Tuesday 27 April 2010

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

Don't you just love spring. Sometimes it seems forever coming, I spend weeks on wee forages into the garden looking for buds, checking the herbs for signs of new life and then eventually feeling the delight at finding those first tender stems of rhubarb poking through their big cabbage-like leaves.

Most of those early signs of life are snapped up by my boys for the traditional Scottish treat of raw rhubarb dipped in a pot of sugar but I managed to spirit a few away to try these muffins.

Green Apple Cafe is a week old now and the fresh food and home baking seems to be going down well with those who have ventured way out into the countryside to find us. This week we've been trying out all sorts of recipes: oatmeal biscuits, rocky road cookies, cupcakes, tray bakes and scones to name just a few but just for today I need to make the most of this meagre bounty from the garden. I started with rhubarb scones, then made rhubarb crumble cupcakes (definitely coming back to those) but my favourite of the day is rhubarb strawberry muffins. On sale with coffee tomorrow.


Rhubarb Strawberry Muffins

150 g rhubarb
1 tbsp sugar
280g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
85g caster sugar
1 egg
125 ml whole milk
150 ml strawberry yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2oz melted butter
5 strawberries

Chop the rhubarb and place the rhubarb and a tablespoon of sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add just enough water to cover. Cook gently for around 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool while you prepare the muffin batter.
Prepare the muffin tins. Preheat oven to 180C.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar.
In a seperate bowl, whisk the egg, milk, yogurt, butter and vanilla together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir to combine. The batter will be slightly lumpy.
Add the prepared rhubarb and stir through the muffin batter.
Top each muffin with half a strawberry.
Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes.

5 comments:

  1. i may try to make these (after the carpet men leave!)

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  2. Will be over tomorrow - save 1 for me!

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  3. Hello Marie,

    My name is Sarka and I write the food blog http://cookingyourdream.com. I stumbled across your blog via UKFBA. You have some really mouthwatering recipes here! I definitely have to give the spinach and lemon hummus recipe a go!

    I don't know if you've heard yet, but there is a Food Blogger Conference being held in London on June 4th, 5th & 6th 2010. We would love for you to join if at all feasible. It's open to UK and non UK food bloggers as well. It will be the perfect opportunity to network, learn and expand on relevant topics, eat delicious food and have a good laugh. We have some award-winning guest speakers and some lovely goodies.

    For more information please visit http://www.foodbloggerconnect.com/

    I really hope you can make it and look forward to meeting you.

    All the best,

    Sarka
    --
    Cooking Your Dream
    http://cookingyourdream.com
    www.foodbloggerconnect.com

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  4. i love rubarb must buy some before it goes out of season. Did you know it was introduced to the UK at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh from China?
    Glad the cafe is going well

    mary

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