Muffins and Mousse!!!!

I have been busy in the kitchen the last few days.... and you are soon going to see some posts for Dal Makhani and Simple Punjabi Chhole but in the meanwhile since all the chocolate chip muffins were polished off by friends and family I had to come up with a another snack for myself to nosh on.

I found some blackcurrant crush that I knew was going to expire soon and it has been on my mind to use it well. I had hung some yogurt to use it and make a fresh yogurt mousse with but with that done I had about 6-7 tablespoons to go and didn't know what to do with it! And then I had it! Like I mentioned in my earlier post I had the muffin recipe to perfect and experiment with since I had just started exploring this genre so what better than to use it to make blackcurrant muffins!!!!! They haven't risen as much as I would have liked them to but I think I have to work on my oven settings for that!

So here are the recipes - I wanted to keep it as simple as possible as my son has been needing my attention recently and not letting me spend the amount of time I would require to whip up some intricate goodies! These recipes are soo easy that I am not breaking it down into ingredient and method and just putting it down all together.

Blackcurrant Mousse:

I used 400 grams yogurt and hung it in a muslin cloth for an hour. To that I added 200 grams low fat cream and about 3 tablespoons of gelatin dissolved in a bit of warm water. To this I added about 1/2 cup of blackcurrant crush and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. I whisked it all together except the gelatin which I added slowly in the end. I made individual portions of this to make it look pretty! And before I poured this into the cups I layered them with digestive biscuits mixed with a bit of butter. Set in the fridge for about 30 mins and they were yum and sooo done to be devoured! They have a ohh soo fresh and smooth flavor - the perfect cold dessert for these warm summer nights !

Blackcurrant Muffins:

I took the recipe for chocolate chip muffins and omitted the chocolate chips from it. Here it is:  http://ruchisimplyfood.blogspot.com/2010/06/simply-chocolate-chip-muffins.html

I then made the batter and poured it in the muffin liners in a muffin tin and added a tablespoon and a half of blackcurrant crush into each muffin liner which were holding the batter. I swirled some and left some as is to see what the result was and they came out perfect! Moist and not too sweet. Melting in the mouth - perfect as an accompaniment for a cup of hot chai, cold coffee or after food dessert! Now the only variation I want to try is to make it with some whole wheat flour to make it healthier!!!!

Simply Chocolate Chip Muffins!

The newest recipe book that I have added to my collection is Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess - and that has inspired me and shown me how cakes, muffins, cupcakes can be easy to whip up and not a nightmare! The way her book conveys the message to you, it is as if she is right there telling you, "Go on! You can do it! No biggie!" So this afternoon when I was craving something chocolate I thought about baking myself a batch of muffins to have with my cold coffee... 

Well, so here is my first go at muffins. I am using ingredeints I had on hand and making them was as easy as 1-2-3... so I am going to have to try variations before I can conclude that I have mastered muffin making but my first attempt definitely seemed like a success. Within 30 minutes I had a batch of freshly baked muffins on the wire rack cooling and a delicious aroma wafting from my kitchen... and I still managed to catch a nap with my sleeping baby! So all in all it turned out to be a productive day :)!

This post is dedicated to all the mothers who have young toddlers and still seem to find their life a little topsy - turvy. Trust me it will come back all together bit by bit... here's a start for a little treat for your little munchkin with that cheeky grin who has you wrapped around your finger. You can try using whole wheat flour to give it a healthier twist - it makes a perfect evening snack to take to the park with your toddler! No more guilt about giving them only packaged snacks.... you can make mini muffins which are perfect for babies under 1.5 and regular sized ones for the older ones. Better still make an activity out of it coz they are going to be really happy helping put this together! Also, I find cooking therapeutic so making dinner and dessert is very relaxing... and putting together a homemade dinner and dessert after taking care of the baby the whole day makes you feel like giving yourself a pat on your back and sinking your teeth into the soft muffin is your reward for that.

So here goes the recipe:

I read a few recipes before I put mine together - mine makes 6 regular sized muffins.

1 cup all purpose flour
1 large egg
1/4 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup milk chocolate
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup demerera sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of baking soda

A useful tip Nigella Lawson gives in her book is to mix all the dry ingredients and leave on the counter the night before. Mix all the wet ingredients in the fridge the night before. Then in the morning - just melt the butter - mix the dry and wet ingredeients and you have a yummy breakfast in under 30 minutes :)!

So the batter is as easy as mixing the wet ingredients together and the dry ingredients. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix slowly till all mixed together with a wooden spoon. Do not over mix as this will cause the muffins to be hard.

Scoop the mixture equally into 6 cupcake / muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes at 190 degrees. And your mouth watering dessert / breakfast / snack is ready to be dvoured hot or cold!