{The 1st Meal} Cranberry Orange Muffins with Pecan Cinnamon Streusel

Happy almost weekend.  Are you ready for it?

I hope that you will eat at least half of the candy you bought before the children start ringing your doorbell.  I hope that you will throw aside all inhibitions and dress up like, well, whatever the heck you want and go out for a fancy dinner.  I hope that you will bake at least one new thing.  Perhaps these muffins?  You really should.

It’s almost Halloween and Pinterest tells me that I should be making cookies that look like spiders and severed fingers, but ew!  Not even going there.  

I will however, eat all your candy corn.  While we are on the subject, how do you eat your candy corn?  Do you eat it layer by layer?  Please say yes.

While I don’t go in for the Halloween-themed desserts, I am never opposed to making some season-appropriate treats to enjoy with my coffee while I pretend to be too grown up to gorge on Snickers bars.

These muffins are scented with orange zest, dotted with tart cranberries, and covered in a nutty, buttery, streusel topping.

These muffins are light, cakey, and incredibly moist.  Do not start counting how many you ate.  Just think about all the Snickers bars you resisted because you were too busy buttering muffins.

This weekend, soften some butter, bake a batch of muffins, brew a pot of coffee and have a leisurely breakfast while the morning light is bright and the air is still crisp.  This is how we bid farewell to October.  She’s been good to us. 

Stop eating candy for a few minutes and begin well.

Happy weekending! 

Sincerely, 

  Pedantic Foodie

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Cranberry Orange Muffins with Pecan Cinnamon Streusel Topping

makes 1 dozen / recipe adapted from Culinary Institute of America’s Baking at Home

for the streusel topping

    - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    - 1/4 cup pecans, chopped finely

    - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

    - 1/4 cup brown sugar

    - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Combine flour, brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Use a fork to work in butter, forming a rough crumble.

for the muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• zest of one navel orange 
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a twelve cup muffin pan with muffin cup liners.  

In a medium bowl, sift to combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk to combine milk, vanilla, and egg.  

In a large bowl, use a hand-mixer to beat butter on high speed for one minute.  Add sugar and beat for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in orange zest.  Slowly incorporate milk and flour mixtures in small increments, alternating between the two while mixing on low speed.  Fold in fresh cranberries. 

Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to divide the batter among the muffin cups.  

Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with about a tablespoon of streusel mixture.  Press down slightly to ensure that the streusel sticks to the top of the muffin.  

Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are deep golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Enjoy!

{The 1st Meal} Sweet Potato Ham Biscuits with Honey Butter

I remember the combination of delight and wonder I felt when my baby sister’s nose turned an adorable shade of orange.  My mother explained that her curious complexion was due to an overdose of sweet potatoes and carrots.  From that point on I made it a point to never go too far with my love for orange vegetables.  A discolored nose was cute on a baby, but not fashionable for a six-year-old. 

I love sweet potatoes.  I love them roasted with salt, butter, and sage, cut into fries, mashed with cinnamon, heck, I’ll even get into that whole marshmallow brown sugar territory.  

I have utmost respect for this humble tuber.  After all, it is without a doubt one of the most versatile vegetables you will find in the produce section.  It can be savory or sweet.  It will happily become soup, pies, waffles, or biscuits.  The possibilities are limitless!  Let us no more give into the erroneous notion that this superb tuber is only for overly sweet holiday casseroles.  Sweet potato fans unite!  Join the Beta CaroTEAM today!  Heehee… I find myself very amusing at times.

Oh come on, let’s just make some biscuits.

Before we go any further I should mention that these biscuits are drop biscuits - meaning that there is no rolling or cutting involved.  We just pull a quick batter together and use an ice cream scoop to portion out our biscuits.  Drop biscuits are certainly different from the fluffy buttermilk biscuits your grandmother baked, but they still deserve to have their place in the culinary world.

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 For those of you who are intimidated by biscuit making, these are a good way to begin.

