Lemon Curd Marble
Muffins, River Cottage Every Day by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall
Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Coffeecoffeecoffee. It’s an
addiction. And it’s getting worse. I don’t know whether it’s the weather, the
darker mornings or the cold – or whether it’s just a self-perpetuating
addiction. Given that my poison of
choice is a black Americano; this will not delight my dentist – nor me, when I end
up paying obscene amounts of money for teeth-whitening treatments (today’s
purchase: “Blanx” – panic-bought after three days at the coal face).
I’ve done my best to kick the habit by turning to other
drinks. My caffeine intake is
supplemented with huge mugs of tea throughout the day so that’s simply another
vice to add to the list. I’ve tried hot
squash which has only ever results in a sugar rush and my office smelling like
a child’s sick-room. Fruit teas are my
nemesis – my stomach is tricked into thinking that a delicious berry-scented
meal is imminent and I become so ravenous that I’m ready to eat my own arm
before I’ve even finished the cup.
In sum, substitutes just don’t cut it. Robinson’s Peach Barley will never deliver
the caffeine jolt or flavour of coffee. Margarine doesn’t even touch butter when
spread over hot toast. Fanta Orange will never best NI’s finest, Club
Orange. And I’m not sure what Special K bars
are even supposed to substitute; they’re so vile, it’s not even worth
speculating. Is there anything worse
than a Special K bar...? Answers on a
postcard, please.
Having banged on about the hideousness of substitutes; I am
now going to confess to having baked a recipe last weekend for which I had none
of the ingredients but was grimly determined to attempt. The
only solution was to ransack my cupboards and SUBSTITUTE. I could, of course, have nipped next door to
Tesco but that would have meant braving the torrential rainstorm outside. No, thank you.
Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s
recipe for Lemon Curd Marble Muffins (the official title) became Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s
recipe for Forest Fruit Muffins with a bit of jam mixed through. Completely unconsciously, they also took on
a somewhat healthier aspect than originally intended as the plain yoghurt
specified in the recipe was swapped for the 0% Fat Greek Yoghurt languishing in
my fridge and I replaced unsalted butter with Stork.
I began by creating two separate mixtures; as recommended by
HFW - dry ingredients together in one bowl and wet ingredients in a
jug.
I added the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bit by
bit. HFW recommends not over-mixing and,
although I am the least technical baker on the block, I would reiterate his
recommendation! I once made the mistake
of treating a muffin mixture like cake mix and ended up with very squidgy, damp
and flat muffins – and none of the above in any way that could be considered
good.
Once the wet and dry ingredients were combined, I stirred
through the jam and added my forest fruits.
I used berries from a frozen mix rather than fresh fruit. Although this decision was motivated entirely
by a reluctance to leave the house rather than premeditation; frozen fruit
tends to work better anyway because the fruit keeps it shape when baked and the
berry juice doesn’t seep through the mixture. Mmmmm.
Baking time for these lovelies is about 30 minutes or just
over – just make sure that the top looks golden rather than pale yellow.
All in, this recipe is a bit of a winner – low
time-/cost-investment for a pretty high return.
The muffins look appetising, went down extremely well and don’t require
the technical precision usually required by baking. They were certainly none the worse for the ingredients
swap and, most importantly, didn’t taste like a low-fat substitution.
Now – does anyone have a wonder substitute for coffee that
I haven’t tried yet?
Recipe below – good luck!
Lemon Curd Marble
Muffins
Ingredients
·
225g plain flour
·
2 tsp baking powder
·
A good pinch of sea salt
·
100g caster sugar
·
1 medium egg
·
125g plain yoghurt
·
125ml whole milk
·
75g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
·
150g lemon curd
Method
1.
Put 12 large paper cases into a muffin tray. Put
the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar in a large bowl and whisk
lightly to aerate and combine.
2.
Mix the egg, yoghurt, milk and melted butter
together in a jug. Pour them into the dry ingredients and mix lightly, stopping
as soon as everything is combined – it’s essential not to over-mix or you’ll
get dense, cakey muffins.
3.
Spoon a some mixture into each muffin case and
top with a generous ½ teaspoonful of lemon curd. Add a final spoonful of muffin
mixture to encase the lemon curd and three-quarters fill the cases.
4.
Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C/gas mark 4
for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Eat
on the day you bake them, ideally while still slightly warm.
Variations – all at
the suggestion of HFW and in his own words
Jammy Muffins : replace
the lemon curd with your favourite jam, first beating it lightly to soften
slightly. Thick, fruity jams work best – a strawberry jam containing whole
strawberries is perfect.
Chocolate Marble Muffins: replace the lemon curd with
150g chocolate hazelnut spread (warm it gently first, so it’s easier to marble).
Fruity Muffins : replace the lemon curd with 1 large,
or 2 small ripe bananas, thoroughly mashed; or 75g blueberries; or 75g stoned
and halved cherries; or 75g raisins or other dried fruit, such as chopped dried
apricots. Stir the fruit into the mixture lightly and quickly, just before
piling into the cases.