Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig. I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.
Epictetus
It is harvest time for some of my favorite foods. Figs and almonds.With all of my life changes, I'm figuring out how to adapt some of the foods I love. Here is one that fits that category:
Almond Muffins with Gooey Fig Center
Zest of 1 small lemon
1 1/2 cups almond meal (or finely crushed almonds plus 1 tsp flour)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup oat flour (found at health food stores)
1/4 cup xylitol (sugar or other sugar substitute of your choice)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
12 small figs, stemmed
1 small egg
1/4 cup raw honey
1 1/4 cups almond milk
1/8 cup almond (or toasted almond) oil
6 tbsp sliced almonds
Heat oven to 350°F. Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl. Puree figs in a food processor until smooth and scrape into a small saucepan. Place over low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until puree gently boils, about 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate. Whisk egg, honey, milk and oil in a bowl. Incorporate into flour mixture and blend on low with a hand mixer. Line a muffin tin with paper cups; fill each halfway with batter. Add 1 tbsp fig puree to center of each cup, then cover with a small spoonful of batter. Sprinkle almonds on top. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
What do you listen to while you are baking? In the theme of something bearing fruit, there is a new CD coming out by my favorite artist Jesse Cook: The Blue Guitar Sessions. You can listen to it for free until next Tuesday. It will be released in both Canada and then the US later this month.
Here is the link if you would like to sample:
http://music.cbc.ca/#/blogs/2012/9/Listen-Jesse-Cook-exclusive-The-Blue-Guitar-Sessions
Today I'll have to give my gratitude to Jesse Cook for his great music that keeps on inspiring me.
Jesse Cook, "Havana":
No comments:
Post a Comment