While the biscuits bake we whip up a batch of honey butter.  I could put honey butter on everything.  We are also going to fry up a bit of ham. I used a thickly sliced black forest ham - I like the contrast between the salty ham and the sweet butter.

When the biscuits have cooled slightly, spread on the butter - don’t be stingy, and layer with ham. 

This is my weekend - well this, plus a mug of hot chocolate, flannel shirts, and good company.  May your weekend be slow and meaningful, may you begin well.

Sincerely,

  Pedantic Foodie

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Sweet Potato Ham Biscuits with Honey Butter

makes 10

for the honey butter

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup honey

Combine honey and butter in a medium bowl.  Use an electric mixer to whip until the ingredients are well combined and the butter is fluffy.  Place in a small bowl and cover with plastic; refrigerate until ready to use.

for the biscuits

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes 
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk 
• 1 teaspoon vinegar 
• 2 medium sweet potatoes 
• 20 slices thickly sliced ham, such as black forest ham or Canadian bacon 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Use a fork to punch several holes on each sweet potato and place on a baking sheet and bake for 40-60 minutes, or until fork tender.  Allow the potatoes to cool fully before separating the flesh from the skin.  Use a large spoon to remove all the flesh and then place in the work bowl of your food processor and pulse until smooth.*  

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

In a large bowl whisk to combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Toss the cubed butter into the flour mixture and use the tips of your fingers, or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour, breaking it up into pea-sized pieces.  

In a separate bowl, combine milk, vinegar, and sweet potato puree; stir until well combined.  Pour the mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold the dry mixture into the wet.  Mix until just combined, being careful to not over mix.  The mixture should look homogenous, but not completely smooth.  

Use a 2-ounce ice cream scoop to portion out the batter.  Place the biscuits directly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.  

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until fluffy and golden.  Allow to cool slightly before slicing.  While the biscuits are cooling, prepare the ham. 

Place a nonstick frying pan over medium high heat.  Fry ham, in batches, for about 1 minute on each side.  The goal here is twofold: you want to develop the flavor a bit by browning each side as well as heating the meat through.  

assembly

Slice each biscuit in half and butter each side with honey butter.  Place several slices of ham in each biscuit and serve immediately.  Enjoy! 

*These steps may all be done in advance.  The puree can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated until ready to use.   If you are making these biscuits for breakfast I would recommend making the puree the night before to save a bit of time in the morning.

{The 1st Meal} My Morning Brew

Friends, I am really being forced to practice what I have been preaching.  My blissful two weeks of vacation ended Wednesday and I was welcomed back into life with a full inbox, and a very long to-do list.  Rather than responding the way which comes most natural to me (giving into anxiety and frantically trying to do everything at once), I want to force myself to slow down.  I want to move slowly so that I can enjoy this process of reentry into life.  I want to rest in the knowledge that it will all get done - perhaps not smoothly, but eventually.  These are the same things I have encouraged you all to do. 

So, I am returning to our First Meal series in order to force myself to begin well and begin slowly.  Weekends are not for rushing. 

We are three weeks into this series and I wanted to take a momentary detour from recipes in order to share one of my favorite parts of breakfast - tea.  The sound of a whistling kettle, followed by the gentle noise of boiling water being poured into a well-loved cup is my daybreak symphony.  Though coffee makes its way into many of my mornings, as the weather begins to cool, I set aside my french press for a teapot.  

Though I gravitate towards fruitier blends in the Spring and Summer months, in the Fall and Winter I am strictly interested in warmer blends and practically anything with vanilla. 

If I am drinking tea by itself I generally turn to my favorite, which I know I have shared before, Honeybush Vanilla.  It is an excellent afternoon or evening tea, but it is especially nice at breakfast. Light, richly flavored, and a perfect pairing for one of my favorite breakfast treats - scones.  

