Рецепт Festivus for the Rest of Us: Cherry Almond Muffins (or Muffin Tops)
True story: I didn’t particularly like Seinfeld when it first aired.
It’s a bit like a Top 40 radio hit, though. It just kind of creeps into the corners of your subconscious when you’re not paying attention, and the next thing you know, you find yourself humming the latest One Direction hit while you’re scrubbing the bathtub… or spontaneously quoting George Costanza in the middle of a work meeting, in this case.
And somehow, over the last few years, I’ve grown accustomed to it. In fact, I actually kind of like it. OK, I love it.
So when a joking comment someone made on Facebook somehow totally derailed into a hilarious plot to do a Seinfeld-themed series of recipes for Festivus, I totally called dibs on Muffin Tops. Because, even though it’s been years since I last watched the episode, I still giggle maniacally at the whole Top of the Muffin to YOU! scene.
I know that neither cherries nor almonds have any specific Seinfeldian influences, but I really really was craving that particular combination. And I really really needed an excuse to bust open that bag of dried Montmorency cherries I picked up at Trader Joe’s earlier this year in Philly.
And they’re totally awesome, whether you eat them as muffins, or as muffin tops.
(Yes, I know this recipe is totally silly if you just want muffin tops, but Elaine was very clear on this – a truly superior muffin top needs to start off its life as a full-sized muffin before it’s separated from its stump. I am nothing if not a stickler for accuracy.
Lucky for one of our readers, there’s a baking kit from the lovely folks at Wilton up for grabs that includes a whoopie pie pan, to help you bake up some blissfully stump-free muffin tops of your own. Check the bottom of the post for details!)
Today we’re taking a break from all the Christmas celebrations to discuss an odd group of friends, a strange pole and a ‘show about nothing.’ And by now, all you Seinfeld fans are smiling.
It’s been 15 years since the TV series left the air but it’s still very much around in syndication, popular culture and a little made-up holiday called Festivus. Celebrated with a bare pole and an airing of grievances, it’s a time to come together and say “I got a lot of problems with you people!”
It’s all in good fun, of course, and in its 9 seasons, quite a lot of delicious food came up on the show. So some of my blogger friends and I decided to cook the foods best associated with the Seinfeld years and give away some great holiday gifts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seinfeld
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus
Cherry Almond Muffins (or Muffin Tops)
Author: Isabelle Boucher (Crumb)
Recipe type: Breakfast
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 12
I’m not going to lie – these sweet cherry almond muffins are really just cake in disguise, but since that means you can legitimately eat cake for breakfast, who cares?
Ingredients
- 1½ cups flour
- ½ cup ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 egg
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1 tsp almond extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried tart cherries
- ½ cup sliced blanched almonds
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
In a large bowl, combine flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until smooth. Stir in the milk, almond extract and vanilla extract. Add in the dry ingredients, along with the dried cherries, and stir until just barely combined. Distribute batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups, and sprinkle the tops with sliced almonds.
Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until tops are puffed and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
To make muffin tops, separate the top from the stump. Eat the tops. Comment to the nearest listener that the top really is the part where the muffin breaks free of the pan and does its own thing.
Collect the stumps in a garbage bag and discard with the assistance of your friendly neighbourhood Newman.
3.2.1263
Giveaway Details:
The following prizes are up for grabs:
One (1) Seinfeld Complete Season DVD Box Set.
Two (2) 1.5 lb live lobsters from Lobster.com (These will be shipped overnight coordinated with the winner)
One (1) 10-piece Kenmore nonstick cookware set
One (1) King Arthur Flour Baking Set
One (1) Wilton Bake Pan Set
One (1) OXO Salad Kit
One (1) OXO Baking Set
One (1) Soup Maker Cookbook
One (1) Pie Making Cookbook Set
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And once you’re done entering, don’t forget to check out the rest of the Festivus awesomeness on these fine blogs:
About the author
Isabelle Boucher
I'm a 30-something coffee-chugging, booty-shaking, bargain-shopping, cookbook-collecting, photo-snapping, trucker-swearing, farmers-market-loving self-taught cook with a Mister and two cats to feed.
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