Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

One of my Christmas presents from my Daughter-In-Law Kristen was a small bottle of citrus flavoring that can miraculously transform many kinds of baked goods.  The flavor is subtle with warm and zesty overtones.  It is described as a combination of vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet.  You will want to use it in everything.

Fiori de Sicilia is sold by King Arthur Flour.  This Italian flavoring is used by Italians to scent their panettone and pandoro.  But it can be used in cookies, pound cake, pies, meringues and sweet breads.  It is strong, so no more than 1/2 teaspoon is needed to flavor your baked goods.

Fiori di Sicilia certainly woke up my blueberry muffins.  The recipe I used came from Bobby Flay’s new cookbook, Bobby at Home.  His recipe only called for lemon zest and vanilla extract for flavoring.  I’m sure the original recipe would be just fine if you don’t have the Italian flavoring.  That option will be in the following recipe.

We are happily settled in our Florida cottage for the Winter.  The muffins will go in the freezer for all of our guests and friends over the next few months.

CITRUS INFUSED BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (Adapted from Bobby Flay)

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 cup frozen blueberries
(1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract) or (1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp fiori di sicilia)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.

Combine the flour, sugars, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.  Whisk the egg in a medium bowl until smooth, then add the buttermilk, melted butter, oil and vanilla (or vanilla and fiori di sicilia combination).  Add lemon zest if using.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until the batter just comes together.  Fold in the frozen blueberries.  Evenly divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attache 18 to 20 minutes.  Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from the tin and let cool 5 minutes longer.

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Nonnettes are tender little muffins originating in Dijon, France.  What sets them apart is the warm spice (pain d’epices) which is a blend including cinnamon, ginger, star anise, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and coriander.  It is easy to make and I will include the recipe at the bottom of this post.

In addition to the spices, the Nonnettes have a filling of orange marmalade, orange zest and Grand Marnier.  They are perfect for the Fall weather to come.  It is still summer on Lake Lure even in these early days of October.

I made these Nonnettes a few months ago and photographed them.  The leftovers were frozen.  I forgot to add the drizzle to them before I froze them.  The muffins above came from the freezer.  I added the glaze and enjoyed them just as much as when they were freshly made.

ORANGE MUFFINS (NONNETTES) WITH GRAND MARNIER (Adapted from The French Life)

3/4 Cup Water
7 Tbls Butter
3/4 cup Honey
1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Tbls Pain d’épices spices
2 Tbls Grand Marnier
3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup All-Purpose-Flour
1 Tbls Baking Powder
Zest of 1 Orange
6 tsps. Orange Marmalade
3 Tbls Orange Juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup Confectioners’ Sugar

Heat water, butter, honey and sugar, just until butter is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the spices and Grand Marnier. In a large bowl whisk the flours and baking powder. Add the orange zest and stir to combine. Pour in the syrup (it should still be fairly hot). Stir until combined. Flour and butter a 12-hole muffin tin. Divide the batter over the holes. Chill for half an hour. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Using a teaspoon, make a little well in the center of the batter and fill with half a tsp of marmalade. Bake the nonnettes for 20 minutes. The nonnettes should be tender and spring back when pressed. Allow to cool completely before unmolding. Place the nonnettes on a rack, making sure there is a sheet of tin foil underneath it. Make a thin glaze by whisking the orange juice into the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the nonnettes and leave to set.

Pain d’épices Spices:
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
4 whole star anise ground
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp coriander

Use 1 tablespoon of this mixture in the muffins and save the rest.

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One of my favorite “low-carb conscious” recipe websites is Kalyn’s Kitchen.  She has creative recipes for South Beach, Paleo and Keto diets to name a few.  David has been on the Keto diet for long enough for it to have become a lifestyle choice.  Sometimes he craves more than bacon and eggs for breakfast.  These muffins made with mostly almond flour fit the bill.  There is a small amount of flour in the mix, but not enough to give him pause.  The muffins are spiked with bacon crumbles, green onions and Parmesan cheese.  I love them too.

