Great Muffins from Rye Flour and Rye Bran

The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg

I had been busily making rye breads before Christmas, particularly having just received my latest bread cookbook, "The Rye Baker," by Stanley Ginsberg. Between the two new bread baking books, I made a lot of breads of many varieties, to be covered when guests were here over the holidays. I have my own electric grain mill, making quick work of grinding most things into flour; wheat berries, rye berries, Kamut Khorasan, red rice, dried garbanzo beans and more. The difficulty lies in that with rye, most breads call for at least medium rye, which is rye flour with the bran sifted out. Let me say, I spent a lot of time sifting the rye flour. That I need a better, faster way to accomplish that is a no-brainer. Since the holidays, however, I have still been noshing on the already made breads I have in the freezer.

Maple Bacon Rye Muffins

That comes back to the fact of all the leftover rye bran that I had sifted out. I have lots and lots. I made some muffins a few weeks ago, using mainly the rye bran, and while they were good, they were not exciting. In the meantime, I had been reading about the whole grains and the problem with phytic acid, after talking with a friend whose doctor warned her against whole grains. This is a quote from one website:

"High-phytate foods, such as grains, nuts, and legumes, can raise the risk of iron and zinc deficiency. As a countermeasure, strategies such as soaking, sprouting and fermentation are often employed. For those who eat meat regularly, deficiencies caused by phytic acid are not a concern."

Another site, precisionnutrition.com, and another quote:

"Some experts even suggest that it’s the phytic acid in whole grains and beans that lends them their apparent protective properties against cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes."

Most all of the whole grain breads I've been making call for very long, slow fermentation periods, some including overnight cold rising in the fridge. This slow fermentation mitigates phytic acid binding the minerals. Many of the newer bread recipes call for soaking and sprouting the grain, then drying and grinding, so that long soak also balances out any harm. But when it comes to the rye bran, which is culled from just plain rye berries not previously soaked, sprouted or other, the bran is then high in phytic acid. 

As one of the things to do is soak, I thought I would soak some of the rye bran in buttermilk (double whammy, as an acidic environment is also supposed to help, along with soaking in general). Then I read more and found that the soaking medium should be hot. And, that it requires a long soak. 

I mean, REALLY! What's a girl supposed to do to have a healthy breakfast anymore???

Maple Bacon Rye Muffin texture

Long and short, a few days back I thought I would heat some buttermilk and soak the rye bran while prepping the rest of the ingredients to make some more muffins, and have done with it. I am not vegetarian, so I shouldn't fall into the risk of iron and zinc deficiency. All this aside, most readers will not own their own electric grain mill, grind their own rye berries to make bread, and sift out rye bran. And if this is the case, oat bran would work just as well in these muffins. Rye flour is easily found these days. Bob's Red Mill carries at least 3 different grinds: Light Rye (the rye equivalent of white all-purpose flour, but with less gluten), Medium Rye (what I approximate when sifting out the bran), and Pumpernickel Rye (more coarsely ground and with all the bran and germ), plus all the organic options. There are other types and grinds, but these are the most easily available. I happened to have some of my sifted "medium rye flour" in a baggie I found pushed back behind some things, so decided also to use this in the recipe. 

Okay, so I knew what I was doing with the rye part of the recipe. I happened to have some bacon in the fridge. I don't eat it often, so I thought I would use some in the muffins. Maple is always an excellent flavor combination with bacon, so I used maple syrup as the sweetener. 

This time, the muffins were fantastic. Oh my! The texture was light and just perfect. Even my husband, generally not one to actually eat anything whole grain if he can help it, actually asked if he could have a couple! They must have smelled really good to him, too! He said they were great, and that is just about the biggest endorsement I could possibly give to a whole grained food! 

Maple Bacon Rye Muffins

Maple Bacon Rye Muffins

Makes 12 regular sized muffins

1 cup buttermilk, heated
½ cup rye bran (or oat bran)
5 strips thick sliced bacon
¾ cup medium rye flour
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup real maple syrup
½ teaspoon maple flavor
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the bran into the heated buttermilk in a medium bowl, stir, and set aside.

