Test Kitchen #3: Savory Muffins

Recently, I purchased an entire bag of fresh shredded Parmesan only to get it home and realize that the recipe I had bought it for only required it as a garnish. When Dad called Monday morning to discuss Tuesday's recipe, I said, "Do you have any ideas how I can get rid of all this extra Parmesan?" He immediately answered,
"How about muffins?"

This week's test recipe challenged the traditional notion of the breakfast muffin. Dad had found a recipe in USA Weekend magazine that asked the question, "Why do muffins have to be sweet?" USA's Pam Anderson, the author of The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great, provides a master recipe for baking muffins from scratch and then adds your choice of three other combinations of ingredients to create a savory twist. Some of the options include adding goat cheese and olives to the mix or feta and sun-dried tomatoes for a Mediterranean flavor. We chose the Italian flavor; prosciutto, Parmesan and basil.


This recipe is my favorite so far in the photo op category. One of the best things about baking muffins or cookies is that you have plenty of options in order to find the prettiest ones for the shot. We decided to double the recipe and yielded 18 muffins. Doubling should have produced 24, but in the second batch, Dad decided he wanted HUGE muffins, so we filled the muffin pan cups all the way up to the top. The larger muffins came out beautifully, but if you decide to make them this way, keep them in the oven for 30 minutes instead of 25 like the recipe indicates.


The Verdict
These muffins were really tasty but also extremely filling. Ms Anderson's column, Cook Smart, promotes healthier cooking and while the master recipe contains yogurt instead of oil, it also contains eggs and a considerable amount of butter. The recipe thankfully includes the nutrition information for those of you that want to keep track of your fat and calories. If you're a weight watcher, one muffin works out to be about 6 POINTS.

Since I was kind of eating bits of muffin while I was shooting them, I didn't realize that I had inadvertently eaten about 2 1/2 muffins. They had come out of the oven around 1PM and by 5, I was still quite full and worried how I was going to eat dinner with my friend Beth later that night. Even Dad thought he would wait a while and probably just go with soup for dinner.

The master recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard. If you don't normally have Dijon in your house, why waste the expense on buying a whole jar just for one recipe. I mixed a couple of tablespoons of Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard with a couple of tablespoons of mayo and that worked just as well. We saved the left over mustard and spread some on the muffins when they were done. An excellent complement to the prosciutto flavor and a little different than using butter. Dad also suggested trying the recipe with diced ham instead. Partly to cut the cost and partly to cut the salt. Prosciutto can be very expensive; over $18/lb at our local grocery store.

I think this would make a great addition to any brunch buffet. You just might want to warn your guests how filling they are. Or take Pam Anderson's suggestion from the recipe. Pour the batter into mini-muffin cups and serve as small hors d'oeuvre sized treats.

They also make great breakfast sandwiches. Since I had dinner plans last night, I left the remaining muffins for Matt. He sliced up two small ones and topped each one with a fried egg. I got a happy text message during dinner that read " Thanx! They rocked!".

I highly recommend trying these muffins. Your guests will praise you for their beauty and original flavor. For the complete recipe, see USA Weekend online. Or email me and I'll be happy to send you a PDF.