Today I want to delight you with a slightly unusual article: my recipe for muffins to go with Leone Conti's albana di romagna passita. These muffins are really easy and quick to make if you have all the ingredients and tools you need at home. For your convenience, I thought I would also point out a few things that may be useful that I bought on amazon! Come on, let's start making muffins together *_*
Ingredients for 28 mini muffins
- 2 eggs
- 90 g + 10 g butter
- 100 g + 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 8 g baking powder
- 130 g of whole milk
- the grated peel of half an untreated lemon
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of bicarbonate
What you need to prepare them:
- kitchen scale - OK I confess... I fell in love with this one Beurer KS 19 Berry Kitchen Scale
with raspberries... and red is my favourite colour! But it's too convenient, so ultra-thin and with touch buttons that also make it really hygienic and easy to clean! And let's face it: it costs €12... which is less than the IKEA kitchen scale, which is not even comparable to this one in terms of technology, comfort and quality! Had I seen it before... 🙁 and instead I spent €19.90 for the IKEA kitchen scale which is not worth a tenth of this one!
- 3 large bowls and 1 small bowl - (you make do with these 😀 😀 I bought mine at IKEA anyway! They're stainless steel and very comfortable and dishwasher safe)!
- 1 whip - I know you too saw Mr Grey at work in one of the most disappointing films in history... but the book's spicy and explicitly described erotic tricks have intrigued half the world... so if you don't know what I'm talking about, I suggest you read the whole saga of Fifty Shades COFANET 3 volumes
which is now on offer on amazon for €33 in a very convenient format... I finally decided to order it myself... I'll let you know!
- electric beater - I'm super happy with this one from mulinex... and best of all, I still use the old model I bought when I moved out on my own... which was in 2006! This electric beater has survived it all, and on amazon you can find it on offer this week for only €29 so grab it! Here's the link: Moulinex HM410 Prep line
- 1 silicone brush like this one Emsa My Colours Silicone Brush
be careful not to get it too thick or round because it uses worse and is less precise... aim flat and brush those muffins as if they were a canvas!
- 1 tablespoon e 1 fork - well, you must have a spoon in the house... right? 😉
- 1 muffin baker - I have one from another brand... which is not extraordinary but does the job! But I really like this one from Ariete... and now it's available on Amazon with a 40% discount... I refuse to buy another one... but I'll buy the donuts one *_* this is the cupcake one which I think comes out slightly bigger than mine... but it's not a problem! Just extend the baking time! 😉 Ariete 188 Muffins & Cupcakes
- 1 sac a poche - I use them for convenience, but if you don't have them at home, you can spoon the mixture into the moulds! I bought this Reel of 100 decorating bags
with which I must say that I am really happy... I only have a couple of spouts at the moment, but I use them for preparation rather than decoration! Ah a piece of advice!!! Be wary of those strange plastic tools they sell you in supermarkets and the like that perform the same function! They are sunshine and throw your money away! Better to use these disposable ones 😉
- 1 grid - I bought this on amazon: Zenker 42475, Cake grid, diameter: 32 cm
costs relatively little (less than €8 on offer) and is very convenient because you can even fold it up to make it take up less space! In the kitchen it is essential because it allows cakes, muffins and biscuits to dry properly!
- 1 very small saucepan
- 1 small spatula or knife
How long does it take?
- 10 minutes to make the mixture
- 4 rounds in the muffin baker for 10 minutes each (then it depends on the size of the muffins...)
Preparation:
As a good engineer, I usually prepare all the ingredients on the table perfectly ordered and weighed. Whoever told you that pastry is passion has told you a huge lie: pastry is chemistry, and as such cannot be improvised. Sometimes it only takes a few grams to make a disaster!
So...
- In a large bowl weigh out the milk and add the 2 medium eggs, preferably the yellow eggs that give the muffins this nice golden colour. Then weigh baking powder, flour, baking soda and salt into the other large bowl. Use the last large bowl to weigh butter and sugar. Also place all the other ingredients you need on your work surface.
