Verry Cherry Plum Mini Muffins #MuffinMonday

These Verry Cherry Plum Mini Muffins are made with hybrid fruit, part cherry-part plum and they are a delicious mixture of both!

A couple of weeks ago, I was at my local grocery store and I came across a display of Verry Cherry Plums and was intrigued. The price was $1.99 a pound and, even better, another sign said if you bought more than one pound, you got a discount of $2.   What? 

I stood there for a few minutes contemplating and calculating when another shopper approached the display. I could see her brain working on the math problem as well so I said, “Are we reading this right and if we buy more than one pound, that first pound is essentially free?” We agreed that we were and went off happily in our separate directions with each a bag of Verry Cherry Plums in our carts.

It’s always exciting to have a new ingredient to try and I am pleased to tell you that that cherry plums are lovely. Crunchier than a plum so more like a cherry in texture but definitely with a plummy flavor mixed in with cherry. And most of the bag were super sweet. Almost too sweet, if that’s even possible in fruit. 

According to the website, the season is now and it’s short so if you see them in your local store, snap them up. A little more research reveals that there are other name brands for these little hybrid fruit and also some naturally occurring cherry plums that are not manipulated hybrids. (These aren't genetically modified, by the way.) How I’ve never come across them before, I do not know! Am I the last to discover them or have you tried cherry plums before?

Verry Cherry Plum Mini Muffins

If you don’t have cherry plums, please substitute normal plums or cherries for these muffins. Or really any soft fruit to be honest. 

Ingredients for 24 mini muffins

1 cup or 125g flour

1/4 cup or 50g sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup or 100g chopped Verry Cherry Plums, plus extra for decoration, if desired 

1 egg

1/4 cup or 75g Greek yogurt

1/4 cup or 60ml milk

2 tablespoons canola or other light oil 

To give you an idea of their size, here are a few cherry plums with a normal cherry. 

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your mini muffin pan by lining them with little paper muffin cups or greasing the inside with butter or oil. I only had 12 little paper liners so I did half and half. 

In large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in the chopped cherry plums and stir to coat them with the dry ingredients.

In smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, milk and oil.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient and fold until just combined. 

Divide the batter between your mini muffin cups. Add some chopped cherry plums to each muffin for decoration, if desired. 

Bake in the preheated oven about 13-16 minutes or until the muffins are browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave them to cool for a few minutes then remove them from the pan and cool on a wire rack. 

Enjoy!

As almost always with Muffin Monday, we don’t have a theme so our bakers make whatever inspires them each month. We hope some of them will inspire you to bake! 

• Easy Spiced Peach Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Hatch Green Chile Corn Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Mango Lassi Muffins from Magical Ingredients
• Verry Cherry Plum Mini Muffins from Food Lust People Love

 

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our 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 these Very Cherry Plum Mini Muffins!

 .

Carlota de Limón – Lime Charlotte

Marie biscuits are layered with a tangy filling of lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk to make this easy no-bake Carlota de Limón or Lime Charlotte.

When it’s hotter than all get-out outside, what we all need is a dessert that can be made without turning the stove or oven on, don’t you agree? That’s why I chose no-bake desserts as this week’s Sunday FunDay theme. Personally, I think some of us should get extra points for a dessert that's served super cold as well.

Make sure you scroll down past my recipe to see the other lovely no-bake desserts my blogger friends are sharing, perfect for these hot summer days. 

Carlota de Limón – Lime Charlotte

Carlota de Limón is a classic Mexican dessert that is served very cold (as if it were an ice cream cake). As you make your shopping list, keep in mind that Marie biscuits are also called Maria biscuits or cookies in some places. In a pinch, you could also substitute plain graham crackers. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups or 360ml evaporated milk

1 can (14 oz or 397g) condensed milk

1⁄2 cup or 120ml dulce de leche (or sub more condensed milk) 

1⁄2 cup or 120ml fresh lime juice

Zest 1 lime

Maria biscuits – about 30

Optional to decorate/serve:

Whipped cream

Strawberries, halved 

1 lime, sliced thinly

Method

Use electric beaters or a whisk to combine the condensed milk, dulce de leche and evaporated milk. Add in the lime juice and zest and beat until thickened.

Line a deep round pan with foil and cover the bottom with a layer of Maria biscuits, scoring and breaking some to fill the gaps. I had a bunch of crumbs in my biscuit packet so I sprinkled them on the base as well. 