Cut the bacon across into ¼-inch pieces and fry until just crisped. Drain on paper toweling. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk or sift together the rye and all-purpose flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the eggs, maple syrup and melted butter to the bowl with the buttermilk and bran. Stir to mix well. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine, then add in the Maple Flav-r-Bites and stir in.

Grease the wells of a 12-count muffin tin, using cooking spray. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 wells and bake the muffins for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out with only a crumb or two. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Delicious Maple Soy Salmon Appetizer

To start off, I want to say that first my sister told me she had tasted something like this at a Whole Foods Market. She had no recipe, but only told me they said it was salmon marinated in maple syrup and soy sauce. Then while we were conversing one evening, somewhere we found a recipe that sounded somewhat like the one she was describing. I wrote down the amounts. Yesterday, at last, I got a nice piece of salmon and thought, much like Tom Wilkinson in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, "This is the day!"

Pepper Crusted Maple Salmon

I followed the ingredients I had written down, but amazingly, or maybe not so amazingly, after looking online to see if I could actually credit someone, after viewing a dozen different recipes with tiny differences, none - quite - matched the one I had found months ago. There are a lot of variations. To start, I am not overly fond of salmon. I have to really be in the mood, and then I do enjoy it. This recipe intrigued me on a couple of points. I had a recipe for shrimp marinade; the absolute simplest of mixtures. It made the most divine shrimp I have ever had (find that recipe here). Considering how simple the marinade was for the shrimp (or scallops! equally as good if not better), I felt that maybe here was a new recipe, just as simple, to make salmon taste just as good. While the way my sister told me about was for the salmon served as little appetizer bites, I am absolutely certain it would work perfectly for nice salmon filets also.

While the recipe is simplicity itself, there are many little variations, as I noted while perusing the web. The addition of garlic to the marinade, and / or a little Asian sesame oil (the dark, toasted kind) both sound really lovely. These might be something to try the next time I get in a salmon mood. The recipe calls for marinating the salmon for 24 hours. Obviously this requires forethought. It also calls for a cup of maple syrup, so between the salmon and the syrup, the recipe is not inexpensive to make. But the outcome? Oh, so heavenly!

Yesterday after setting the salmon to marinate, I sat thinking that since I was going to be eating this all by myself (my husband will have nothing to do with anything fish or seafood), what might be a good thing to serve it with? I had some cole slaw in the fridge, and I am positive that would have been great.

 

Pepper Crusted Maple Salmon, with Beets and Horseradish to serve

Thinking on the sweet flavors in the marinade though, I thought about a little bit of my Beets with Horseradish leftover in the fridge. In my family, Beets with Horseradish is a traditionally Easter accompaniment for ham. Ham, often basted with sweet flavors seemed to be a similar concept to the sweet flavors of the salmon. In my mind, somehow, this just sounded really good together, so I had to try it out. Once I made the salmon, just a little bit ago, I tasted a bite or two just as is. It is absolutely, perfectly, decadently, insanely - good.  And then I got out the Beets with Horseradish and tried a bite with that. O - M - G! It was the perfect match! It came out tasting precisely as I thought it would. Despite the fact that maybe the color combo is not the best, the flavors were just perfect. The perfect accompaniment.

I had wondered also, what exactly would the marinade do to the salmon? When I pulled the salmon cubes out of the marinade this evening, the pieces were sort of candied-looking and just a little translucent. I felt this boded well for the outcome, and as it turned out, it did. While not overly sweet, "candied" seems an appropriate word. 

