T.R.'s Mulled Cider Martini

Celebrate fall with a spicy seasonal mulled cider martini. Like all good martinis, it’s made 007-style, shaken not stirred.

This week my Sunday Supper family is honoring one of our own, T.R. of Gluten Free Crumbly, who lost his battle with cancer this year, not long after winning Blogger of the Year at the Food Wine Conference in May. We are sharing gluten free recipes, some from T.R.’s own blog so make sure to scroll down and check out the list.

T.R. was an absolute hoot, quick to dance and joke, and I honestly believe that he never met a stranger. His infectious laugh would get us all going. I wanted to share one of his recipes today so I started watching his YouTube videos and couldn’t stop laughing, even through my tears. We all miss T.R. so much.

T.R.’s mulled cider 007 martini, or double-o-tini, as he liked to call it, requires two steps if you don’t have mulled cider already. If you do, feel free to skip straight to shaking your martini!

Ingredients
For the mulled cider:
4 1/4 cups or 1L apple cider
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons or 12g whole allspice
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons or 14g whole cloves
1/4 cup dark rum
You can read T.R.’s original post on the Wayback Machine.

Method
To make the mulled cider, put the apple cider in a large pot with the cinnamon sticks and spices.

Measure out the dark rum and add it to the cider.

Use a sharp knife to remove the peel from the orange, trying to get as little of the white pith as you can manage. Add the orange peel to the cider as well.
Cover the pot and put it on a low fire to simmer for an hour. Strain to remove the spices and orange peel. This can now be served warm or leave the mulled apple cider to cool then chill to make the double-o-tini.

T.R.’s Mulled Cider Martini

Ingredients
For the mulled cider martini:
Several cubes ice
1 1/2 oz or 45ml cold mulled cider
1 oz or 30ml vodka

Laugh along with T.R. as he shakes his double-o-tini. Written instructions follow.



Method
Add ice to your shaker, along with the mulled cider and vodka. Shake till it gets too cold to hold.  This must be shaken, not stirred! That’s where the 007 comes in.

Pour into a martini glass and garnish, if desired, with a cinnamon stick. (I also added a little orange peel because, why not?)

Enjoy!

Check out all of the gluten free holiday recipes we have for you today!

Sleigh Ride Starters

• Pepperoni Soft Pretzels by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Pumpkin Bread with Maple Walnut Glaze by My Life Cookbook
• Savory Chickpea Banana Pepper Fritters by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• T.R.’s Mulled Cider Martini by Food Lust People Love

Seasons Greetings Sides

• Balsamic Braised Red Cabbage by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Gluten Free Au Gratin Potatoes by Sunday Supper Movement
• Gluten Free Turkey Gravy by Jersey Girl Cooks
• Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Stuffing or Dressing by Palatable Pastime
• Roasted Beets and Butternut Squash by Cooking Chat
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts And Squash With Cranberry Cider Glaze by The Crumby Kitchen
• T.R.’s Homemade Cranberry Sauce by Hardly A Goddess

Making Things Merry Main Dish

• Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap by Life Tastes Good
• Easy Mexican Chicken Bowl by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Pork Fried Rice by The Freshman Cook
• Turkey Ham Scalloped Potatoes and Kale by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Vietnamese Chicken Salad by Caroline’s Cooking

Decking the Halls Desserts

• Chickpea Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Flourless Chocolate Cookies by Pies and Plots
• Gluten Free Fudge by Our Good Life
• Grandma’s Peanut Butter Balls by Cricket’s Confections
• No Bake Gluten Free Fudgy Brownies by Simple and Savory
• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies by Desserts Required
• The Worlds Best Gluten Free Sweet Potato Brownies by Bites of Wellness
• White Chocolate Crème Brûlée by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

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Fresh Fig Blue Cheese Tarts #FoodieExtravaganza

Flakey buttery puff pastry is the perfect crust for these fresh fig blue cheese tarts with rosemary and honey. Crunchy, sweet and salty, these little tarts are one of my favorite recipes to make with fresh figs.

This month my Foodie Extravaganza group is celebrating the start of National Fig Week by sharing fig recipes. When the theme was announced a few months back I was pretty sure that I was going to have to use dried figs, which are good – I love their sticky selves as a snack.

