Lemon Butter Muffins

Recently my mum has such a great craving for Lemon Butter Cake that she kept reminding me for a suitable recipe where she can try making some to share with her friends. So from her requirements, I managed to come out with some Lemon Butter Muffins which are full of lemon fragrant, taste and sponge cake like texture.

These are some of the photos of the ingredients and steps on how to prepare the batter.

Ingredients: (makes 6 muffins)
110g Butter, soften
100g Caster Sugar
2 Medium Eggs
130g Plain Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Lemon Rind
50ml Lemon Juice
30g Dried Cranberries, roughly chopped
Extra Lemon Peel for Garnish

Method:
1. Sift the flour and baking power and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar with electric beater till light and fluffy(about 3 - 5 minutes on medium speed depending on your beater).
3. Add in egg one at a time and beat till the mixture is well combine without any egg trace.
4. Add lemon rind and 3/4 of the chopped cranberries into the butter mixture and give it a quick whisk.
5. Lower the mixer speed, add flour mixture and lemon juice alternately and beat it till smooth batter.
6. Scoop the mixture into prepared muffin cups to 3/4 full.
7. Top the muffin batter with some extra chopped cranberries and lemon strips.
8. Bake them in preheated 180 degree oven for about 20 - 25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center and comes out clean.


From the photo you can notice that this is those light and fluffy cake texture compare to the usual butter pound cake which is heavier and dense. The adding of fresh lemon juice gives this muffin a fragrant and refreshing citric scent that makes you crave for more. If you are a fan of lemon curd, lemon bar or even lemon pound cake, you should not give this a missed.

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Steam Cod Fish ~ 破布子蒸鳕鱼

Steaming is a method of cooking using steam which is also considered as a healthy cooking technique that is capable of cooking almost all kinds of food. Steaming works by boiling water continuously, causing it to vaporise into steam which carries heat to the food and cooks the food. This method also preserves the freshness of the food and cause non-greasy texture compared to fry or deep-fried stuffs.

To master a good steaming technique, you must learn how to control the heat and timing so that you can easily cook up some delicious dishes without over cooking them. Steaming method is often consider as one of the most pouplar choices among working mother that needs to prepare some quick and delicious dinner within short time after a long day at work.

Today's I am going to share with you a new ingredient that is not commonly found or used in Singapore. Cordia (破布子/荫树子) fruit which can be eaten raw. But the common method of eating this fruit is to wash and add brine to boil, stirring constantly for about more than an hour to let the peel rupture. After the boiling, cordia fruits will be either use together with other other seasonings, frozen or pickled. And the end products can be used in stir-fry, make soup, steam with other ingredients or as a seasoning in sauce. Cordia is normally found in most Taiwan or China cuisine where they are often use to steam seafood such as fish and clam.

Note:

~ I bought this Cordia Fruits(破布子/荫树子)from one of those floating stall in the wet market that is specialist in selling Taiwan food products.

~ Alternatively you might want to check with those food stores at Chinatown area that sell Taiwan or China food stuffs.

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
1 Piece of Cod Fillet, 200g
2 Clove of Garlic, cut into slices
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into sections
1/2 Stalk of Chili, cut into slices

Seasonings:
1.5 Tablespoons of Cordia Fruits(破布子/荫树子)
2 Tablespoons Glutinous Rice Wine
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
Dash of Pepper

Method:
1. Rinse and pat dry the cod fillet with kitchen paper towel, set aside on the plate.
2. Mixed all the seasoning in a small bowl and drizzle it on top of the cod fillet.
3. Place the garlic slices, chilli and spring onion on top of the fish, cover with clearwrap leaving a little whole or grap.
4. When the water in the steamer comes to boil, lower the heat, place the plate of fish on the steaming rack and steam over medium heat for about 8 - 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. (when the time is up, you can test the fish by using a chopstick to check whether the meat is cooked)
5. Remove and serve hot with steam rice.


As you can see, this dish is so easy to prepare and you can even pre-mixed the seasoning or assembly the fish on plate a day before or early in the morning before you goes to work. So when you reached home after work, everything is ready for you to get the wok for steaming. This dish taste refreshing with that hint of chilli and the sweet and sour mixture from the Cordia fruits.

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Banana & Oreo Muffin

Muffin is common American term of bread that is baked in small portions. Somehow or rather it looks like cake or cupcake in shape but usually it is not as sweet as cupcakes and generally without any frosting.

To me whipping some muffins is always an enjoyment time for my kid and I. Since it does not required much procedures I can always safely let him handle most of the task, which in a way helps to build up some of his self-confident too. And more ever I love to peep on that facial expression of him waiting patiently near the oven area for the muffins to be ready.

Today I am going to share with you on how to make some yummy “Banana & Oreo Muffin” that consists of two of my boy’s favourite ingredients. From the photo you can see that the texture of the muffin is rather soft and moist that resemble cake like texture. And this can be easily served as a snack for either breakfast or teatime too.

These are some of the photos of the ingredients and steps on how to prepare the batter.

Ingredients: (make 6 medium-size muffins)
110g Of Butter, soften
100g (1/2 Cup) Sugar
110g (1 Cup) Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Egg
2 Tablespoons Condensed Milk
2 Medium Banana, mashed with fork
6 - 8 pieces of Oreo Cookies
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1/4 Teaspoon Banana Essence, optional

Method:
1. Sift the flour, baking power and baking soda together and set aside.
2. Remove the cream from the cookies, place the cookies in a ziplock bag, use a rolling pin, crashed the cookie into fine crumbs.
3. Cream butter and sugar with electric beater till light and fluffy(about 3 minutes on medium speed).
4. Add in egg one at a time and beat till the mixture is well combine without any egg trace.
5. Add mashed banana, vanilla essence and condensed milk into the butter mixture and give it a quick whisk.
6. Lower the mixer speed, add flour mixture and blend the mixture till smooth.
7. Stir in the oreo cookies crumbs till combined, scoop the mixture into prepared muffin cups to 3/4 full.
8. Top the muffin batter with some extra banana slices and oreo cookies, bake them in preheated 180 degree oven for about 20 - 25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center and comes out clean.

Note:

~ You can have some extra banana slices and oreo cookies for topping to make it look more presentable if this is to be giveaway as gift.
~ You can get these beautiful muffin/cupcake cups at any baking store or even at Daiso too.

So from this recipe you can see that actually without much difficult procedures, you can enjoy your very own homemade muffins with your choice of ingredients in less than an hour including all the preparations and baking time. And most importantly you know what is best for to choose for your love ones.



Banana & Oreo Muffin

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