Pri's Pantry: February 2014

Monday, February 10, 2014

Mango Memories - Mango & Cardamom Muffins

I opened my refrigerator and grabbed the mango. As I looked at it and it made me think about my childhood back in Brazil. One of my dearest childhood memory was when I spent the Summer vacations with cousins at my uncle's farm house, playing with carefree abandon, climbing mango trees, dangling from branches trying to pluck out that delicious mango from the tree and throwing stones aiming at the higher mangoes or building and using some kind of rustic mango collector made with an old can tied with a string to a tall bamboo , all this when the elders were taking an afternoon nap or playing card games. As I take a moment to remember the Summer joys of laughter and innocence, the smell of mangoes ripening, sights of guava trees and chickens, I hear in the distant sounds of cars going by and the school bell from across street going off.And I can’t help myself but be amazed at the simplicity of life. Wasn’t life so simple those days?

And bellow is a recipe that I try the other day using mangoes.

Mango & Cardamon Muffins
(it makes approximately 12 muffins)

Ingredients

1 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Teff flour*
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons to sprinkle on top of muffins
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup chopped peeled ripe mango
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
* If you don't have teff flour you can substitute with all-purpose flour.

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line the slots in your muffin pan with paper baking cups

In your mixer cream the butter and sugar well and add the egg and vanilla extract then beat well

Mix the salt, baking soda,baking powder and cardamon to the teff and all purpose flour.

Add the flour mix and the buttermilk to the mixer in 3 parts alternating.

Add the mango to the mix and stir until everything is well combined.

Scoop into prepared muffin tray sprinkle with sugar evenly on top of each muffin and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the tray for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve on its own or with honey or jam on the side.

What are your fondest childhood Summer vacation memories?

Pri =)

Ingredients measured

cream the brown sugar with the butter

Mix in the chopped mangoes

Fill the muffin tin and sprinkle sugar on top

Just out of the oven. Ohhh... they smell so good!

Let them cool down and they are ready to be eaten!

Monday, February 3, 2014

Valentine's Day Jam Giveaway!

Are You Doing Something Special For Valentine's Day?

On this Valentine's Pri's Pantry Blog will run The First Jam Giveaway!!!

I love to make jam, marmalades and conserves. And I have been jamming and canning thousands of jams for work and home in the last 10 years. Now it's your chance to try some of my Pri's Pantry Jam

The winner will receive a trio of sample jams

Winter Pear and Cranberry Jam

Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Spiced Peach

To Enter: Simply leave me a comment on this blog post telling me:

Are you Doing Something Special for Valentine's Day?

Share you special dish, dessert, craft... or anything you are planning for this Valentine's.

Entries will be accepted until 11:59pm EST on February 13th, 2014. Winner will be selected via random.org. The winner will be announced on February 14th and contacted by the email address provided and will have 24 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time frame, another winner will be selected via random.org. This giveaway is open to US residents only.

Good Luck!!

Pri ;)

Blood Orange Upside Down Cake

Many people think that citrus season is in the Summer when other juicy fruits are in season, but peak citrus season is actually in the cooler months.From November to April is when you can find a bigger variety of citrus to try. And on my last visit to the grocery store I got two big bags of blood oranges that we started to enjoy in many different ways.
The blood orange is an increasingly popular kind of orange with red pulp that gives it its name due to the amount of a pigment called anthocyanin,a family of antioxidant pigments common to many flowers and fruit, but uncommon in citrus fruits The blood orange is smaller than a typical navel orange, and some varieties of the fruit also have darker colorings on the outer rind. Blood oranges are less acidic than navel oranges. The three most common types of blood oranges are the Tarocco (native to Italy), the Sanguinello (native to Spain), and the Moro, the newest variety of the three,and the most easiest to find at groceries stores around Boston. Moro is the most colorful of the blood oranges, with a deep red flesh and a rind that has a bright red blush. The flavor is stronger and the aroma is more intense than a normal orange. This fruit has a distinct, sweet flavor with a hint of raspberry.Making it perfect to eat as is or in a cocktail or even in a cake, give it a try!

Blood Orange Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

For the topping:

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 blood oranges , peeled off and sliced thin

For the cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sour cream
zests and juice of one blood orange
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

How to make it:
Topping:
Preheat oven to 350F. As the oven preheats, place the butter in a 9" round cake pan and put it in the oven to melt. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter and return the pan to the oven for about 5 minutes until the sugar is moistened and distributed evenly over the bottom of the pan.
Lay the orange slices all over the buttery sugar in the pan in a single Set aside while you make the cake batter.

Cake:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and zests until fluffy about 5 minutes on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until well mixed.
In a medium bowl mix the flour, balking soda, salt, cardamon, cinnamon.
In a small bowl mix in the sour cream, vanilla extract, blood orange juice.
Add the flour mix and the sour cream mix to the mixer alternating in three parts and mix until everything is well combined.
Pour the batter over the oranges slices and bake it in the middle rack for about 35 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool off for 10 minutes.Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife , invert a large plate over the top of the cake and flip the cake over the plate.
Enjoy =)
Pri