Perfect for Spring and Summer: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I love when you make something for the first time, and you realize you have a 'classic' on your hands: something you will make again and again.

These lemon-poppy seed muffins are just like that.
The flavor is perfect: not too sweet, but oh so lemony. And the texture... dry muffins are the bane of my muffin existence, so when I find muffins, like these(!), that come out perfectly moist, I get rather excited. The poppy seeds also add a nice hint of crunch.

They are, of course, a cinch to make. Start by melting some butter, and setting it aside to cool. (Since you don't have to wait for the butter to come to room temperature, these are something you can make 'on the fly').
Get your sugar and lemon zest together.
Now... for a brilliant part: rub the zest and sugar together with your fingers, until aromatic.
Brilliant, Dorie Greenspan!
Add the other dry ingredients to the lemon-sugar concoction.
In a measuring cup, whisk together the butter, lemon juice, vanilla, eggs, and (the key to the moisture) sour cream.
Make a well, and pour the dry ingredients into the wet.
Stir until almost just combined,
and add in the poppy seeds.
Stir until just combined. Its okay if there are lumps.
Scoop the batter into your muffin tins.
Bake 18-20 minutes.
Remove to a rack to cool.
At this point, you have two options:
a) Make a glaze (powdered sugar and lemon)
It looks pretty and gives it a nice zing.
b) Gobble them up as is.
(I think, on the whole, b) is my preference, but a) makes them a little fancier).

Whatever you do... enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (from Baking: From My Home to Your by Dorie Greenspan)
Ingredients: 2/3 cup sugar
Grates zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

For the icing:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter or spray 12 molds in a regular-size muffin tin or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.*

In a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of the lemon is strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and melted butter together until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don't worry about being through-- a few lumps are better than overmixing the batter. Stir in the poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold. Cool the muffins completely on the rack before icing them.

To make the icing: Put the confectioner's sugar in a small bowl and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice. Stir with a spoon to moisten the sugar, then add enough additional lemon juice, a dribble at a time, to get an icing that is thin enough to drizzle from the tip of the spoon. You can then drizzle lines of icing over the tops of the muffins entirely, the better to get an extra zap of lemon.
*Don't forget this part! I nearly did. It helps the muffins not get overly brown.

Cinnamon Raisin Walnut No-Knead Bread

How in the world it has taken me this long to try this recipe out of Jim Lahey's My Bread is both a sin and a tragedy.
Thank goodness for redemption!

This bread is as fantastic as it looks. Unlike a lot of cinnamon-raisin breads, this one has no sugar, so it isn't sweet at all. Making it the perfect accompaniment for some jam. And there is just this hint of spice, from a pinch of black pepper, that is surprisingly perfect. It really elevates it.
And, of course, it is no-knead... so it is so easy to make. So, there is no excuse not to treat yourself with this bread.

As ever, start with the dry ingredients. This time, with flour, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, salt, a bit more yeast than the regular no-knead, and just a pinch of black pepper.
Add in the water. Mix it up.
Let it rise for 12-18 hours, until it has doubled in size.
Pour it out on a floured surface. Fold over the ends, spring it into something approximately something round. Flip it over, seam side down on a tea-towel dusted with flour or wheat bran.
Let that rise for 1-2 hours.
Then, plop it into your pre-heated Dutch oven. Bake it for 30 minutes with the lid on, and 15 with it off. And, I'm telling you, your apartment is going to smell delicious.

Then... you have to wait. Which is hard, but really is necessary (I did an experiment). And, then... and, then... slice into it.
Really, you cannot underestimate the pleasure you will get out of this loaf. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread (Pan co'Santi) (from My Bread by Jim Lahey)
Ingredients:
3 cups (400 g) bread flour
1/2 cup (85 grams) raisins
1/2 cup (50 grams) walnuts
1 1/4 tsp (8 grams) table salt
3/4 tsp (2 grams) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 grams) instant or active dry yeast
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups (350 grams) cool (55-65 degree F) water
wheat bran, cornmeal, or additional flour for dusting

Directions:
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, raisins, walnuts, salt, cinnamon, yeast, and pepper, mixing thoroughly. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. If it's not really sticky to the touch, mix in another tablespoon or two of water. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hours.

