Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins This recipe came from Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook These are moist and keep well. We made them with cherries and they were just as good.

Ingredients

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 half-pints fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Place 16 paper liners in muffins pans.

In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add eggs 1 at a time, then add vanilla, sour cream and milk.

In separate bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

With mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in blueberries with spatula and be sure batter is completely mixed.

Scoop the batter into the muffin pans, filling each cup just over the top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned on top and cake tester comes out clean.

Chinese Sweet & Sour Pork Recipe

My son made this on Monday night for dinner. It was better than what you get in the restaurant. He found the recipe on About.com.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

3/4 pound pork tenderloin
2 - 3 teaspoons soy sauce
pinch corn starch

Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water or reserved pineapple juice
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water

Batter:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup warm water, as needed

Other:
1 Carrot
1/2 cup green pepper
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
3 cups oil for deep frying, or as needed

Preparation:

Directions for sweet and sour pork

Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes. Marinate in soy sauce and cornstarch for 20 minutes.

In small bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, dark soy sauce, salt, water or juice and vinegar. Set aside. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Set aside.

Peel the carrot and chop on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Cut bell peppers in half, remove the seeds and cut into cubes.

Heat oil for deep frying to 375F.

For the batter, combine the flour and cornstarch. Stir in egg white and vegetable oil. Add the warm water as is needed to form a thick batter that is neither too thick or too moist. (the batter should not be runny, but should drop off the back of a spoon.)

Dip the marinated pork cubes in the batter. Deep fry in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry until golden brown. Remove and drain onto paper towels.

To prepare the sweet and sour sauce, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, green pepper, and pineapple. Bring to a boil again and thicken with cornstarch mixture. Stirring. Check the sauce one more time and adjust seasonings, adding salt and/or vinegar if desired. Serve hot over the deep-fried pork. Serve sweet and sour pork over hot cooked rice.

Browniebabe of the Month

Myriam at Once Upon a Tart has created an event in which we bake brownies. Now who does not love brownies. So, I went looking for a new recipe to try out. There were so many to choose from I asked my son to look over the ones I had chosen. Dan loves Black Forest Cake and thought The Black Forest Brownie would be a good one to start on . I found this recipe in a book called Brownies by Linda Collister. The recipe was easy to follow.


These brownies are decadent, fudgy, and when you bite into the brownie and get a cherry with the fudgy chocolate...well it is just hard to describe in words.
They would make a very romantic dessert with that special person or just sharing with family and friends.

Black Forest Brownies

8 oz. good bittersweet chocolate
9 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
3 extra-large eggs
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
2 Tablespoons Kirsch or juice from cherries in jar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 ox. good bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped or 2/3 cup chocolate chips
1 16oz. can black cherries (6oz. drained weight)
confectioners' sugar, for dusting
7" X 11" brownie pan, greased and bottom line

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Break up the 8oz. chocolate and put it into a heatproof bowl. Add the butter and cream and set it over a saucepan of steaming water. Melt gently, stirring frequently. Remove from the pan and let cool until needed.

Break eggs into mixing bowl with electric mixer and whisk just until frothy. Add sugar and Kirsch (if using) and whisk until thick and mousse-like. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture.

Sift flour into mixture and stir in. When thoroughly combined stir in the chocolate pieces. Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Gently drop cherries onto the top of the brownie mixture as evenly as possible.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove pan from oven.

Leave until cool before removing from pan and cutting into 24 pieces. Dusted with confectioners' sugar. Store in an airtight container and eat within 4 days.