Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal

I have always admired ‘morning people’ because I have never really been one. I’m not a sleep-all-day type either, but I do not have a magical internal clock that rouses me, energetic and alert, every morning. In fact, the snooze button gets a lot of use and I have been known to spend far too much on really, really comfortable bed sheets.

But  sometimes on the weekend I cannot help but purposely get up early before everyone else because I love the quiet stillness of the house in the early morning. I like to get up, putter around, make some tea, and catch up on some online reading — nothing too strenuous. Not surprisingly, I also capitalize on such quiet, solo mornings by cooking, blogging and taking pictures – thank goodness for the huge kitchen window and the moody softness of morning light.

So much of life is spent hurrying, worrying and just trying to get up and out the door. A weekend morning of solitude can be a welcome reprieve after (or before) a hectic work week. In the summer, early mornings are nice to spend outside before the heat hits, but now that fall has really arrived, the coziness of foggy mornings keeps me inside and gets me thinking of something warm and sustaining for breakfast.

Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350°

Butter for the baking dish

1 ½ C rolled oats (not quick oats)

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1 C raisins

3 C milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Butter a 8×8 inch baking dish. Add oats and spices. Top with raisins. Stir together milk and vanilla and pour over oats. Bake for 40 minutes until tender and browned. Serve immediately with milk and more maple syrup or brown sugar as desired.

English Muffins

Recently we were strolling through Gourmet Warehouse when Rob picked up a package of four English Muffin ring molds. He gasped and then decisively (and excitedly) put them in the cart. It wasn’t until we got home and he opened up the box to read the enclosed recipe and instructions that we learned that English Muffins are a stove top creation. Before that moment I had never considered how an English muffin was made. I would have presumed, if pressed, that they were baked. Not so!

Weeks went by, no English Muffins were made. In fact, I believe the original recipe was lost somehow, (hence the adaptation of Alton Brown’s recipe below). Lucky for us, this morning was the morning. Rob got up, made some coffee and began measuring and mixing. I followed along with the camera so I could share the marvels of English Muffins here with all of you.

They turned out very well. Not as pale and picture perfect as store bought, but the flavour and texture were great. Definitely worth making again!

A couple of notes:

1) Don’t overfill the molds! They really rise and puff. Aim to get about 10 from this recipe.

2) Watch the heat. Ours got quite dark. Golden brown is the goal.

3) A tip from Alton Brown: if you don’t have ring molds, very clean empty tuna cans with the top and bottom removed will work just as well.

 

English Muffins

adapted from Alton Brown’s recipe from foodnetwork.com

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup hot milk

1 envelope dry yeast

1/8 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup warm milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

In a bowl combine 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, butter, and 1 cup hot milk.  Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved and the butter is melted. Let cool.

In a separate bowl combine the yeast and 1/8 teaspoon of sugar in 1/3 cup of warm milk and rest until yeast has dissolved. Add this to the first milk mixture. Add the sifted flour and beat thoroughly with wooden spoon. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Heat a griddle or frying pan to medium.

Once the dough has proofed and risen for 30 mins. add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and beat thoroughly.

Place ring molds onto the hot pan and spray everything lightly with vegetable spray. Scoop a scant 1/4 cup of dough into each ring and cover with a greased pot lid. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove the lid and flip rings using tongs. Cover with the lid and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack, remove rings and cool. Split with a fork and toast in the toaster as you would bread, as necessary. Best eaten almost immediately.

(We opted to have ours with scrambled egg, sausage and cheese)

 

Pear and Cardamom Bundt Cake

This recipe came about as the result of a conversation concerning a certain muffin (I actually think they call them ‘baby cakes’) from local Vancouver mini-chain, Terra Breads. The confection in question is something that can only be described as a symphony of apple and cardamom. Baked in charming brown paper sleeves and delicately perfumed with the alluring musk of cardamom, they are a real treat.

