Thursday, December 18, 2008

Muffins

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups flour
6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons oil

DIRECTIONS:
In mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center. Combine egg, milk, and oil; add all at once to flour mixture. Stir just till moistened. Slightly grease muffin cups or line with paper cups; fill 2/3 full. Bake in a 400 oven about 15 minutes or until golden.

Options:
Fill muffin tins 1/3 full. Top each with 1 teaspoon of jam. Then top with enough batter to fill each muffin 2/3 full.

German Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS:
Heat a glass pie plate or a cast iron pan on lowest oven shelf until very hot at 400. Meanwhile mix eggs, flour, milk and salt in blender and beat until very smooth, 1 minute. Remove pie dish from oven and add butter. Return the dish to the oven until the butter melts. Add the batter and bake 20 minutes until golden. Serve with powdered sugar, jam or syrup. Applesauce is the traditional accompaniment, however the others are equally if not more tasty.

This may be doubled and put into a 9x13 dish.

Option: Add 1 cup of pie filling to the pan right before adding the batter. When it cooks the batter surrounds the pie filling.

Crepes

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cups flour
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups water
3 tablespoons oil or melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
In a blender mix all ingredients at high speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides and blend 30 seconds more. Refrigerate at least 10 minutes, ideally an hour.

In a non-stick skillet over a medium heat, spray, and then ladle in 1/4 cup of batter. Tilt the pan around to spread the batter into a crepe. After a few minutes, take a heat proof rubber spatula and peek under crepe, if barely brown in spots it is ready to turn. Take a big pancake turner and flip the crepe. Cook for 30 seconds more and slide out of pan onto plate. Separate each crepe with napkins or waxed paper.

Fill with jam or berries and powdered sugar.