Muffin Tin Chef (4 page)

Local peaches, egg-soaked bread, and vanilla-spiked creamy Greek yogurt team up in this riff on iconic French toast. They may look difficult to make, but they're really not. It's best to use jumbo muffin cups as they are easier to fit the bread into. If desired, stir some maple syrup into the yogurt.
Serves 3 V

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Gently flatten the bread slices with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick. In a flat-bottomed bowl, lightly beat the eggs, milk, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the nutmeg. One at a time, soak the bread slices in the egg mixture for 10 seconds per side, letting the excess drip off. Gently press into 6 jumbo muffin cups, forming a cup shape. Bake until the bread is crisp, about 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss together the peaches, lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Heat the peach mixture in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until the peaches have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir together the yogurt and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Divide the peach mixture among the French toast cups and top with vanilla yogurt.

Armed with silicone muffin cups, you can whip up quick, and surprisingly good, whole-grain breakfast cakes (slash) muffins in the now-ubiquitous microwave. Don't try these with metal tins! You can cook the quinoa the night before or use leftover cooked quinoa from another recipe. Take these cakes up a notch by bejeweling them with the creamy maple-almond topping.
Serves 3 G, V, F

In a large bowl, mash the banana. Stir in the quinoa, eggs, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and almond extract. Divide the batter among 6 medium silicone muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Microwave on high power until set, about 2 1/2 minutes, rotating the cups once halfway through cooking if needed. In a small bowl, stir together the almond butter and maple syrup. Serve the cakes topped with almond-maple butter.

French toast is the epitome of casual breakfast fare. This whimsical twist on a breakfast classic hits all the right flavor notes: sweet, warming, and toasty.
Serves 4 V, F

For the French Toast:
Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then beat in the milk, sugar, vanilla extract, cardamom, and salt. Stir in the bread cubes until they are all moist. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Divide the bread cubes among 12 medium muffin cups and pour any leftover egg mixture on top. Bake until they start turning golden on top and the egg has set, about 22 minutes.

For the Blueberry Compote:
While the French toast bakes, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the blueberries, maple syrup, cinnamon, and orange zest. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute more. Serve the French toasties topped with the blueberry compote.

 

FRENCH TOASTIES WITH BLUEBERRY COMPOTE,
page 28

 

PARMESAN HASH BROWNS,
page 30

With their crispy exterior and moist tender interior, iconic hash browns are hard to resist. Especially this gussied up version—the mustard is a must! Some supermarkets sell bagged shredded potatoes in the refrigerator section, which can be a time saver.
Serves 4 V, G

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In batches, roll the shredded potato in a clean kitchen towel or between a few sheets of paper towel and press out as much water as possible. In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, Parmesan cheese, thyme, olive oil, mustard, garlic powder, and shallot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the mixture among 12 medium muffin cups and lightly press on each to pack down. Bake until the edges begin to brown, about 45 minutes.

Let rest for several minutes, and gently lift the hash brown cups out of the muffin cups. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

This is definitely one of my favorite savory muffin recipes. The turkey and Parmesan team up to create a powerful flavor punch. Because recipes are only as good as their ingredients, make sure to use a high-quality Parmesan. These contain meat, so make sure to store them in the fridge.
Serves 12 V, F

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the sausage from its casing, crumble into the skillet, and cook until brown. Make sure the sausage is in small pieces. Let cool.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, rosemary, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, garlic, yogurt, milk, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Fold in the cooked sausage. Divide the mixture among 12 medium muffin cups and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before unmolding.

Rich in gustatory romance and traditionally served on Good Friday, hot cross buns are basically sweet yeast dough mixed with warming spices and raisins (I prefer cranberries!), and then finished off with a cross. So delightful, there's no reason to relegate these to only Easter weekend.
Serves 8 V, F

In a small saucepan, scald the milk by heating it over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges. In a large bowl, stir together the hot milk with 1 teaspoon of the coconut palm or other granulated sugar, 3/4 cup of the whole wheat pastry flour, and the yeast. Set aside until frothy, about 15 minutes.

In a second large bowl, sift together the remaining 3/4cup whole wheat pastry flour and the all-purpose or bread flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup coconut palm or other granulated sugar and the cranberries. Add the yeast mixture, butter, and whole eggs, and stir to combine. Turn the dough onto a well-floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and stretchy but a little bit sticky, about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a large bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm, draft-free place until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Punch the dough down in the middle with your fist. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 3 minutes more. Divide the dough into 16 even pieces, shape each portion into a ball, and drop into 16 medium muffin cups. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. To make the glaze, mix 1 egg white with the milk and brush onto each bun. Bake until the tops of the buns have turned golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before unmolding.

To make the icing cross, place the remaining 1 egg white in a medium bowl and add 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Keep adding confectioners' sugar 1/4 cup at a time until you achieve a very thick, smooth, white icing. Pipe the “cross” on each bun using a piping bag or a small zip-top bag with a corner cut off.

A popover is a light, hollow roll made from an egg flour batter and traditionally served at breakfast or brunch in Britain. If you don't have a popover tin, metal muffin tins will certainly do the job adequately.
Serves 6 V, F

For the Raspberry Chia Jam:
In a small bowl, whisk together the chia seeds and water. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to form a gel, stirring with a whisk occasionally to prevent clumping. Place the chia seed gel in a blender or food processor along with the raspberries and sugar. Blend or process until just combined. Refrigerate overnight before serving.