Sasa Recipe

Oregons beloved Hood strawberries are in, and they are lovely. But, as much as Id love to get all puffy with regional pride, there are probably lovely strawberries coming in all over the country. Tinier than the supermarket behemoths, red and juicy throughout, begging to be eaten out of hand (or, if we must, with shortcake).

But even in the height of this ruby-red season, we get some not-so-great berries. Maybe theyve gotten so waterlogged as to become flavorless (last weeks rainstorms, Im looking at you), or theyre a bit dulled and shriveled after you, say, forgot that last pint in the back of the fridge (umm... no comment). But in times like these, weve always got roasted strawberries.

Roasting concentrates strawberries juices, turning even lackluster berries into flavor punches. And it also dries them out a bit, so they dont sog up your baked goods. I gave a recent watery batch of berries a good turn in the oven, then decided to fold them into some muffins (and yes, I do still have leftover sour cream — this is what happens when things are on sale). A little sprinkle of fresh basil gave them a bright herbal edge, keeping them from one-dimensional sweetness (I imagine many other herbs — mint, tarragon — could do a similar job). Its like springtime, but intensified a bit. And served up for breakfast.

Roasted Strawberry Basil Muffins

1 1/2 pints strawberries
1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled (if you fancy, brown the butter in a small saucepan, melting it until it takes on a toasty color, for an even more delicious depth of flavor)
1/2 cup sugar, plus additional for topping
1 egg
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
a few sprigs fresh basil leaves, cut into strips

Preheat your oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Wash the strawberries, and halve any large ones (or quarter them if theyre truly mammoth). Toss with the tablespoon of sugar, transfer to a rimmed baking sheet or casserole dish, and roast until the berries shrink and the juices come out and thicken, ~45 minutes (you can use a large sheet tray, or a smaller square baking dish, which will take a bit longer). Set aside and let cool slightly, but leave the oven on. Grease 10 muffin cups, and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugar, egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dries, give a turn or two, until  just barely combined (better to under- than over-mix), then sprinkle in the strawberries and basil leaves, and give an additional turn or two until barely combined.

Quickly divide the mixture into muffin cups, coming just a bit below the lip of the cup. Sprinkle a dusting of sugar over the batter (you should need just a few spoonfuls for the whole tray). Bake until lightly golden and a tester comes out clean, ~15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then pop out of the muffin tin, and enjoy.

Pity the poor bran muffin. Bakers often seem to assume it is the breakfast choice of the penitent, eaten solely as fiber delivery system. Even my beloved childhood bakery came up with a barely palatable fat-free version, composed of various whole grains shellacked together with a slurry of egg whites and honey. I was reminded of it the other day when I accidentally left the remains of a pot of hot cereal on the counter and it crusted over.

But these bran muffins, they are lovely. They take into account that you want toothsome whole grains (especially to counterbalance, say, the refried beans, cheese and guacamole that are also on your breakfast table), and have an almost nutty depth of flavor. But theyre also moist and light. The molasses and honey add sweetness and depth, and the nutmeg, orange rind and buttermilk add flavorful notes to lighten up all that brown. I sometimes grate in a few carrots or an apple, or stud them with nuts and seeds if Ive got em, but theyre nice enough on their own. Especially with a nice spread of butter -- like I said, its all about balance.


Bran Muffins

inspired by The New Laurels Kitchen, but tweaked beyond recognition over the years
yields 12 large muffins

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup wheat bran
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp grated orange rind (optional)
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease or line 12 muffin cups.

Sift together the flour, bran, salt, soda and nutmeg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, orange rind (if using), eggs, oil, honey and molasses until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dries, and mix until just combined -- do not over-mix. Divide among the muffin cups (they will be fairly full), and bake until a tester comes out clean, ~20-30 minutes.

Red currants and shredded coconuts dont belong in a muffin?!...of course they do! Its so yummy!  These muffins are perfect for breakfast or brunch, but who can resist them for afternoon, evening, and even midnight snacks? Theyre just too good.
 
Muffin Ingredients

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 8 tablespoons or 1 stick of butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of orange rind
• 2 tablespoons of orange juice
• 2 tablespoons of sweetened coconut
• 1 cup of red currants (fresh or frozen)

Kitchen Utensils

• electric mixer
• 1 large bowl
• 1 wooden spoon
• muffin pan
• muffin cups 
• measuring cup
• measuring spoon

 Muffin Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs into the creamed mixture until blended
5. Add flour mixture.  Mix some more.
6. Add orange rind, coconut and orange juice.  Mix some more.
7. Fold in gently the red currants with a wooden spoon.
8. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. 
9. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes  Place muffin cups on center rack of the preheated oven and bake until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. 
10. Allow to cool.

Orange Glaze Instructions

• 1 cup of confectionery sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoon of orange juice

Glaze the muffins with orange glaze.

1. In a small bowl, combine confectioners sugar and 2 to 3 tablespoons of orange juice. Mix until smooth, then refrigerate until thickened. Drizzle over cooled muffins.
2. Sprinkle with coconut over the glaze.  Add one red currant in the center of the muffin.

 Happy Spring lovelies!!! :)
xoxo,
Karen Grete & Heidi. 

We hope you enjoyed our Red Currant muffin video and recipe! Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel Scandinavian Today.  Our channel has videos including
*Red Currant Strawberry Smoothie Recipe Using Typical Scandinavian Flavors
*How to Make Rhubarb Syrup For Your Cool Summer Cocktails and Drinks.
*Black Cherry Strawberry Smoothie Recipe Using Icelandic Yogurt
*Wild Blueberry Smoothie Using Icelandic Yogurt
*Rhubarb Strawberry Smoothie! A Great Summer Drink With Typical Scandinavian Flavors
*how to make Danish Christmas rice pudding with cherry sauce dessert recipe (Risalamande med kirsebærsauce)
*how to make Swedish Glogg for Christmas & cold evenings! (glögg or mulled wine recipe) 
*how to make aeblskiver (æbleskiver)
*how to make Danish Christmas Klejner
*how to make easy Danish cucumber salad (arguksalat)
*how to make Danish sugar browned potatoes (brunede kartofler)
*how to make Danish red cabbage (rødkaal)

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