]]> http://madebyjade.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/jansens-tempations/feed/ 0 jadedewaal jansen's temptations http://madebyjade.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/freestyle-banana-muffins/ http://madebyjade.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/freestyle-banana-muffins/#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:54:12 +0000 jadedewaal http://madebyjade.wordpress.com/?p=87 ]]>

Bananas equal power food. For the past three days, my 13-year-old sister has taken part in a provincial swimming competition, and I thought since she will need all the woema (power) she can get, I decided to make her something to snack on between races. I think the rest of us supporters consumed more than she did. These muffins are completely improvised, and they turn out to be the best banana muffins I’ve ever had, which is a lot said since they have to compete with Charly’s bakery and Vida e Cafe to deserve the title! It will take you less time to whip these up than going to a bakery and buying some (and they’ll be marvelously moorish, thanks to the brown sugar…).

For 12 voluptuous muffins:

2 cups cake flour

1 tsp of each of the following: baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon

1 cup brown sugar

150g butter, softened

2 eggs

3 very ripe bananas

Handful of almonds, optional

To get down with the marvelous muffins:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a muffin tin with butter/spray with cooking spray meticulously to prevent sticking.

Step 2: Measure the flour, bicarb, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon into a medium-sized bowl.

Step 3: With a whisk/wooden spoon cream the sugar and butter in another bowl, add the eggs, mixing well in, following with the peeled bananas. Crush the bananas fine while mixing in.

Step 4: Mix the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Don’t go overboard with the mixing, otherwise you’ll have smurf-like tops.

Step 5: Spoon about two to three tablespoons of the muffin mixture into each case. Roughly chop the almonds and sprinkle over each muffin, or slice thin rounds of banana to put on top.

Step 6: Bake for about 25 minutes, check if done by inserting a knife in the middle of a muffin, if it comes out clean, they’re done! Act fast as they tend to disappear and you’ll miss out!

Here, documented in surreal photos, is one of the expeditions Irene and I made (all the way to the coolest grocery store) with the purpose of attempting one of those idyllic-baguette-and-brie-pique-nique-along-the-Seine vibes, except with cars flowing past us in the street instead, in mind. It was seriously magnificent, and I cannot wait until our next teddy-bear expedition, maybe a picnic in the mountain next time. It took us no time to get together, if you consider the satisfaction thereof.  I challenge students to shy away from the gruel downstairs for a while and try this.

This calls for a join-the-club-t-shirt- your turn!  How to go about it:

Step 1: Call someone you love or haven’t seen in a while and tell him/her you are going on an secret mission together.

Step 2: Run (well, if you have the luxury of a car or scooter…  reconsider running) and go to your nearest cool grocery store and buy the essentials: good, fresh bread (baguette, ciabatta, farm loaf is good), good cheese (think brie, camembert, goats -, cottage cheese, or whatever you like), olive oil and balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, rocket/salad leaves, some salmon, pate or ready-grilled chicken strips if you have the cash and source, avo, ect.

Step 3: Run home and get together a chopping board, three knives, one for cutting and two for spreading, as well as a dishcloth

Step 4: Meet the person at your favourite spot, or alternatively in your room at res for an unforgettable meal, some catching up and a good laugh.  Worth the running, isn’t it?

With the rhythms of the Moreira Project and Closet Snare live at Assembly still echoing fondly in my head from last night, I woke up this morning and felt an intense desire for two things:  serious hot chocolate (see Chocolate Concoction for Churros) and flapjacks.  As flapjacks are synonymous with the domestic goddess’s image, I paged through Nigella’s guide and found a flippen fantastic flapjack recipe.  It takes 5 minutes to mix and 5 to cook. Thus making it the ultimate pick-up, no matter what your state of being is at the moment…

For about 12 fat flapjacks:

Two cups (500ml) flour

1 Tablespoon (15ml) bicarbonate of soda

1 Teaspoon (5ml) of sugar

A pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups (325ml) milk

30g Butter

2 eggs

To serve, your choice of what you feel like, here are a few suggestions:

Honey/syrup

Cream/full cream bulgarian yoghurt

Bacon/parma ham

Cheese of sorts

Banana/fig/raspberries/strawberries/peaches/blueberries

To start:

Step 1: Put on some music (the CD that you bought last night at the concert…).

Step 2: Melt the butter. Measure all the ingredients into a blender.  Whiz until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Step 3: Get a medium sized pan out (non stick if you have).  Spray with non-stick baking spray or alternatively melt a teaspoon butter, but the pan must be on a medium to low heat  (don’t turn the temperature too high, otherwise you’ll have nicely blackened flapjacks instead of beautiful golden ones).

Step 4: With your hand, feel just above the surface of the pan if it is heated.  Spoon a big dessertspoon full of the mixture into the pan, let it ooze into its freeform and continue until you have three.  When you see bubbles slowly emerging on the surface of the flapjacks, and the bottom becoming slightly loose from the pan, flip each one over sperately with an egg lifter.  The surface should be remeniniscent of a golden caramelised colour.  Continue for about 30 seconds on that side.  When finished, wrap in a bowl with a clean tea towel.  Continue until the batter is finished.  Don’t hesitate to try some with butter and syrup before you actually sit down and eat… life is too short and you never know what could happen with it in the meantime, especially with siblings/lovers floating around with a hungry look on their faces …

On the photo:

A dincum stack of friday-night-recovery flapjacks for breakfast with:

Bottom: fresh figs

Middle: banana

Top: crispy fried bacon

All over: full cream bulgarian yog

hurt and honey

Where: eaten in bed

*This recipe has been loosely adapted from Nigella Lawson’s How to be a domestic goddess, Chatto and Windus.

This is a very Afrikaans, very versatile, very very good sauce that my father (being from the Free State) always makes with krummelpap (mealiemeal). Oh, but you can have it with sausages and mash, with grilled fish and with sandwiches! Just thinking about it honestly makes my mouth water. We cannot imagine krummelpap or our collection of home recipes without it.

To become part of this legend you need:

Two cans of chopped tomatoes

1 onion

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

How to go about it:

Step 1: Peel and cut the onion in rings.

Step 2: Put the butter and oil in a medium pan and let the butter melt over a low heat. Add the onion and sweat slowly for 8 minutes.

Step 3: Add the tomatoes and let it simmer for 15 minutes, the longer it goes on a very gentle heat, the more intense the flavour will be. Have fun!

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