Preserves "Recipe": Preserved Lemons

Firstly, OM NOM NOM.

Preserved lemons are one of my favourite preserves. When I ask people if they like them, most of them have no idea what they are or what to do with them. I always tell them to use them like a spice or a seasoning - to add amazing flavour to a dish, that's more in the "spice" realm than fresh lemon zest/juice flavouring would be. I like to add preserved lemon to any 'moroccan'-style dish I'm doing (eg with loads of garlic, tomatoes, and chickpeas), to home-made hummous, to cous cous salads (with roasted capsicum and moar chickpeas and olives and parsley and tomato).

Basically, yum. A couple of months ago I jarred up a huge amount of lemons and put them in the back of the cupboard; this morning I transferred them to smaller jars to give to friends. the smell was amazing.

OK, so, enough gushing. Here's how you do it: ( Read more... )

Recipe: Choc-chip Berry Jam Muffins

Another riff on Bittman, as per last weekend.

These muffins aren't too sweet, and the chunks of jam throughout (especially while hot) are delightful.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips


• Few spoonfuls of a nice berry jam (try to go with something tart like raspberry or blackberry)


• 80 grams sugar


• 45 grams melted butter


• 250 grams plain flour


• pinch of salt


• 1 egg


• 3 teaspoons baking powder


• 240ml milk

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190° celcius. Line a 12-cup small muffin pan and spray/grease the liners


2. Mix together dry ingredients and chocolate chips


3. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients (excluding jam) together well (whisking the egg)


4. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients. Fold in gently only until all dry ingredients are wet - just before it's done, add some spoonfuls of jam, and gently fold in. You don't want to blend the jam through, but leave nice chunks (!IMPORTANT).


5. Spoon mixture into muffin pan


6. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, test with skewer/toothpick


7. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer muffins to cooling rack


8. Eat while they're still warm!