If you aren’t familiar with cardamom, here it is:

It’s sort of an ugly little pod, but quite delicious. It’s related to the ginger family and has a somewhat similar pungency to it. Wikipedia has a lot to say about it here. You can easily find both green or black (shown here) varieties. I am less familiar with the black cardamom so I thought I’d try it this time. In hindsight, I’d say that the two are very, very similar, but the black variety is less floral, and more smoky. It’s one of those flavours that once you have it, you won’t forget it, but it’s almost impossible to describe. Either way, it is the perfect match for the soft pears in this cake and of course, the almost magical muffins from Terra Breads.

So why not just go get one? Well, you certainly could. I certainly could have, but I enjoy the challenge of recreating and reinventing recipes. The reinvention here is threefold:  1) It’s a cake, not muffins 2) I used pear not apple 3) I used a trio of spices, one of which was cardamom, so this is less of a punch to the face in terms of cardamom flavour.  All that said, this is a quick and easy cake to make (I didn’t even pull out the mixer! Mixed by hand, imagine that!) and requires no frosting or adornment besides a pretty dusting of powdered sugar  — but you’d be forgiven if you plopped a cloud of whipped cream on it, or even a drizzle of caramel.

I won’t tell. Your secrets are safe with me.

Pear & Cardamom Bundt Cake

Inspired by the Apple and Cardamom Baby-Cake from Terra Breads

preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Core and chop 3 large, ripe pears (about 3 cups of fruit)

Set aside.

Sift together:

2 Cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cardamom

Set aside.

In a second bowl, cream together

2/3 C. butter – softened to room temperature

1 1/2 C. sugar

Once creamed, beat in

2 whole eggs

1 tbsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. milk

Add the dry ingredients to the butter, egg and sugar mix.

Stir in the chopped pear.

Scrape (the batter will be thick) into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until risen brown and a skewer or toothpick inserted into it comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Invert the pan onto the rack and the cake should drop out. Allow to cool fully before cutting.

Bran Muffins with Oats and Berries

Has anyone noticed that something has happened to muffins over time? In many cases they have turned into cakes. I’m not an absolute purist when it comes to things like this, but to me there should be more of a difference between a muffin and a cupcake than the frosting. Am I wrong?

These muffins deliver on many levels: taste, texture, and nutrition. The fibre in these is off the charts and they have a minimum of sugar and fat, so we can all feel good about that. What they are not, is bland or boring. They have a decidedly homemade texture to them, and the yogurt and fruit keeps them moist while the tops get crunchy. It’s a win-win. Did I mention that they come together in about 15 minutes and only bake for 30? That means you are less than an hour away from a warm-from-the-oven snack or breakfast. Worth using up your last bag of frozen berries from last summer? Absolutely.

Bran Muffins with Oats and Berries

preheat your oven to 375 and grease (or paper) a 12 cup muffin tin

1 cup of oats (the quick oats will do, but the slow cook oats will give better texture)

1 cup of bran cereal (bran buds or all-bran)

1 1/2 cups of plain yogurt

2 cups of whole wheat flour

1/4 cup of sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup of milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg (lightly beaten)

1 tbsp vanilla

2 cups frozen mixed berries (you can use any fruit – apple and pear is delicious, but if it isn’t frozen, keep an eye on them in the oven and reduce the baking time a bit.)

Combine the oats and bran cereal. Use a very large bowl because in the end all the batter will end up here.

Add the yogurt and stir well. Set this mixture aside for about 10 minutes while you mix the other components of the muffins.

Combine the flour, baking powder and soda, salt and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.

Combine the egg, milk, oil and vanilla in a bowl. Once the cereals and yogurt have had a few minutes together to soften, add the egg and milk mix into the cereals, stirring well.

Now add the dry ingredients. Pour them on top of the wet and stir quickly but only until everything is just barely combined. Don’t over mix.

Add your berries, (or other fruit).

Stir to combine, but again, don’t over mix.

Load up 12 well greased or papered muffin cups. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes (less if the fruit wasn’t frozen). They are done when they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into their middles comes out clean.