Another wonderful choice on the sweeter side is this Vanilla Comoro.  It is redolent of caramel and french vanilla.  If you are transitioning from coffee to tea, I think this would be an excellent tea to begin with.  It is richer than most teas and has a lot of warmer notes that make it feel more familiar, if you are accustomed to coffee. 

Earl Grey will never be out of style and I love a strong bergamot with toast or biscuits.  If you are leaning towards the savory side of breakfast this Paris Tea is a lovely choice.  It has all the familiar notes of Earl Grey, but it has been updated with some slightly fruity notes.  The   bergamot is strong and the tea itself has very little sweetness making it the perfect pairing for a rich, savory breakfast. 

If you enjoy bergamot but prefer a more mild tea, this Downton Estate Blend is for you.  This blend is by far, one of my favorite teas - and no, not just because it is Downton.  It is perfectly balanced with notes of vanilla and bergamot, making it an excellent pairing for either sweet or savory breakfast choices. 

Though I would probably characterize myself as a bit of a fanatic when it comes to tea, I am by no means an expert.  However, through my personal experience I have learned a couple of things about the steeping game.

1. Cute mugs are nonnegotiable.  Do not taint the tea-drinking experience by sipping your lovely brew out of some random mug your husband brought home from a conference.  No, no, no.  Ascetics are an important part of The 1st Meal experience.

2. Do not, seriously, do not, over-steep your tea.  I generally steep my herbal teas for 5-6 minutes and stronger, black teas for 3-4 minutes.  It depends on the strength of the tea.  For example, I brew the Paris Tea for about 4 minutes, but when I brew the Downton Estate Blend I opt for 5-6.  It may take a bit of testing to figure out what you like, but the instructions on the tin will generally give you a good estimate of when the tea will be at its best.  Steeping can make or break the brew, so be sure to have a timer close at hand when you begin the brewing process.

3. We cannot talk about tea without discussing temperature.  If you purchase tea, especially loose tea, you will often see a suggested temperature on the package.  Personally, I always bring my water to a boil and pour it over the tea.  I don’t take the temperature and I think (hope) that is okay.  Though I would consider myself to be a tea snob in some ways, to be perfectly honest, tea drinkers went a very long time without testing the temperature of their water.  In the end, I still think I make a pretty fine cup of tea.

4. Sugar, Honey, Lemon, or Cream?  Okay, let’s talk about finishings for our tea.  I am habitually a cream and sugar kind of lady but there are times where I switch things up a bit.  For most teas I go with a 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons of fine sugar and a splash of half and half (I think heavy cream is too thick for tea).  However, if I am drinking a very herbal tea, especially a citrusy one, I opt for honey.  Honey also pairs well with peppermint teas, in my opinion.  I never add lemon to my tea (unless we are talking iced tea and then I’ll totally take lemon).  However, I have found that adding a slice of orange to a spicy tea is excellent.  A dear friend of mine served me tea like this once and I was hooked.  There is just something about orange and cinnamon. 

5. While I often use loose tea, I really have no qualms against tea sachets.  I have always been happy with the strength of Harney & Sons tea sachets, as well as the Republic of Tea tea bags.  

6. Lastly, purchase a tea kettle.  I know you have a microwave, but it really isn't the best method.  It is challenging to keep the water temperature consistent in the microwave and it is also difficult when you are making several cups of tea at once.  Though there are a wide range of kettles on the market, ranging in price from $20 to several hundred dollars.  If you have an electric tea kettle that will do the trick, but if you would like a stove top model, just go for something simple.  I kind of prefer the more simplistic models because that always means there are fewer things that can break.  I like a fairly heavy model, for insulation, and a nice whistle that will sing to you as soon as your water is boiling.  Other than that it is all a matter of preference.  I am currently eyeing this model strictly for its ascetic appeal.  Ah, I love copper. 

Begin well this weekend.  Happy brewing! 

Sincerely, 

  Pedantic Foodie