Spoon in one third of the filling, spreading it carefully to cover the biscuit base.

Top with another layer of Maria biscuits, again, scoring and breaking a couple to fill the gaps.

Top with second third of the filling, a final layer of biscuits, then the last third of the filling.

Pop the carlota de limón in the freezer for an hour or two or until firm.

When you are ready to serve, remove the carlota de limón from the freezer. Lift it out of the pan with the foil and carefully move the carlota to a serving plate. Decorate with whipped cream, halved strawberries and sliced limes, if desired.

Enjoy! 

Check out the no-bake desserts my Sunday FunDay blogger friends are sharing today! Which one will you make first? 

• Carlota de Limón from Food Lust People Love
• Drumstick Dessert from Palatable Pastime
• Oreo Icebox Cake from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Mango Pudding from Sneha's Recipe
• Nutty Cracker Jack and Pretzel Treats from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pineapple Mousse from Mayuri's Jikoni

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin this Carlota de Limón – Lime Charlotte!

 .

Easy Pork Vindaloo - Instant Pot

This easy pork vindaloo is a super tasty dish and quick to the table because it’s made in an Instant Pot. Vindaloo is classically a very spicy curry but you can tone that down by scaling back on the red chili peppers. 

I remember watching a Jamie Oliver show years ago and he was cooking beef stew. He didn’t bother browning the meat saying that he had tried making the stew both ways, browning and not browning, and didn’t see a difference in the flavor of the resulting dish. In fact, for his wife Jool’s Favorite Beef Stew, the beef is chucked into the pot along with the vegetables. (That might have been the dish he was making, I don't recall.)

This story is my way of assuring you that this pork vindaloo is going to turn out just fine, more than fine actually, delicious, even though the pork isn’t browned. In case you were worried. 

Easy Pork Vindaloo - Instant Pot

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can use a Dutch oven to cook this recipe on your stovetop, slow simmering the pork in the spices until tender. Just keep the lid closed tightly and add more water if necessary. 

Ingredients

1 teaspoon monosodium glutamate

2 1/2 lbs or 1134g pork shoulder, cut into 1.5 in or 4cm cubes

4 tablespoons canola or other light oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

3-4 red chili peppers

4 cloves garlic

1 knob fresh ginger, peeled

2 onions

1/4 cup or 60ml white vinegar

1/2 cup or 120ml water

For the spice mix:

4 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

For garnish: 

cilantro

To serve: cooked rice and/or flatbread

Method

Sprinkle the MSG on the cubed pork. Set aside while you prepare the other items. 

Use a small food processor (or a sharp knife) to mince the garlic, chili peppers and ginger. Cut the onions into quarters and again use the food processor to mince them. 

Press the sauté button on your Instant Pot. Add oil and allow it a minute to heat up. Add the cumin and mustard seeds. 

Once the cumin seeds brown and the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the onions. Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until the onions begin to brown slightly.

Add the pork, garlic, ginger and peppers. Stir well until the pork is coated with the onions, garlic, ginger and chili peppers. 

Add the spice mix, give everything a good stir then add the vinegar and water.

Secure the lid and make sure the pressure valve is closed. Cook for 25 minutes on “normal.” 

Naturally release pressure for 10 minutes, then manual release. 

Remove the lid and press the sauté button. 

Cook for 5 minutes to boil off some of the liquid and reduce the gravy to a stew like consistency. Taste for salt and add a little more, if needed.  

Garnish with cilantro and serve with cooked rice and/or your favorite flat bread. 

Enjoy!

It’s MultiCooker Monday and my blogger friends are sharing all sorts of lovely dishes cooked in small appliances. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our organizer and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. 

• Buttermilk Fried Chicken from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• East Indian Pork Roast from Sneha’s Recipe
• Easy Pork Vindaloo - Instant Pot from Food Lust People Love
• Garlicky Collard greens and Split Pea Stew/ Collard Greens and Split Pea Dal from Magical Ingredients
• Korean-Style Chile-Braised Brisket (Instant Pot) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Riblets in Black Bean Sauce from Palatable Pastime

Multicooker Monday is a blogger group created by Sue of Palatable Pastime for all of us who need encouragement to make better use of our small appliances like slow cookers, Instant Pots, Air Fryers, rice cookers and sous vide machines. We get together every third Monday of the month to share our recipes. If you are a food blogger who would like to post with us, please request to join our Facebook group. 

Pin this Easy Pork Vindaloo!

 .