But I lucked out! My local shop had some lovely fresh figs. With some French Roquefort cheese and a sprig of rosemary from my own garden, I was in business.

Fresh Fig Blue Cheese Tarts

If you’ve never tried the combination of figs and blue cheese you are in for a treat. This works in salads as well as baked goods. Add a drizzle of honey, some rosemary and a little heat to this special combo. I served these tarts as a main course, with a lovely salad of greens tossed with a sharp vinaigrette dressing.

Ingredients
1 package puff pastry
3 1/2 oz or 100g blue cheese
4-5 fresh figs, sliced
1 sprig rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons minute tapioca, divided
6 tablespoons honey

Method
Preheat oven to 400°F or 200°C.  Line six small tart pans with baking parchment. Roll pastry out big enough for your six small tart pans.

Fit puff pastry into lined tart pans, and trim, leaving a little overhang. Add one more circle baking parchment and fill the tart crusts with baking beads or dried beans.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Leave to cool for a few minutes, then remove the baking beads and parchment inside the crust.

Crumble half of the blue cheese into the bottom of the tarts.

Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon tapioca in each crust.

Top with the sliced figs. Crumble on the rest of the blue cheese. Sprinkle each tart with a few rosemary needles.

Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of honey each.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F or 180°C and bake until cheese is melted and figs are warmed through. They get quite juicy but this is where the magic of the minute tapioca comes in, slightly thickening the fresh fig juice as the tart filling bubbles in the heat.

Leave to cool completely before serving. This also gives the tapioca extra time to finish its thickening process.  Enjoy!

Check out all the other delicious fig recipes we are sharing! Many thanks to this month's host, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

• Fig/Anjeer Milk Shake by Sneha's Recipe
• Fig and Walnut Bread by Caroline's Cooking
• Fresh Fig Blue Cheese Tarts by Food Lust People Love
• Sourdough Barley Bread with Figs and Pecans by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Steamed Figgy Pudding by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Warm Potato Salad with Tea-Steeped Figs by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

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Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Muffins #MuffinMonday

Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Muffins are my hat tip to the season, made with a cup of pumpkin and lots of rich dark chocolate. The pumpkin gives the batter a beautiful orange color and makes the muffins moist but the flavor is perfectly subtle.

I tend to be one of those people who resist cooking and baking with pumpkin until I can feel coolness in the air. Unfortunately, I keep forgetting that that just doesn’t happen in Dubai until autumn is pretty much over, calendar-wise.

But when it gets to be October and almost November, I guess it’s time!

Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Muffins

If you are throwing a Halloween party, you’ll want to mix up a batch of these. The dark chocolate swirl and the orange pumpkin batter will be a hit on your holiday table.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups or 190g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 200g sugar
1/2 15 oz can or almost one cup or 200g pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 eggs
1/4 cup or 60ml canola oil
1/4 cup or 60ml orange juice
4 1/4 oz or 120g 70% cocoa dark chocolate (I like Lindt.)

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by greasing it thoroughly, spraying with non-stick spray or lining it with paper muffin cups.

Melt your chocolate gently the microwave with a few short bursts of 10-15 seconds at a time, stirring in between.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar and stir well.

In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, oil, orange juice and eggs.

Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together until just mixed.

Pour about two-thirds of the melted chocolate on top of the batter and use a spoon to fold it in so there are still pockets of chocolate, in and around the pumpkin batter.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Use a small spoon to divide the remaining chocolate to top the batter in the muffin cups. Use a toothpick to swirl that chocolate into the top of the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool for a few minutes and then remove the muffins and put on a rack to cool completely.

Word of warning: Depending on the temperature of your kitchen (still pretty hot here in Dubai!) the chocolate may come off a little onto your fingers as you handle the muffins. Lick it off and carry on. In a colder kitchen, the chocolate should set.

Enjoy!

Check out all the lovely October muffins my Muffin Monday group have baked for your today. It’s so hard to choose which to make first!

• Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins from Making Miracles
• Blueberry Muffin Tops with a Cheesecake Drizzle from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Bonfire Tea Muffins from The Spiced Life
• Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Mediterranean Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Savoury Pumpkin Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Sweet Potato Casserole Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

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