Strawberry & Poppy Seed Muffins

An interesting trend has developed in my kitchen the past few months. On Sunday mornings, I find myself awake early with a quiet house. The sun begins to shine in the side door, making the kitchen a welcoming place where I can chop or mix slowly as I awake. Not driven by a clock or a grumbling belly, I am free to experiment, and have been enjoying this peaceful time more and more each week.

This week was no exception, and while some of my experiments go to the trash, this Sunday’s recipe is going to the top of my favorites list. I started with a thought of banana bread, but with seasonal strawberries and airy ricotta, it morphed it into light, perfectly crumbly and moist muffins. With a sliver of butter, I enjoyed two straight from the oven (mmmm….warm muffins) and later found my husband in the kitchen “sneaking” another one right from the muffin tin. Success indeed.

Strawberry & Poppy Seed Muffins
makes 1 dozen

1 c sugar
3/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 c butter (1 stick), melted
1/2 c whole-milk ricotta
1 t vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c chopped fresh strawberries, excess juice drained
1 T poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a muffin tin, and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flours, salt and baking soda. In a small bowl, mix together butter (allow to cool), ricotta, vanilla and eggs. Stir into flour bowl, mixing well. Gently fold in strawberries and poppy seeds, until just mixed.

Divide batter evenly among muffin tin, and transfer to the oven. Bake 25-30 minutes, until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Note: These are very moist muffins and will be slightly crumbly when warm. Allow to cool before removing from tin, if this matters to you!

Citrus Meltaways

The weeks have been floating by in the most wonderful way possible. I feel the tug of spring with temperatures skyrocketing to 40 degrees. I can finally see peeks of grass (brown grass, but still…grass). And my favorite day of the year, Daylight Savings, is fast approaching. But as happy as I am about the reality of packing away my winter jacket shortly, it is proving to be not much more than a gentle reminder of what spring is really bringing—the arrival of a B-A-B-Y. With 11 weeks to go, the excitement is at an all time high, but the panic is starting to set in. I am a full-fledged-crazy-list-maker, who is bored without a project (or six) at all times. But early on I made a decision: to give myself a break. So if that means canceling plans, asking for help, or a little less cooking and a little more napping, then so be it, because it is keeping me sane. There were blog posts planned for the last few weeks—a few fell by the wayside of so-called naps, and a few landed in the trash. But I am ok with that.

These days when the kitchen does call, it is in the form of something sweet. I think I have mentioned before that I am normally a salt person. I don’t bat an eye at cake and can easily pass up baked goods. That deserves a good laugh right about now, because these past months, my nightly dreams of strollers and cribs are being invaded by cupcakes and ice cream. I have been buying butter and flour in bulk, and there was one day I was physically unable to leave Target without walking baaaack to the other side of the store to buy the box of cupcake mix that had been taunting me throughout the aisles. But for you, there is an upside to my madness, since I have a delicious cookie recipe to share today. It is simple, it is sweet and it has the flavors and colors of the spring that we are so desperately anticipating.

Citrus Meltaways
adapted from Martha Stewart . makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies

1 1/2 sticks (12 T) butter, brought to room temp
1 1/3 c confectioners' sugar
zest of 1 grapefruit and 1/2 lime (about 2 T)
2 T freshly citrus juice (I used grapefruit and lime)
1 T vanilla extract
1 3/4 c plus 2 T all-purpose flour
2 T cornstarch
1/4 t salt

In a food processor, combine butter, 2/3 c sugar, zest, citrus juice and vanilla. Pulse 1-2 minutes, until well combined. Add in flour, cornstarch and salt. Pulse another 1-2 minutes, until combined into a soft dough.

Place dough on a cutting board, and separate into two equal balls. Roll each into a log, 8” in length. Place each log on a parchment-lined baking sheet and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill at least 30 minutes (dough can also be frozen at this point, for later use).

Preheat oven to 350F. Return logs to the cutting board, and cut into 1/8" cookies (about 56 total). Divide cookies among two non-stick (or parchment lined) baking sheets, about 1” apart. Transfer to oven, cooking 1 sheet at a time, if necessary. Bake until barely golden, about 13-15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.

Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. While still warm, place cookies in sugar-filled bag. Gently toss to coat, and return to a platter to finish cooling. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Deep Freeze Scones

It is January and there is no doubt in Massachusetts that we are in the middle of a deep freeze. Temperature this week is "Arctic Cold", we have already surpassed our average year snow total, and another 5"-9" is expected this evening. But alas, the name of these scones did not come from the weather outside my door. In an attempt to ignore winter and fast-forward to May, I have begun spring cleaning. At least my freezer, that is.

I remember, in late September, hand-picking these raspberries, and tucking them in the freezer after a good rinse. I knew, in months to come, they would be become the star in a delicious sweet. I had of course forgotten about them until I started digging last weekend, and was so happy to find a gentle reminder of warmer days.

Deep Freeze Scones
adapted from Wendy Addison

2 c flour
4 T sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 T baking powder
5 T butter
1/3 c heavy cream
1/4 c sour cream
2 eggs, beaten, plus 1 egg, beaten
2 c frozen raspberries, thawed

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar and baking soda. Cut in the butter, until well combined. Stir in the heavy cream, sour cream and 2 eggs, mixing into a soft dough.

With hands, form dough into a 8" circle, and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread the raspberries over one-half, and fold up the opposite end, creating a half moon. Press the dough together, at the seams, and cut into six pieces. Brush with 1 egg, and sprinkle generously with sugar.

Transfer baking sheet to oven, and bake 30-35 minutes, until cooked throughout. Juices from the berries, will leak onto the parchment paper, but that is ok! Allow to cool, before serving.