- While the butter softens a little, beat the eggs with milk with a fork. Then take the electric whisk and form a cream with the butter and sugar. Then slowly add the egg and milk mixture to the butter and sugar cream. Mix now with the whisk because the electric mixer tends to overheat the butter. In case the butter separates from the eggs like curds, don't worry, nothing happens... you will get it all back in step 4 😉 You probably used the ingredients too cold... anyway, it's just a matter of temperature and every now and then I admit it: it happens to me too!
- Grate the lemon and extract the black seeds of the fresh vanilla and incorporate them into the mixture.
- Slowly add the flour, baking powder, salt and bicarbonate mixture, stirring with a whisk.
- Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag. Thanks to this you will be infinitely more comfortable and precise in filling the muffins on the hot plate... and above all, you will not risk ruining everything or burning yourself! Now put the mixture in the refrigerator and place it there each time you use it between baking sessions to prevent too much butter from melting.
- Turn on the muffin tin. Heat 10 g of butter in the pan. As soon as it is hot and ready to use (an indicator light normally lights up), take the brush and brush it into the spaces provided.
- Take out your pastry bag full of mixture and fill the muffin cases on the griddle that you have just brushed with butter so they don't stick. Wait 7 minutes or until the mixture is firm and amber-coloured at the bottom (the ideal baking time depends on the griddle and the size of the muffins... so all you have to do is test until you find the perfect one. I recommend for testing only filling one muffin at a time to throw away as little batter as possible)!
- While you are waiting in the small bowl, mix a tablespoon of sugar with a little cinnamon powder (how much cinnamon depends on your taste... I like cinnamon very much so I have a habit of overdoing it!) If you have coarse, coarse-grained brown sugar at home, even better!
- Open the muffin tray and brush the muffins with butter (if it cools down, worry about melting it again) and sprinkle with the tip of a tablespoon of cinnamon sugar. Finish baking now.
- Scoop out the muffins with the help of a spatula or knife. Place them on the mini ramekins and place them on the wire rack to cool. Repeat everything from step 6 to step 10 until the dough is used up.
I am aware that you could put the ramekins in the griddle, but I prefer to do it this way to prevent the mixture from sticking to the paper. I find it awful to set out to lick off the last bit... which at 90% you'll throw on your clean t-shirt. Unless you are alone with your better half... in which case the whole thing can also be interesting ;D
At this point, you can pull out of your cellar (i.e. your fridge) a bottle of Leone Conti's albana passita called 'Non ti scordar di me'. And who can forget it?! My Romagnolo blood is a bit biased, but I count it among the best Italian raisin wines in its price range... second only to St. Micheal Eppan's Comtess (but the Comtess is a Gewurztraminer raisin wine... so they are not at all comparable, except on the basis of purely personal taste)!
I adore Leone Conti. An extremely charming man whom I recommend you go and meet directly in his cellar... but warn him first 😉 (and maybe tell him I sent you!).
His Albanas have shifted from the experimental to the traditional... but 'Non ti scordar di me', Romagna Albana DOCG Passito, is in my opinion his greatest masterpiece. The colour is stupendous, a gold with intense amber reflections. Extraordinary notes of acacia blend into the jammy apricot and overripe figs. The mineral accent makes it drinkable, helped along by a velvety and elegant texture that will not leave even the most demanding palate indifferent.
"Making the most of the most important native grape variety by comparing it with the great French sweet wines and the warm passito wines of southern Italy."
Winemaking processes:
Vinification: drying for 2-3 months on racks, fermentation in barriques
Maturation: 24 months in barrique
Refinement: 8 months in bottle
Personally, I love it with these muffins... and even better if you top it with a tuft of sweet gorgonzola cheese when serving.
Hoping to have joined you in a sweet moment, as my boyfriend is almost home, I am going to light a candle to enjoy this sweet break with him.
Have a good evening and a hug
Chiara
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