recipe

KNR, p. 325 “Bacon & Egg Cheese Grits Muffins”

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Sheila and I usually stay in Bed & Breakfast places during our travels, but sometimes local diners are perfect when we get on the road early. In the South (USA) grits is a staple with eggs and bacon at breakfast, whether you order it or not. It is made from dried, ground corn, and cooked in water or milk to create a type of porridge. Lots of people eat it with red-eye gravy or butter to enhance the flavor, but if cooked properly, it can be creamy (akin to mashed potatoes) and flavorful all on its own. If it’s “like sand” and “tasteless” at your restaurant, trust me, they didn’t make it correctly. At all.

This recipe is a recreation of a dish we tried at a Southern diner combining grits, bacon, and eggs (and other yummy ingredients) into muffin form. It looks complicated, but you’re basically cooking creamy grits and adding the rest of the ingredients to the grits, then cooking it all together in muffin form. It has the texture of a creamy corn muffin. Wow, do they smell terrific!

 

Bacon & Egg Cheese Grits Muffins

Sheila and Charlie Kerrian
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Breakfast, brunch
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Non-stick jumbo muffin pan
  • 2-3 quart sauce pan
  • shallow pan of water for oven

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup half & half
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup uncooked grits
  • 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 4 extra large eggs
  • 5 large bacon strips, well cooked
  • 3 ounces cooked ham, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 2 Tablespoons green onion, sliced thin
  • 2 Tablespoons red bell pepper, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 1 small tomato, sliced
  • 1 pinch sea salt for garnish
  • 1 Tablespoon (each) butter and flour for muffin tin prep

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • Bring to boil water, milk, chicken broth, half & half, and sea salt in 2-3 quart pot.
  • Add grits, reduce heat to low and stir frequently until thick and creamy, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and add cheese. Stir in until melted and mixed.
  • Meanwhile, cook bacon to taste, drain and let cool. Chop into 1/4 inch bits and set aside.
  • Dice cooked ham and set aside. Slice green onion, chop red bell pepper, and set aside.
  • In large bowl lightly beat eggs with fork. Mix in bacon, ham, green onion, red bell pepper until well mixed. Add egg mixture to the grits and stir until evenly mixed.
  • Prep the muffin tin by coating each cup with butter. Lightly dust the buttered cups evenly with flour. This helps release the otherwise sticky muffins easily after baking and cooling.
  • Evenly divide the mixture among the 6 muffin spaces – they will be nearly full. Bake for 30 minutes on center shelf, until lightly browned.
  • Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let sit on cooling rack for a few minutes, then remove the muffins from the tin and serve warm. Sliced tomatoes with sea salt sprinkled on top is a pleasant side to the muffins.

Notes

Place a pan of water (a cup or two is fine) on lower oven shelf to keep the muffins moist and ease their removal after baking and cooling..

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KNR, p. 323 “Cherry Pie with Almond Crumble Topping”

Cherries are in the grocery stores, in the frozen section as well as in the fresh produce aisles! It may be tradition to eat cherry pie around Washington’s birthday (because of the cherry tree legend) but we make it throughout cherry season (translation=whenever cherries are in stock at the store). Here’s a tried and true recipe, sure to please.

Cherry Pie with Almond Crumble Topping

Sheila Kerrian
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 55 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Equipment

  • extra large bowl
  • 12" non-stick fry pan with lid
  • large, slotted spoon

Ingredients
  

Almond Crumble Topping

  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds, smashed/rough chopped
  • 1/2 cup all purpose unbleached flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons softened butter

Cherry Pie Filling

  • 6 cups frozen, pitted dark sweet cherries
  • 2 Tablespoons unbleached flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened black cherry juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure almond extract

Instructions
 

Pie Crust

  • Pre-heat oven to 375. Pre-bake favorite single, deep-dish, 9" pie crust on middle oven rack, 10-12 minutes (until light golden brown).
  • Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.

Almond Crumble Topping

  • Place almonds in plastic bag, seal it, and smash the bag with the back of a spoon until the almonds are in small bits.
  • Using a fork, combine all dry topping ingredients in medium sized bowl.
  • Add softened butter and combine, using the fork to mix and create pea-sized crumbles. Refrigerate until needed.

Filling

  • Place frozen cherries in an extra large bowl and toss with the flour and sea salt.
  • Using non-stick 12” fry pan, stir together cherry juice, cinnamon, brown sugar, and almond extract until heated through – about 5 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the cherries to the fry pan, toss together until cherries completely coated with liquid, then cover and heat on medium low until heated through, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove 1 cup of cooked cherries from the pan, smash into rough chunks, then return to pan and toss together until completely mixed. Heat for additional 5 minutes.

Assembly

  • Using a slotted spoon, spoon entire batch of cooked cherries into the pre-baked pie crust. There will be about 1/4 to 1/2 cup thickened cherry liquid left in pan. Set aside in covered glass container and use as a sauce.
  • Spread the almond crumble on top of the cherries until completely covered to the edges. Place on middle rack of oven at 375 and bake about 30 minutes, protecting the pie crust from burning with crust covers if needed. Pie is done when crumble topping is golden brown and filling begins to bubble.
  • Place on cooling rack for 20 minutes, then place in refrigerator until firm, about 2.5 hours.
  • Serve with ice cream or the cherry sauce and enjoy.   
Keyword Pie

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KNR, p. 319 “Pistachio Muffins and Cupcakes”

Our Irish heritage compels us to chomp on special Irish comfort food recipes all year round, and share them with the crowd this time of year. But this one? It’s not Irish, but it is green and we serve it every year. If someone else is cooking the main dish and sides, we are always asked to bring this to the gathering, sometimes in the cake version. Enjoy!

In case you were wondering, we bought the mug in Ireland at a Bewley’s chain tea shop. Lovely afternoon.

Pistachio Muffins and Cupcakes

Sheila Kerrian *
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 6 jumbo muffins

Equipment

  • 1 Standing Mixer, wire whip

Ingredients
  

Crumble Topping (use fork to mix)

  • 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tablespoons pecans, chopped
  • 3 Tablespoons softened butter
  • 2 drops green food coloring
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped pistachio kernels (optional)

Whipped Cream Topping (use wire whip on standing mixer to mix)

  • 1 3.4 oz box Jello pistachio instant pudding mix
  • 2 pints heavy cream
  • 1 envelope Dream Whip Topping mix
  • 2 Tablespoons confectioners sugar
  • 2 drops green food coloring
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Muffins

  • 1/3 cup sunflower seed oil (or other nut oil)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 3.4 oz box Jello pistachio instant pudding mix
  • 1.5 cups all-purpose unbleached King Arthur flour
  • 1/2 cup sparkling water
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 4 drops green food coloring

Instructions
 

  • Mix ingredients for the topping of choice and refrigerate until needed.
  • Pre-heat oven to 350.  Use standing mixer on lowest speed for muffins.
  • Cream oil and sugar. Add eggs and pudding mix and beat until just mixed.
  • Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sparkling water a little at a time and mix until evenly moistened.
  • Add chopped pecans and food coloring and mix until evenly blended.
  • Divide mix evenly among 6 extra large greased, floured, muffin tins (or use jumbo baking cup papers)
    If using the crumble topping, divide equally and sprinkle on top of the muffins, about 2 teaspoons each.
  • Bake 25-30 minutes in center of oven - until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, muffins are springy to the touch, and lightly golden brown.
  • If using the whipped cream topping, completely cool the baked muffins, then pile on the whipped cream to your heart’s content. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
  • There will be extra whipped cream, so put it on (or in) anything you like.

Notes

*Adapted from a cake recipe in a fundraiser cookbook.

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