I always make him guess - I love this little game, it almost makes me feel like a child, at the same time hoping that he finds out and that he doesn't.
Poppy seeds, he said. I knew he would say that and that made me even happier. No poppy seeds in these muffins.
Apples, his second guess. Wrong again. I have a big smile on my face. I want to tell him, but at the same time I want him to find out. But he doesn't. I tell him, happy to have made something unusual, excited about all the possibilities in baking and cooking.
The Surprise Ingredients were Black Sesame and Pear, mixed in with some butter, brown sugar and the other suspects. They are really good, but what I love even more about them is that they make people pause and ask questions.
Black Sesame and Pear Muffins
Adapted from a recipe in the march issue of Bon Appetit
Note: This recipe only makes 4 muffins, but it is really easy to double or triple. I just sometimes prefer not to make 12 muffins when I know I am the only person around to eat them.
1/3 stick/30g butter, softened
1/2 cup/55g flour
1/3 cup almond flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
a pinch of baking soda
a pinch of salt
1/6 cup black sesame, ground to a powder/paste
1/2 cup/90g brown sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 pear, cut into small dices
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare your muffin pan: Line 4 cups with liners. (I think you are supposed to add water to the empty cups of the muffin pan, and I just googled it, they are said to burn faster if there are any empty cups in the pan).
Grind the sesame seeds with mortar and pestle (you will end up with a coarse flour) or in a spice mill (which should produce more of a paste, but I used mortar and pestle).
Add flour, almonds, baking powder, soda and salt to a mixing bowl.
Cream the butter with the sugar, then add the ground sesame. Add in the buttermilk and incorporate. Then sift in the dry ingredients, and mix them in with a spatula. Fold in the pear cubes.
Divide the batter between the muffin cups, sprinkle some brown sugar on top of each muffin, then bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a tester inserted comes out clean.
Black Sesame and Pear Muffins
Adapted from a recipe in the march issue of Bon Appetit
Note: This recipe only makes 4 muffins, but it is really easy to double or triple. I just sometimes prefer not to make 12 muffins when I know I am the only person around to eat them.
1/3 stick/30g butter, softened
1/2 cup/55g flour
1/3 cup almond flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
a pinch of baking soda
a pinch of salt
1/6 cup black sesame, ground to a powder/paste
1/2 cup/90g brown sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 pear, cut into small dices
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare your muffin pan: Line 4 cups with liners. (I think you are supposed to add water to the empty cups of the muffin pan, and I just googled it, they are said to burn faster if there are any empty cups in the pan).
Grind the sesame seeds with mortar and pestle (you will end up with a coarse flour) or in a spice mill (which should produce more of a paste, but I used mortar and pestle).
Add flour, almonds, baking powder, soda and salt to a mixing bowl.
Cream the butter with the sugar, then add the ground sesame. Add in the buttermilk and incorporate. Then sift in the dry ingredients, and mix them in with a spatula. Fold in the pear cubes.
Divide the batter between the muffin cups, sprinkle some brown sugar on top of each muffin, then bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a tester inserted comes out clean.
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