Tuesday 10 December 2013

Recipe: Banana Walnut Muffins

Hello there!
Sorry for not posting often (I am really terrible I swear) but yes today I have a recipe for you! So on Friday, I decided to bake some banana walnut muffins and they turned out great. The only flaw was that it did not rise well but other than that, it was enjoyable and rather delicious.

Banana Nut muffins



Total Time: 0 hours 27 minutes

Prep:
Cook:
0 hours 7 minutes
0 hours 20 minutes

Yield:

12 muffins

Level:

Easy

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 overripe bananas
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together like you mean it, for a good 3 minutes. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway. Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out. Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe by Tyler Florence
*I am leaving for Hong Kong soon, so no posts till the 18th of December, but, I promise a Hong Kong food review or something! :D

-Ruth 

Sunday 8 December 2013

Let's Try: Crodos

Hi guys.

Sorry for the inactivity on this blog. We promise that there will be some Christmas recipes and fun stuff up on the way! Please don't forsake us. 

I'm sure many of you have heard of Cronuts
"The Cronutis the unique pastry creation by Chef Dominique Ansel that many have described to be a croissant-donut hybrid. After its launch on May 10, 2013, Cronut fans spanned the world from Berlin to Singapore, making it the most virally talked about dessert item in history."

Not only are they mouthwatering, they also made it to TIME magazine's 25 Best Inventions of 2013. There are Cronut recipes on-line as well, such as this one by Edd Kimber and SORTED.
It may already be December, but Cronutmania is far from over.

This blog post might be a little too late, but I noticed that Da Paolo Gastronomia were selling Cronuts when I visited PasarBella marketplace recently. I got reaaally excited, but was unfortunately unable to review them. However, I saw them again at the I12 Katong branch earlier. Due to copyright issues, Gastronomia sells them as Crodos. Are they really that good? 





There were only three flavours available: Plain, Chocolate and Festive (White Chocolate & Raspberry). Salted Caramel can be found at other branches, if you look hard enough.

Time for the taste test!

1. Plain (cream) Crodo




It tasted very much like a croissant. Buttery, flaky and filled with pockets of air. The vanilla custard in the Crodo was thick and fluffy, although a little too sweet. Otherwise, a delightful treat!


2. Chocolate Crodo




Made with the same pastry as the plain one. The slab of dark chocolate fell off immediately while slicing. It was very rich, sinful and oozing with chocolate cream. It was very much like a Pain Au Chocolat. Decadent and guaranteed to make you sigh in happiness.


3. Festive Crodo (White Chocolate & Raspberry) 






Unlike the other two, this Crodo was very pleasing to the eye. The cutesy star-shaped pastry adorned with icing and raspberry bits provided a much needed festive touch. Did it taste as good as it looked? At first bite, we were greeted with the same flaky yet soft pastry. The cream however, was a let-down. It was very rich, and way too sweet. The white chocolate completely overpowered the raspberry filling, which was already faint on its own. When done to perfection, white chocolate and raspberry is a match made in heaven. The flavours unfortunately did not complement each other. There was also a slight nutty taste to the cream. Perhaps it wasn't freshly made?


Anyway, Crodos (or Cronuts for that matter) ARE good. Stick to the classic Plain and Chocolate ones and you're in for a treat! Maybe one day we'll get to review the REAL Cronuts, fresh from Chef Dominique Ansel's bakery. Fingers crossed.

Best enjoyed with a hot cup of coffee/tea or simply on its own!

Da Paolo Gastronomia is at

  • Bukit Timah
  • PasarBella
  • Katong
  • Holland Village
  • Marina Bay
  • Orchard
  • Raffles Place
  • River Valley
More information at http://www.dapaolo.com.sg/ 

That's all for now. Leave a comment telling us what we should review next.

-Christabel