Spring Berry Meyer lemon and Coconut Muffins

I love the way the natural seasons play into our Napa Valley life . The beginning of April signals the start of spring with a special treat and the call to prepare for more good things to come. The treat is fresh abalone that Nick, my husband, picks from the coastal rocks of Mendocino. He brings them home and we celebrate with all our local friends and family in a grand abalone fest. Nick has written more about that in his blog Wild About Napa.  Forni-Brown-Welsh gardens supply wonderful heirloom produce to all the best restaurants in the valley. Around this time of year they open up their gardens and sell their pampered plants to the neighborhood. I look forward to the succulent vegetables I will be picking later in the year as I make my way through the greenhouses choosing the varieties for Nick to plant out in the garden. Anticipated pleasures can be fun.

Back in the kitchen I like to use the last of the Meyer lemons and the first of the spring berries to make these scrumptious muffins. Sweet and juicy from the berries with a little tang from the lemons you will love them for breakfast or with your mid morning cup of coffee. Here’s a video of me making them or you can see the picture recipe below.

Meyer Lemon Berry Muffins

Start by measuring out the ingredients. From Back to front:

2/3 Cup – Granulated sugar
1 Can – Coconut Milk
1 Cup – Shredded Coconut
2 Cups – Self rising flour
4 Ounces – Unsalted Butter, softened
Zest of one Meyer lemon
12 Blackberries
1/2 Cup Blueberries
1/2 Cup Strawberries, about quarter inch dice. 

Sift the flour into a  mixing bow, add the butter and rub it in with your fingers like my Mum  used to do or use a fancy pastry cutter if you have one until you have a coarse mixture. Small lumps are good.

 

Now add the sugar, coconut, strawberries, blueberries and Meyer lemon zest and gently mix them in being careful not to squish the berries.

 

 

Beat an egg, mix it in with the coconut milk, add to the dry ingredients and fold together with a soft spatula.

 

 

Distribute the mixture evenly into 12 muffin cups, top with a blackberry and sprinkle with a little brown sugar to give a nice color and a sweet crunch. 

Pop into your oven, preheated to 400 F, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. 

 

How simple was that! Enjoy these muffins with a bowl of fresh fruit for breakfast or serve them to your friends with a mug of great coffee.

Bon appetit!

Gillian

Scrumptious Cherry and Almond Scones

As a Brit, the scones I grew up with were delicate little things; memorably served with clotted cream and strawberry jam accompanied by tiny sandwiches with the crusts cut off as part of that now almost extinct British tradition of afternoon high tea. My family was not so posh as to practice this every day. But, the occasional Sunday afternoon visit to my Nana’s house would see her bring out the best china and a pretty good rendition of what you can still find at the Ritz.

With this background I don't usually find American style scones to be my cup of tea. Too dry and crispy for my liking and slathered with loads of over-sweet frosting. That said I do enjoy the heartier portion size and interesting ingredients of an American scone. So, I have been working on a recipe that merges the best of the British dainty and the American slugger. The secret turned out to be using cream of tartar, a standard in British recipes, instead of baking soda. The result is light and fluffy with rich flavors. Here's how to make it.

Start by measuring out the dry ingredients. Clockwise from the top to the center:

• 2 Cups - All purpose flour
• 1 Cup - Slivered blanched almonds
• 1 Teaspoon - Cream of Tartar
• 1/4 Teaspoon - Salt
• 1 Tablespoon - Baking Powder
• 1/3 Cup - Light brown sugar
• 1 Cup - Dried Bing cherries
• 1/2 Cup - Ground almonds

You can buy Cream of Tartar at most grocery stores if you look closely in the baking section. If you can use a collection of pretty little bowls like these from my friends Jeff and Sally at Calistoga Pottery so much the better.
Next sift the flour, salt, baking powder and Cream of Tartar into a decent size mixing bowl.
The sifting adds air and more importantly evenly distributes the leavening ingredients into the flour so you will get an even rise. Taking a shortcut on this step is one of the causes for lumpy scones. Add the rest of the dry ingredients then give them a good mix together.

Now assemble the wet ingredients, from left to right:

• 1/2 Teaspoon Natural cherry flavor
• 1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract
• 1 Cup – Heavy whipping cream
• 
  
  4 oz. - Unsalted butter
   Melt the butter in a microwave, add the flavorings then the cream and mix together:

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix gently until you have a light fluffy dough:

 

Turn out on to a floured board and cut into two equal pieces:

Shape each piece into a round about 6 inches in diameter:

Cut each round into 6 pieces and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper:

 

Melt the remaining butter and brush it evenly onto the wedges then sprinkle on a little Turbinado sugar:

 

Pop into your oven, preheated to 400 F, and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown:

 

Enjoy on their own or with butter and your favorite jam.

Bon appetit!

Gillian