When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Using lightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or a spatula, lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.

Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust it with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Gently place the dough on the towel, seam side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Fold the ends of the towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.

Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 F and place the covered 4 1/2-5 1/2 quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.*

Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel and quickly but gently invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid and continue back until the bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, 15 to 30 minutes more.** Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to gently lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly.

*Lahey has you put the rack in the lower third of the oven, but that always burns the bottom of my. So I put my rack in the middle of the oven.
**Mine is always done in the 15 minute range.

Curried Carrot Soup, or 'What to do when soup sets your mouth on fire'

Be excited: this soup is wonderful. Between the sweetness of the carrots, the warmth of the curry, and the heat of the cayenne, you have something very unusual, very delectable on your hands.

Be warned: if you don't watch your cayenne, you will wind up with something slightly atomic.

Be encouraged: in the event that you make your soup way too hot, there is a cure: milk. Yes, that's right, just a splash of milk tamed this soup, and allowed all of the other, really gorgeous, rich flavors to come through.

Happily, this soup was incredibly easy to make. Start by prepping your carrots.
Then, get some onions going in a Dutch oven with some olive oil.
Add the carrots.
Let that meld together for a bit.
Add in your curry and cayenne.
Add some stock.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Then, break out your immersion blender and whaz it all up.
Taste: and if it is so hot, you think you might die, try adding some milk. I also tried orange juice, but I think the milk was more effective. If it is good, serve...
...and enjoy!

Curried Carrot Soup (adapted from foodnetwork.com)
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 pieces
4 cups (32 oz) low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 Tablespoons curry powder
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper* (I strongly recommend 1/4)
Coarse salt
Chives, cut into 1 inch pieces (optional)**

Directions:
In a Dutch oven, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes. Add carrots to pot, add some salt,*** and cook for 5 minutes. Add curry, cayenne, and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Puree with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning.**** Serve.

*I added 1/2 teaspoon and that made it incredibly hot.
**The recipe also calls for sour cream to add at the end, which just is not my style, but maybe would help with the heat.
***I think adding salt at this layer is important to try and layer the flavors as much as you can.
****If too hot, add a splash of milk. If still too hot, you are in trouble.

Charming Molasses Chews

These cookies are very simple, but I think that gives them their charm.

The molasses gives these cookies a wonderful chew. Rolling them in sugar gives them a nice texture on the outside. And the balance of the spice is just right.

They are also very nice and light, so when you find yourself eating one after another, you don't have to feel bad at all.

Molasses Chews (called 'Molasses Cookies Moldow' in Joy of Cooking)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp baking soda
Sugar for rolling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Beat together butter and sugar, until light and fluffy [about 2 minutes]. In a different bowl, mix together flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and baking soda. Add that to the butter/sugar mix, also add the egg and molasses. Beat until well blended. The dough should be soft.* Refrigerate until firm enough to handle, about 2 hours.

Shape the dough in 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time, until firm, about 9-10 minutes.** Let stand briefly. Then remove to a rack to cool.

*My dough was actually fairly lumpy, and I have to press it together. I don't know if it was supposed to be like that, but the cookies ended up delicious.
**The recipe calls for 8 minutes, but mine are never done by then. They won't really look done when you take them out, but the tops will look crinkly, when they are ready.

Vegetarian chili you will crave

I'm pretty sure that this chili is the stuff cravings are made out of.
Once again, the Oliver does not disappoint. The secret ingredient? Roasted sweet potatoes. It gives the chili a touch of sweetness that lightens everything up. And, the cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne don't hurt either.

I could (read: did) eat bowl after bowl of this. It is warm and satisfying, but not heavy. Really, just a perfect vegetarian chili.

It was so easy to make, which also doesn't hurt. Start by peeling and chopping up your sweet potatoes, into about 1/2 inch dice. Toss them with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and a pinch of the warm spices.
While those are roasting, chop up some pretty bell peppers and onion, and toss them in a Dutch oven with some olive oil.
Once those have browned, add your cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, and some finely diced hot peppers (I used serano).
Work that all together.
Then, add your chopped tomatoes and beans.
Let that yum up for a bit, and then add in those glorious sweet potatoes right at the end.
And, you are done!
Get ready for the cravings to begin.

