Parmesan Muffins
So I'm not exactly new to the kitchen - I grew up in my grandmother's and Great Aunt Maggie's kitchens - so pies, cakes, fried chicken, salads and other typical Southern dishes are all a part of my everyday cooking repertoire. There are some things, however, that I'm just not comfortable with yet. My background is in Southern cooking so you think I'd be able to make biscuits and breads from scratch and without a recipe, but boy would you miss that question on a test. Doughs in general make my head spin because they're too much of a science. I mean there's dough, and rising time, and "don't knead it too long or it will be tough" and, and, and ... I'm an editor, people. A word person. I don't do math and science ... very well.
When I find a recipe that you mix and bake - no kneading, no rising, no yeast - I'm all about it. These parmesan muffins are just that. They are so easy - and you guys know how short I am on time. I think a lot of us are short on time, but that doesn't mean we don't want a home-cooked meal for supper or that we don't want to get our hands dirty in a bowl of cookie dough. (OK. I admit it. I hate to get my hands dirty and use a spoon whenever I can. I just can't help myself.) These muffins baked beautifully and were soft, sort of like biscuits. I was surprised when I ate one right out of the oven. They aren't dense at all like muffins; they're very light and airy and have just the right amount of flavor. I personally don't think they need butter - even though I'm sure that confession is making my Southern ancestors roll in their graves. To make those ancestors happy how about this? I'd serve these beauties on the front porch, a wraparound one covered with ferns and red geraniums of course, to local debutantes dressed in their white gloves and white frou-frou dresses ... along with a big glass of iced, sweeeeet tea. Heaven.
I look forward to having these again soon. They're probably called muffins because, well, they're baked in muffin tins. They taste elegant enough, however, to serve to guests. Nice.
* These muffins are my submission for Muffin Monday Round Up, hosted this month by the lovely and talented preserveless.
Parmesan Muffins
Adapted from BakeSpace
Printer-friendly version
Ingredients
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup freshly grated parmesan (1 cup)
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk eggs, milk and olive oil in a bowl. Whisk 3/4 cup cheese and all remaining ingredients in a large bowl, then add wet ingredients. Whisk just until combined.
3. Pour into 12 greased muffin cups. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 to 10 minutes.
