I promise. I am good at following instructions. I can usually follow a recipe to the t. So how did a Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake (with Figs) become a combination of Cherry Muffins and Flower? Um. I'm not quite sure.
The first problem was that I didn't have any figs. Sad state of affairs when you're trying to make a recipe that calls for sixteen of them. Sixteen moist, plump Mission figs, to be exact.
Undettered, I forged ahead, planning to swap dried cherries for the figs, and to add some thyme to make up for the ordinariness of the cherries.
By the time I realized I didn't have a 10 1/2 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, there was no turning back. So I didn't. What should have been an elegant cake became a very approachable batch of muffins and cookies. Oh, did I mention that I left out the baking powder? The good news? They're terrific. Dorie does it again. In spite of me.
Cherry Muffins and Flowers, adapted from Baking: From my Home to Yours
Makes a dozen muffins and about a dozen small cookies; 30 minutes prep time
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup tepid water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 stick butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cherries
Leaves from one sprig of thyme, optional
Preheat the oven to 350*. Line 12 muffin tins with baking cups and spray a small square pan with Pam.
In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until totally smooth. This will take a few minutes.
Add the sugar, honey, and lemon zest and turn up the speed a bit. Beat for another couple of minutes till light.
Add the melted butter and the eggs. Beat for another minute or two, till smooth.
Add the cornmeal, flour and salt. Beat briefly till combined. Stir in the cherries and thyme (if you're using it) by hand.
Spoon most of the batter into the muffin cups. Pour what's left into the baking pan. (You should have just a thin layer.) Bake the cake for about 15 minutes, till firm and golden. Leave the muffins in for about 10 minutes longer (25 minutes total) till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
When the cake is cool, use your favorite cookie cutter to cut pretty shapes. Cool the muffins completely before eating. (These also freeze great!)
You sound like me making a recipe! I'm notorious for starting into a very involved recipe, and getting halfway through before I realize I'm missing one (or several!) key ingredients! Your treats turned out lovely though, despite the missing staples :)
ReplyDeleteGreat save! I forge ahead and forget to read everything through too - it usually doesn't end up as well as this! The little flowers are cute!
ReplyDeleteHey- the best things happen out of mistake or substitution is what I always say. I think the little flowers and muffins look perfect and so good. I know me and my son could scarf them down in a minute flat!
ReplyDeleteThey turned out lovely! I'm sure they're yummy too!
ReplyDeleteDo I ever relate to you. I subbed dried apricots for the figs because I was out of them. My fluted pan is not for dairy so I used a pie pan but that is not as good. We learn to make do.
ReplyDeleteI love your cutouts. They are adorable and I would enjoy them more. Little is fun to eat.
They look wonderful & it's fantastic when we can swap ingredients with what we have on hand and make the recipe truly our own.
ReplyDeleteThanks for baking with us this week!
Who cares how you got there, it seems like a pretty good end result!
ReplyDeleteOh, what a great idea to make the cookies. Kind of like petit fours. You certainly could sandwich them with jam and dust them with powdered sugar and serve them like petit fours.
ReplyDeleteto be honest, I love muffins more anyway. They are portable, single portioned size and they just seem so much more fun to eat! These look absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeleteThe muffins look gorgeous, regardless of the issues you faced. Dorie definitely is a marvel. I haven't had a failure yet with a recipe of hers.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pics and lovely cherry addition. My batter leaked a bit out of the removable tart bottom- so you were better off having it in muffin form!
ReplyDeleteI like your substitutions with cherries, muffins looks delicious. In my house I am the only person to eat dessert if I make them, my little one change her mood depending upon whether she like it or not.
ReplyDeleteWhat a clever idea! The flowers are so cute!! So delicious! YUM!!
ReplyDeleteI've never tried cherry muffins before. What a great recipe! Thanks for linking up at Muffin Monday! Have a fabulous week!
ReplyDeleteI think your muffins and cookies look wonderful, and what a great post for encouraging folks to use what they have, and not panic if they are missing something. Your results were fantastic! Thank you for sharing this wonderful post with Let's Do Brunch. Hope to see you there again this week - the linky is up now!
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