Butter Cake Muffins #MuffinMonday

These delightful butter cake muffins are my easy take on German butterkuchen. They are made with butter, cream and apples and topped with the traditional sugar and almonds. But you can have these on the snack table in under half an hour.

Traditional butter cake or butterkuchen is, of course, made with yeast although I’ve also come across a few recipes using the more modern rising agent, baking powder. I guess everyone is looking for a short cut these days. But that is what made me think, why not turn them into muffins?

If you want a more traditional butterkuchen and have the time, check out my blackberry butter cake or Brombeere-Butterkuchen. But today is the last Monday of the month and we all know that means Muffin Monday!

Butter Cake Muffins

Tart chopped apple balances the sweetness of these tasty muffins but what really makes them special is the sugar, almond and butter topping. The sugar turns crunchy and the butter soaks in and they are glorious together.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups or 220g flour
3/4 cup or 150g sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup or 113g butter, melted and cooled, divided
1/2 cup or 120ml whipping cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored

For the topping:
4 tablespoons flaked almonds

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by lining it with paper muffin cups.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt along with 2/3 cup or 120g of the sugar. In another smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of the melted butter.

Chop the apple into cubes and add them to the flour. Toss to coat.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the flour is moistened.

Divide the thick batter between your 12 prepared muffin cups.

Sprinkle the tops with the rest of the sugar and the almonds. Drip the remaining butter over each muffin. Yes, it’s a lot of butter and sugar. Just do it.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven and cool them on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Check out the rest of the fabulous muffins my Muffin Monday friends are sharing today:

• Applesauce Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Butter Cake Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Butterscotch Apple Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Sourdough Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#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.

Pin it!

 .

Roast Za’atar Chicken and Eggplant Salad

Not your typical salad, this lovely roast za’atar chicken and eggplant salad combines fresh herbs with succulent chicken thighs and golden fried eggplant, drizzled with a tangy pomegranate molasses dressing.

The day I made this, I came home from the store with the chicken thighs, with a salad in mind. I had some fresh Turkish figs in the refrigerator, a seriously creamy blue cheese, and lots of salad greens. Then I ended up back at the shopping center because I needed to get new visa photos taken. The photographer said they’d be ready in 15 minutes, so I wandered through the supermarket once more.

The bulk spices caught my eye – and my nose – and there on the spot, my whole plan changed. Oh, I’d still do a salad, but it would be a warm one, with za’atar spiced chicken and herbs. Maybe some eggplant? Yes, definitely eggplant. But what sort of dressing then? Pomegranate molasses! Ooooh, I couldn’t wait to get home to make it.

I collected my visa photos – As I told the lady, I looked like a criminal; I hope they renew my resident visa! – and I hurried home.

Roast Za’atar Chicken and Eggplant Salad

This recipe was very much a flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants affair. But fortunately, I wrote it all down and took photos, so I can share with you. It is sooooo delectable. I sent the recipe to my friend, Carolyne, in England so she could make it this weekend. She and her husband enjoyed it as well. I hope you all love it as much as we did.

Ingredients
For the warm salad:
2.2 lbs or 1kg chicken thighs*
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt
3 tablespoons Lebanese za’atar
4-6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 medium eggplant (400g)
small bunch flat leaf parsley, hard stems removed
small bunch cilantro (fresh coriander)

For the dressing:
1/4 cup or 60ml pomegranate molasses (buy the best quality you can find, preferably, no sugar added - or make your own!)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon za’atar

Optional: fresh red chili pepper, minced, for garnish - or sprinkle on a few pomegranate arils - those would be lovely too.

*Note: our chicken thighs are small compared to the ones I can buy back in the US so I count on at least 2 thighs per person.

Method
Warm the molasses in the microwave in a clean jar. Add the other ingredients and shake well. Leave to cool before pouring over salad.

Tip: If you don’t use your pomegranate molasses very often it’s a good idea to keep it in the refrigerator. Sometimes the natural sugars crystalize. If this happens to yours, measure the molasses into a microwave proof bowl or jar and give it a few zaps until it is warm enough to melt the sugar crystals. Allow to cool slightly before adding the garlic, oil and za'atar to make the dressing.

Set the oven to preheat at 400°F or 200°C.

Trim the excess fat off of your chicken thighs and discard. Season the bottom (non-skin side) with a good sprinkle of black pepper, salt and almost half of the za’atar.

Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil in your baking pan – use an iron skillet if you have one.

Arrange the chicken thighs skin side up in the pan. Season with a good sprinkle of black pepper, salt and the balance of the za’atar. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top of the seasoned thighs.

Roast for about 30 minutes in your preheated oven. (If you have larger chicken thighs, they may need an additional 10 minutes in the oven. You want to reach an internal temperature of 180°F or 83°C.) Baste with the chicken juices halfway though.

Meanwhile, trim the stem off of your eggplant and cut them in fat sticks. Sprinkle with fine sea salt and set aside in a colander to drain.

Remove the chicken from the baking pan or skillet, transfer it to a plate and cover with foil.

Dry the eggplant with a teacloth and fry the pieces in the chicken drippings in the same iron skillet on the stove. Add more olive oil if necessary. You may have to do this in two batches so as not to crowd the pan.

Turn the eggplant as needed to brown it on all sides. Remove the pieces to a small plate when done.

To assemble the warm salad, scatter your parsley and cilantro on a large serving dish. Add the chicken thighs and golden eggplant. Optional: Mince a red chili pepper and sprinkle over the top. Drizzle with the dressing to serve.

Enjoy!

Pin it! 

 .

Burmese Fish Curry #FishFridayFoodies

Burmese Fish Curry begins with an aromatic cayenne spiked curry paste made onions, garlic and ginger. Lemongrass stalks are added while the sauce slowly simmers. Finally, the fish joins the pot, cooking slowly in the fragrant sauce.

Burmese curry does not use spices, just a paste made of onions, garlic and ginger, cooked until fragrant and then reddened with cayenne and paprika or annato. For chicken curry, you add cinnamon sticks when cooking. For fish curry, you can add fish sauce, tomatoes and lightly crushed lemon grass stalks.

Burmese Fish Curry 

I learned this recipe from my Burmese friend and excellent cook, Ma Toe. I was blessed to get to know her when we lived across the street from each other in Brazil. I never wrote it down way back then but have cooked it from memory for years. This is the first time I've put the recipe down.

Ingredients
For the paste (enough for 3 pots of curry -makes 3 1/2 cups or 825g- freeze the balance):
4 large onions
2-3 normal heads of garlic or 4-5 small ones
About 5-6 inches of fresh ginger
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light cooking oil plus a little for the pot
1-2 teaspoons cayenne
2-3 teaspoons paprika or ground annato

Find instructions for the paste here: https://www.foodlustpeoplelove.com/2018/09/burmese-curry-paste.html

For the fish curry:
2 lbs or 900g fish (or substitute shelled shrimp or prawns)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Black pepper
2 good serving spoons Burmese curry paste (1/3 of recipe above or about 275g)
4-5 medium tomatoes (about 1 3/4 lbs or 800g)
2 stalks lemon grass
Good handful cilantro or fresh coriander

Optional for serving: steamed white rice and lime slices

Tip: You can use boneless fish, cut into chunks, if you prefer but fish with bones will add more flavor.

Method
Make your curry paste according to the instructions in this post. It makes enough for three pots of curry - chicken, seafood or vegetable - so you'll freeze the balance.

Season your fish with the fish sauce, black pepper and turmeric. (This can even be done earlier, while your paste is cooking, if you are making it fresh that day. In that case, refrigerate the fish until you are ready to add it in.)

Put one third of your Burmese curry paste into a large pan and warm it through. Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pot.

Give the bottom of the lemon grass stalks a good bash with a hammer or your pestle. You want to bruise and crush them a little so they can release their flavor but you want them all in one piece so they can be removed later.

Add the lemon grass stalks and about 2 cups or 480ml water to the pot.

Cook, covered, for about 20-30 minutes over a low fire. Stir the curry sauce occasionally. After the 20-30 minutes is up, add in the pieces of fish, working them under the sauce.

Cook, covered, until the fish is done, stirring occasionally, perhaps another 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop your cilantro.

Once the fish is cooked through, check the seasoning and add more fish sauce or a little salt, if necessary. Remove the lemongrass stalks and discard. Top the Burmese fish curry with the chopped cilantro.

 Serve with steamed white rice and slices of lime, if desired.

We also add in more pepper in the form of my homemade pepper sauce. Enjoy!

This month my Fish Friday Foodies are cooking up seafood stews at the behest of our talented host Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. Check out the great recipes everyone is sharing:

An InLinkz Link-up

Pin it! 

 .