Recipe Experiment of the Week (Plus Farmer's Market Lunch)

Experiment: Blueberry and Bacon Muffins

I like to take recipes and experiment with them to make them more interesting, more to my taste, or just more fun. My mom's blueberry muffins are fantastic, but if I don't have any protein in the morning, I'm cranky and hungry in an hour after breakfast. And lately, inspired by the bacon episode of Food Network's new show The Best Thing I Ever Ate which showed how versatile the flavor really can be, I thought this would be worth a try!

1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 salt
1/3 c. vegetable oil (the recipe calls for shortening, but I never have that in the house)
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. (or so) fresh blueberries (you probably could use frozen, but it's July! Why would you?)
1 tsp. lemon juice
3 strips bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease muffin tins (I used canola oil spray) or put in liners. Cook bacon until crispy, drain and set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Toss blueberries with lemon juice and a sprinkle of flour to coat. In a large measuring cup or small bowl, mix milk, egg, oil, and sugar until creamed together. Add to dry ingredients until incorporated. Fold in floured blueberries. Fold in crumbled bacon. Add to muffin cups until 3/4 full or thereabouts. Bake 20-30 mins. Makes 10-15 muffins depending on your muffin tin size.


The Verdict

The actual pieces of bacon, even though I accidentally overcooked them a bit - yummy. The bacony flavor permeating the muffin itself - too subtle to turn on that mmm, bacon part of the brain, but not subtle enough to ignore. Also, I realized after they were in the oven that I didn't put in enough baking powder. Overall, I'd say this was a mixed result. The bacon is a yummy addition, but I think there must be a way to make it a more effective part of the muffin as a whole.

And using more of my farmer's market goodies from yesterday, here's today's quick and easy lunch:

1. Boil and season 1 ear of corn (you really need to eat the fresh corn within a day or two, so I feel like eating it at every meal is absolutely a valid choice!) Yum.

2. Quick Tomato and Olive Salad

Chop up 1 tomato (any variety) and add a handful of olives. Toss with salt, dried oregano and your choice of vinegars (I used pomegranate red wine vinegar).

3. Tear up some fresh bread into chunks to serve as a utensil for the salad, and also to dip in the leftover pesto from last night's sandwiches.

Soundtrack

Lisa Loeb - Firecracker - I love this album. Lisa Loeb has a voice that I can sing along with easily, hanging out comfortably in my head voice without having to push or drop into a belt, or even really think about. Beyond that, her lyrics are insane, and yet the crazy words, when you sing along, start to make so much sense and resonate so much with my mind. This album is just as good to listen to, to sing to, and to enjoy as it was when it came out.

Links for You

Best Thing I Ever Ate
Lisa Loeb
Health Benefits of Blueberries

This Week at the Farmer's Market

Belmont Farmer's Market - 5 pm - I like to get there earlier, but in July, it's hard to miss out when there's so much fabulousness to find!

1 bunch basil
5 small multicolored heirloom tomatoes (finally tomatoes)
3 peaches
1 box raspberries
1 box blueberries
2 small summer squash
1 round of bread
4 beef patties (I got the last package!)
4 ears of corn

I had planned to use the green beans I still had from the last trip, but unfortunately, they had gotten a little soft. While usually my green bags keep them fresh for quite a while, I think they may have gotten put away not quite dry. So the green bean recipe will have to wait.

So, tonight's dinner:

Chicken Cutlet Pesto Sandwich with Fresh Corn and Kalamata Olives

Chicken Cutlet

1 chicken breast (organic, though not from the farmer's market, unfortunately)
bread crumbs (seasoned italian, but you could use panko, or homemade, or plain)
parmesan cheese (or romano)
1 egg (mine weren't local this week - I'm still using up some from pre-farmer's market season)

Pound chicken into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan in a shallow dish. Whisk egg with a few tsp. water in another shallow dish. Coat chicken in egg, then breadcrumbs. Cook on medium high heat in a few tablespoons of olive oil until golden brown and cooked through.

Pesto

1/2 large bunch of basil (you could substitute spinach, arugula, etc)
1 handful walnuts (you could use all pine nuts)
1 handful pine nuts (OR you could use all walnuts)
1/4 cup or so parmesan cheese (to desired texture)
olive oil (to desired texture)

In a food processor, pulse basil and nuts until coarsely ground. Blend in olive oil until combined. Fold in cheese by hand to create a thick chunky paste. Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen.


Chicken Cutlet Sandwich

Slice fresh bread into thick slices. Liberally spread one slice of bread with pesto. Slice a tomato and put two to three slices on top of pesto. Top with chicken cutlet and second slice of bread. Serve with corn on the cob cooked to your preference (I prefer 8 minutes in boiling water, and then coated with butter, salt and pepper) and kalamata or other black olives on the side.

Soundtrack

It was hot today, and I didn't sing because I was dehydrated. But the soundtrack in my head was Rent - I saw the tour Saturday night and my mental love affair with Adam Pascal has been renewed by his performance.


Links for You

Mass Farmers Markets
Rent: The Broadway Tour
Adam Pascal