Brownies with Kentucky Bourbon and Chocolate Mint Ganache by Lifestyle Food Artistry
• Cadbury Egg Stuffed Croissants by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Cheese and Pineapple Bread Pudding by Basic N Delicious
• Easter Candy Bark by Pies and Plots
• Easter Candy Brownie Cookies by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Peanut Butter Brownie No Bake Cheesecake by Recipes, Food and Cooking
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Matzo S'mores by Desserts Required
• Sunshine Cake by The Ninja Baker

Muffuletta Grilled Cheese #FoodieExtravaganza

Olive salad, mozzarella, salami, mortadella, ham and provolone, grilled in between two well buttered slices of a crusty loaf make a non-traditional muffuletta that, frankly, (Please don’t come at me with spears, New Orleans folks) is better than the original.

This month my Foodie Extravaganza group is celebrating grilled cheese sandwiches in all their glorious forms, sweet and savory. I am not a huge fan of sandwiches in general, but grilled cheese is one of the rare exceptions to that rule for me. As are muffulettas. It seemed like the perfect time to do a mashup and create a muffuletta grilled cheese sandwich. Seriously, as much as I enjoy a traditional muffuletta on a big circle of yeasty bread, using the filling on crusty artisanal bread and toasting the whole thing on a hot griddle till the cheeses are warm and melty, well, I like it sooooo much more. See if you don’t agree.

Ingredients for each sandwich
2 slices crusty bread
1-2 teaspoons butter, softened
2 very heaping tablespoons olive salad spread (You can easily make your own or buy it online.* )
A few slices each: mozzarella, salami, mortadella, ham and provolone cheese

Method
Butter your bread liberally - this is no time to be shy - and lay the slices butter side down on your griddle. Top each with a healthy scoop of olive salad and spread it around to cover.

Add the mozzarella to one slice.

Followed by the salami, the mortadella and the ham.

Finish by adding the provolone.

Close the sandwich and start cooking over a low fire. It’s going to take a while to heat through and melt the cheese so we don’t want the bread to toast too fast.

Cover the griddle with a heavy lid that presses down on the sandwich. This helps hold in the heat and make sure that all parts of the bread are being toasted.

After a few minutes, remove the lid and wipe the condensation dry with a paper towel. Check the bottom of the sandwich. If it’s slightly golden, turn the sandwich over carefully and put the heavy lid back on.

Cook the other side for a few more minutes, checking it and drying off the lid occasionally. You will probably turn it a couple of more times until it’s toasted a lovely golden brown and the cheeses start melting out. Cook it for another minute or so on each side, uncovered.

Melty cheeses? Check!

Enjoy!

Are you a fan of grilled cheese? Come check out all the fabulous recipes we have for you this month! Many thanks to our host for the Grilled Cheese Foodie Extravaganza , Lauren at From Gate to Plate.

• Bacon Apple Mascarpone Grilled Cheese from Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Caramelized Onion Bacon Grilled Cheese from Rebekah at Making Miracles
• Chicken Bacon and Avocado Grilled Cheese from Jacklyn at Mrs. Penguin
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Grilled Cheese from Marissa at Rae Gun Ramblings
• Crusty Griddle Baked Quesadillas with Poblano Rajas from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• French Toast Grilled Cheese with Balsamic Berry Compote from Joy at The Joyful Foodie
• Grilled Cheese in the Garden from Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Spinach from Tara at Tara's Multicultural Table
• Ham, Apple and Sharp Cheddar Grilled Cheese from Carlee at Cooking With Carlee
• Mac and Cheese Grilled Cheese from Lauren at From Gate to Plate
• Muffuletta Grilled Cheese from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Open Faced Italian Grilled Cheese from Kathleen at Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• Southern Grilled Cheese from Teri at The Freshman Cook
• Spicy Pear Grilled Cheese from Kelly at Passion Kneaded

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month. This month we celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month by serving up sandwiches.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to participate in the next Foodie Extravaganza, just go to our Facebook page to join. We would love to have you!

Follow our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest board for past events and more deliciousness!

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