So this is the recipe as I made it. I am sure someone out there might say "that is my recipe". Maybe even many someones, because as I mentioned recently, it seems there is just no recipe under the sun that is really new. Remember to look for a piece of salmon that has some really good thickness, so decent sized cubes can be cut. The maple syrup can be the darker Grade B type. This is what I did:

Pepper Crusted Maple Salmon

24 ounces thick salmon filet
1 cup pure maple syrup
⅓ cup soy sauce (I used Lite)
¼ cup fresh ground cracked pepper

Combine the soy and syrup in a container with lid or a quart zip-top bag. If the salmon has skin on, remove the skin and cut the salmon into cube shapes at least 1 ½-inch x 1½-inch where possible. Place the cubes into the container with the marinade, making sure they are completely covered. This is easiest in the zip top bag, as all the air can be pressed out on sealing. Refrigerate the salmon for 24 hours, turning various times to ensure even coverage of the marinade.

When ready to bake, have ready a small bowl with the cracked pepper. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Remove the salmon cubes from the marinade and dip one side of the salmon cube into the cracked pepper, then place it on the prepared baking sheet, pepper-side up. Bake the salmon for 3 to 4 minutes, as desired. Mine was done - even the largest pieces, at 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

           Salmon out of the marinade                     |          dipped in cracked pepper and ready to bake

If choosing to marinate individual serving sized filets instead of cubes, the timing might have to be slightly longer, but remove from the oven as soon as the fish will flake. This happens rapidly, so watch carefully.

May 3rd Update:

Arugula Salad with Pepper Crusted Maple Salmon flaked over top

As I was the only one eating the salmon last evening, there was obviously some left over. While all the recipes I read online said to eat immediately, I did wonder what it would be like reheated, or even cold. Well, let me just say that cold from the fridge was still stupendous. I had gotten a package of arugula, and thought I would have a salad with the cold salmon flaked over the greens. It flaked easily and beautifully. I added carrot, just because I like carrots! The salad with the cold fish was truly an amazing experience. So, if there is concern about leftovers, do try them on a salad. I don't think it would be possible to be disappointed! Another idea is to use it in a Nicoise style of salad, instead of tuna, and which I plan to try soon!



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Heavenly Delicious Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie

Double Chocolate Pecan Pie (Chocolate shell with chocolate in the filling)

This pie has graduated from an amorphous idea floating around in my brain to slowly taking shape, coming clearer and clearer like a shape slowly coming through a heavy fog, until finally taking on a concrete form. The idea has been playing in my mind for more than a year now. The thing is, I generally only make pecan pie for Thanksgiving. Last year, our friend Rich was here for Thanksgiving. Rich is a confirmed chocoholic. Therefore, last year's pecan pie was made with a chocolate pie shell and grated chocolate in the pie mixture itself. And my "Bourbon Pecan Pie" idea was still just that amorphous blob, floating in the back of my brain.

So it was that this year, when I found that none of my usual guests could make it to our Thanksgiving dinner, I started playing with all of my Thanksgiving recipes. I changed how I made my turkey, the stuffing, the cranberries, and finally - finally - I got to the pecan pie. I originally planned to make only a pumpkin pie. It was only going to be my husband, his sister and me, after all. 

But then that formless blob in the back of my mind just seemed to become insistent. The more i tried to convince myself that I just didn't need 2 pies, the clamor became louder. I guess it was just time for this thing to take shape. No ifs, ands or buts.

I have only ever used one recipe for My Best Pecan Pie. It has always been really good, so why mess with a good thing? It was a recipe printed on the inside of a ceramic pie plate that I acquired about 22 years ago. I have never even given a thought to using different ingredient amounts. When I made it into Double Chocolate Pecan Pie last year I only added in some grated chocolate to the existing recipe. 

Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie

So this year, it seemed I was seeing pecan pie recipes everywhere. Some said to use maple syrup. Some said to use Bourbon. I really never saw one that mentioned both these things in the same recipe, but to me it sounded like a match made in heaven. To be clear, I am not a Bourbon drinker. I had a drink once with Bourbon. It was okay. I never acquired a taste for Scotch at all. I do use these liquors in cooking and baking. The smell of Bourbon is very appealing, to me. The thought of Bourbon and maple just doubled the appeal, to my mind's "taste buds". I sat down and looked at recipes for pecan pies. In comparing one recipe I saw elsewhere to the recipe that is on the inside of my pie plate, well! The recipes were so very opposite to one another it was almost ludicrous. Since I knew how my pie turns out, and had no quarrel with it, I tried to use that recipe and alter it a little. The comparison recipe for example, used 1½ tablespoons of butter. My Best Pecan Pie recipe used a whole stick of butter! Hmmmm. 

Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie, served

I sat with my old recipe and took it apart, recreating it to where it felt like it should work. My goal was to be able to just taste the bourbon and the maple. Neither should become the dominant note. The Pecans are the star of this show. Other flavors are there to enhance. Maple syrup, while tasting wonderful, is runnier than the dark corn syrup I usually use, so I didn't want to use too much maple, for fear it would not set properly. To further enhance the maple, I used just a half teaspoon of maple flavoring. Again, I didn't want it to overwhelm. In most places where an alcohol such as Bourbon is used, be it in a cake or pie or any other dessert, the amount used is 2 tablespoons. Almost everywhere, this is true. I felt that 2 tablespoons was a safe amount then, to give the taste without going over the top either in flavor or liquid ingredients. This is the recipe I came up with:

Pecans placed on top and set into the oven to bake.

Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie

Makes one 10-inch pie

pie pastry for one 10-inch pie
¾ cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
¾ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup dark corn syrup
¼ cup pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons Bourbon
½ teaspoon maple flavoring
1 to 1½ cups pecan halves

Fit pie pastry to a 9½- or 10-inch pie plate, crimping high. Set into the refrigerator while preparing the filling. Set oven to 350 degrees (325 if using Convection Bake).

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the first 3 dry ingredients. Add in the lightly beaten eggs and whisk only just to combine. Do not beat. In a separate bowl, stir together the corn syrup, maple syrup and melted butter. Once combined, stir in the Bourbon and maple flavoring. Pour this mixture into the sugar and egg mixture in the medium bowl. Whisk gently to combine the ingredients. Pour this mixture into the chilled pie shell. Top artfully with the pecan halves, rounded side up. Alternatively, just combine the pecans with the filling mixture and pour into the pie shell.

Bake the pie for about 1 hour, or until set. Cool completely before cutting. Enjoy!

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Maple Bacon Muffins - Hungry anyone?

This morning I was thinking of something different. I hadn't made muffins in a long time. I haven't kept bacon around either, but I happened to have some just now. I started thinking on this last night, so it played in my brain all night, and this morning I tried out making muffins with bacon and maple syrup.

I started putting things together, and frying the bacon. I was wondering if the muffins would turn out too sweet. I needn't have worried. To my taste, they are perfect. The bacon provides enough saltiness to offset the sweet. I ate two of them for breakfast. Oh were they ever good. Mmmm-mmm.

Maple Bacon Muffins

Maple Bacon Muffins

Makes 12

MUFFINS:
12 strips thin sliced bacon (or 6 slices of thick sliced bacon)
2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup maple syrup
1 stick of butter1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

STREUSEL:
2 tablespoons softened butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry to your desired doneness. Set on paper towels to drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray with cooking spray a 12 cup muffin tin.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Separately, combine the milk and maple syrup. Cream together the butter and brown sugar, then blend in the eggs. Add in the flour mixture and stir, alternately with the milk mixture until just combined. Do not over beat. Fold in the bacon. Divide batter between the muffin cups.

Some might feel the streusel is too much, in which case, omit.  I love streusel, so I used it, and the muffins were great.

Make the streusel. This is easiest with fingers. Combine the 3 ingredients until they are well mixed and crumbly. Put about 2 or so teaspoons of streusel on top of each muffin in tin. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn muffins out of tins to cool.


My passion is to teach people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things weekly. Join me at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook and Pinterest.