July 11, 2011

Blueberry Muffins in a Mug

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Blueberry Muffins in a Mug

Blueberry Muffins in a Mug

July 11: National Blueberry Muffin Day

Oven-baked blueberry muffins are definitely much better than those microwaved in a mug! But those who are curious in the kitchen and like a quick breakfast or snack might want to try making blueberry muffins in cute coffee cups. We have found that the fruit added a much needed moistness to the somewhat dry batter. This was our one-time experiment for our blog to post on National Blueberry Muffin Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from HEB)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ¼ cup brown sugar (we used an Imperial Sugar brand Redi-Measure pouch)
  • 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup all-purpose baking mix (we used Bisquick brand)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Mist three large or four small microwave-safe mugs with cooking spray. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, brown sugar, vanilla yogurt and olive oil and blend well. Add the baking mix and ground cinnamon and stir well. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Blueberry Muffins in a Mug

Fill the mugs halfway with the batter. Microwave each mug for 90 seconds. The batter will boil over but can be easily wiped clean. Carefully remove the hot mug from the microwave and let the contents settle and cool slightly.

Blueberry Muffins in a Mug

Notes

 

July 10, 2011

Piña Colada Macarons

Posted by HI Cookery under 07 July | Tags: , , , |
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Piña Colada Macarons

Pina Colada Macarons

July 10: National Piña Colada Day

“If you like piña coladas…and are not much into health foods,” then you’ll love piña colada macarons! We flavored basic macaron shells with desiccated coconut and coconut extract and then tempered its sweetness with pineapple cream cheese for a perfect piña colada cocktail cookie. “Escape” and indulge in this great summertime snack. These macarons are a terrific tropical treat for a non-alcoholic National Piña Colada Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita)

For the macarons (Italian meringue method)

  • 1 cup almond flour/meal
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ cup desiccated coconut
  • 3 egg whites (fresh, unpasteurized and aged overnight at room temperature)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • ½ teaspoon coconut extract

For the filling

Directions

In a food processor, grind together the almond flour/meal, powdered sugar and desiccated coconut. Sift to remove any lumps. Make a simple syrup to stabilize the egg whites by boiling the sugar and water together until it reaches a temperature of 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer (or until it reaches a soft ball stage).

PIna Colada Macarons

Whip the egg whites until peaks form. Pour the simple syrup into the beaten egg whites and whip again until stiff and glossy. Stir in the almond flour/meal-sugar-coconut mix until the consistency “flows like magma.”

Pina Colada Macarons

Fill a pastry bag with a large round tip. Pipe one-inch discs on a parchment paper on top of an insulated baking sheet. Let the discs air dry to develop a thin skin for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Watch the “feet” develop, but be careful not to brown or burn the macarons.

Pina Colada Macarons

Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Peel off the macarons from the parchment paper. Sort by size and match pairs.  Spread the pineapple cream cheese on one of the macarons and sandwich with another. Refrigerate to set the filling. Serve chilled like the cocktail itself.

PIna Colada Macarons

Notes

  • See the lyrics of and listen to “Escape (The Piña Colada Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes on YouTube.
  • We bought the desiccated coconut from the About Australia online store.
 

July 4, 2011

Red, White and Blue Strawberries

Posted by HI Cookery under 07 July | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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Red, White and Blue Strawberries

Red, White and Blue Strawberries 

July 4: American Independence Day

Happy birthday, America! People are especially patriotic today and traditionally celebrate the country’s independence by watching parades and fireworks; stimulating the economy by shopping at the sales; or spending time, relaxing and feeding our faces (of course!) with family and friends. On this national holiday, we usually grill burgers and hot dogs or barbecue spare ribs, steaks or chicken. Sometimes we also prepare a patriotic parfait or American flag cake. Today we tried a simple sweet treat featuring red strawberries, white chocolate and blue sanding sugar for a cute red-white-and-blue dessert as a festive Fourth of July food!

Recipe

(Inspired by Internet photos)

Ingredients

  • strawberries
  • white chocolate or vanilla candy wafers
  • blue sanding sugar

Directions

Wash and dry the strawberries.  Melt the white chocolate or vanilla candy wafers in the microwave as directed on the package. Stir until smooth.

Red, White and Blue Strawberries

Dip each strawberry two-thirds with the melted chocolate or vanilla candy. Place on waxed paper to set slightly. Before the coating hardens, generously dip the bottom third of the strawberry into the blue sanding sugar. Place on waxed paper to set completely or display in mini-paper cupcake/muffin cups.

Red, White and Blue Strawberries

Notes

  • Strawberries should be at room temperature for dipping or they will “sweat” after cooling.
  • White chocolate or vanilla candy wafers may also be melted in a double boiler.
  • It is best to prepare the red-white-and-blue strawberries on the day of the meal or as close to serving as possible for freshness. The strawberries tend to leak some juices and the coating melts in higher temperatures. Refrigerate to solidify the coating as necessary.
  • Search our blog for more festive Fourth of July foods.
 

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