Vegetarian Chili (from theoliver)
Ingredients:
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes (about 500 g)
1/2 - 1 level teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus extra for sprinkling (1 tsp makes it very spicy)
1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin, plus extra for sprinkling
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
(1 bunch fresh coriander)*
1 red chili
1 green chili
2 cloves of garlic
2 14oz tins of beans- try kidney, chickpea, pinto, cannellini
2 14oz tins of chopped tomatoes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite-sized chunks [about 1/2-3/4 inch dice should do it, they shrink quite a bit]. Sprinkle with a pinch of cayenne, cumin, and cinnamon, drizzle with olive oil and scatter with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat, then put them on a baking tray. Cook for about 40 minutes until soft and golden.**

Peel and roughly chop the onion. Halve, deseed, and roughly chop the pepper. Deseed and finely chop the chilis. Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Put a large pan on a medium*** heat and add a couple of glugs of olive oil. Add the onion and peppers, cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds more. Add the chili and spices, and cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.

Drain the cans of beans, then add them and the tomatoes to the pan. Stir well and bring to a boil, the reduce to a medium-low heat and leave to tick away for 25-30 minutes. Add a splash of water if it gets a bit thick.

Get the roasted sweet potatoes out of the oven and stir them through your chili. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Makes 4-6 servings.

*Obviously, I omitted this because I think cordiander tastes awful. But, you could substitute parsley instead.
**You may want to make extra of these, because they are so delicious there is no way you can resist snacking on them.
***I think medium heat is better if you are using a Dutch oven, but use medium-high heat if you are not.

Chocolate-Cherry Chunkers

These chocolate-cherry delights have, count it,
five different kinds of chocolate: bittersweet, unsweetened, milk, semisweet, and cocoa powder.

And, there are cherries.
Could you possibly ask for more?

But, fair warning, these aren't really 'cookies'. They are a bit luxurious, more like not-too-sweet, high quality layer bars in cookie form. But, however you describe them, they taste divine.

To make them, you start by whipping up your eggs and sugar. Then you melt the bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates with some butter. Then combine those.
Next, you add in your dry ingredients. How good does this batter look?
Now, time for all your goodies: dark chocolate chips/chunks, milk (or white) chocolate chips/chunks, toasted pecans, and cherries.
When you scoop them onto the baking sheet, it seems like they can't possibly stick together, because the batter is very chunky, but don't worry, it works.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops are a bit dry. Be careful when you take them off the cookie sheet, it takes them a little while to set-up.
Let them cool, and get ready to be delighted!
Chocolate-Cherry Chunkers (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 cup chocolate chips
6 ounces premium milk or white chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped nuts, preferably salted peanuts or pecans
1 cup dried cherries, chopped*

*Her recipe calls for 1 cup moist, plump dark or golden raisins or finely chopped moist, plump dried apricots, but I am in love with the chocolate-cherry combination, hence dried cherries.

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add the butter, bittersweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate and heat, stirring occasionally, just until melted-- the chocolate and butter should be smooth and shiny but not so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it on the counter to cool.

Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until they are pale and foamy. Beat in the vanilla extract, then scrape down the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted butter and chocolate, mixing only until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl, then, on low speed, add the dry ingredients. Mix just until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick, smooth, and shiny. Scrape down the bowl and, using the rubber spatula, mix the semi-sweet and milk (or white) chocolate chips, nuts, and cherries-- you'll have more crunchies than dough at this point. (The dough can be wrapped in plastic and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Drop the dough by generously heaping tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about an inch of space between the mounds.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes. The tops of the cookies will look (and feel) a little dry but the interiors should still be soft. Remove the baking sheet and carefully, using a broad metal spatula, life the cookies onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, baking only one sheet of cookies at a time and making sure to cool the baking sheet between batches.

If, when the cookies are cooled, the chocolate is still gooey and you'd like it to be a bit firmer, just pop the cookies into the fridge for about 10 minutes.