I thank Kalyn for this wonderful recipe.  I may serve them when the whole family comes for the Labor Day Weekend.  They are quick to assemble and will be an easy breakfast for 14 people all on different schedules.  Let the fun begin!  Happy Fall.

COTTAGE CHEESE AND BACON AND EGG BREAKFAST MUFFINS (Slightly adapted from Kayln’s Kitchen)

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

With the Super Bowl approaching, I wanted to make an appetizer that my husband would enjoy on his low Carb diet.  Over Christmas I made sausage cheese balls the way most people make them with Bisquick, sausage and cheese.  We both love this old standby.  I decided to experiment with lessoning the carbs by using almond flour.  But almond flour does not have a leavening agent like Bisquick.  After several attempts, I settled on a combination of almond flour, baking powder and Bisquick.  I halved the amount of Bisquick and combined the baking powder with the almond flour for the other half of the dry ingredients.

I loved the results.  Another tip for mixing the ingredients is to bring the grated cheese and sausage to room temperature before mixing them together.  Then add the dry ingredients.  All of this should be done by hand.

A friend and I spent a day in DeLand, Florida, a small inland community about 20 miles from New Smyrna Beach.  It is a vibrant community with lots of shops and restaurants.  One of my favorite shops is Anna Bananas. The subheading of the shop is Recycled, Repurposed and Reclaimed.

The owners build furniture using antique elements and creative uses of old wood.

We had lunch al fresco at a delightful restaurant (BakeChop) in a spiffed up alley.  It was a warm and sunny day; one of few that we have had in Florida lately.   The BLT on sourdough bread was great, but the chickpea salad with Brussel sprout leaves, tomatoes and red onions was a real winner.  The chickpeas were crispy and the dressing light.  I will have to experiment with duplicating this take on three bean salad.

Enjoy the Super Bowl.  Hope you give this adaptation of Sausage Cheese Balls a try.

SAUSAGE CHEESE BALLS (LOWER CARB)

1 Pound Breakfast Sausage (Hot or Mild or a combination)
8 Oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Bisquick Baking Mix
1 cup Almond Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

Grate the cheese into a large bowl and bring to room temperature.  At the same time, bring the sausage to room temperature.

While cheese and sausage are resting, combine the Bisquick, almond flour and baking powder in a small bowl.

With your hands, combine the cheese and sausage until well blended.  Add the dry ingredients and roll and squeeze until the flour is fully combined with the cheese mixture.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper or use a non-stick baking sheet.

Form mixture into about 1 inch balls and line baking sheet with them.  I can get 24 balls unto the pan.  The recipe makes about 48 balls.

Bake for 15-17 minutes.

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One way to usher in the New Year is with this Cointreau spiked French toast.  The French bread is soaked overnight in a mixture of eggs, orange juice, the orange liqueur, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla.  It can be topped with powdered sugar and an orange infused maple syrup.  We enjoyed this Christmas morning, but it would be perfect for New Year’s Day.

The recipe came from one of my childhood friends.  I have mentioned before that a group of my high school friends and I self-published a cookbook of our favorite recipes.  Norma had spent many years as a caterer and this was one of the breakfast dishes that she liked to serve.  It is very easy to assemble for a crowd once the initial soaking is finished; just brown and serve.

Serve with Champagne and orange juice for a celebration of the new year.  I offer you love and hope for 2018.

ORANGE FRENCH TOAST

1 loaf of French bread
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups orange juice
1/8 cup Cointreau or other Orange liqueur
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Powdered sugar
6 ounces maple syrup
2 ounces orange juice concentrate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Slice bread into 1-inch thick slices.  Lay bread in jelly roll pan.  Pour next 7 ingredients that have been whipped together, over the bread and refrigerate overnight.  Turn griddle on medium and heat up.  Lightly butter griddle, lay bread on griddle and cook for 5 minutes on each side.  You can finish cooking if need be in the oven at 325 degrees.

In a saucepan, mix together the maple syrup, orange juice concentrate, and vanilla.  Cook mixture for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle french toast with powdered sugar and pour sauce over it.

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