 |
| http://allrecipes.com/recipe/country-pumpkin-muffins/detail.aspx |
We skipped the cup of refined white sugar and replaced it with 1/4 cup of white sugar and 1/2 cup of maple syrup. We also took out the pureed pumpkin and replaced it with my homemade pumpkin pie filling (recipe for THAT later) and the oil we just removed altogether since it didn't seem to serve any real purpose. We increased the pumpkin by 1/4 cup, removed the nuts (since we were taking the muffins for our lunch to a nut-free playgroup) and increased the raisins. Just 'cause.
Result: This recipe is making it into our recipe binder! I love how moist they were, and not too sweet. I also have a sweet bread and muffin requirement that no one else seems to have. I like to add my eggs at the very end so that I can keep tasting the batter right through mixing up the recipe. Some breads and muffins let you do this, and some don't; this one does.
This is really the easiest of techniques because A) you can do it in steps, stopping pretty much whenever you please and B) It requires almost no real effort from the cook.
What you do is this. You take your pumpkin or squash, (here I used the pumpkins we harvested back in October. When they aren't exposed to heat or frost they keep for months.) cut the top off, scoop out the seeds, poke a couple of holes in the flesh and pop the top back on. Then I placed it on a baking sheet and stuck it in the oven for a couple of hours or until it was very soft and scoopable. At this point you can scoop out the flesh into a freezer bag and halt the recipe for weeks, if you need to, until you have time to keep going. Once you have time, empty the pumpkin flesh into your slow cooker (mine can handle about the amount from 1 large pumpkin) and add the flavourings of your choice. I put in a few Tbsp of pumpkin pie spice, some vanilla essence and brown sugar. Then you simply cook your pumpkin down for a few hours on low, until it has a nice brown colour and smells delicious. Pureeing the flesh after the slow cooker isn't really necessary after all the cooking, and you can freeze the pumpkin in individual bags again for later use in breads, muffins, pastries and pies.
And, just because I think it's similar and delicious...
Homemade Fruit Puree - No recipe
This isn't a recipe so much as something I discovered a while ago that everyone else discovered years ago! Still, it's been making the rounds in our house, so I'd like to share.
This is how I make our fruit purees. First off, I buy the fruit I'm using at a discount, since I'll be cooking it down the same day. I usually get a bag of apples as a good base, but then also whatever else is cheap and sitting on the discount rack. In this case, it was pomegranates. I peel and core the fruit that is the base, be it apples, pears, etc. Put them in a pot with water, maybe a cup. If you're going to mix the base fruit with a juice from your second fruit (ie. you bought pomegranates, or oranges, for example) then skip the water. Put a lid on the pot and cook on low, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the fruit is broken up. I've tried some really interesting fruit combinations before, and I use the purees to make popsicles, pancakes, breads, ice cubes for fruity drinks, or just to eat with a spoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment