Lemon Crumb Muffins (Recipe Makes About 10)

I have to admit that when I first having the thought of making lemon crumb muffins, "it seems troublesome," I murmured. There're the main muffin part, the crumbs, and the glaze I have to worry about. So much components just for a muffin. Well, I was wrong.

It sure seemed like a lot of work to do. However, once I prepped all the ingredients beforehand, putting together all the parts, the actual baking was like a no-brainer. Compared to making layer cakes or crepe cakes, this lemon crumb muffin recipe, easy-peasy.

Lemon crumb muffins -

Ingredients (about 10 medium muffins)?

Main part - dry ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Main part - wet ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup or 150 grams melted unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2/3 tablespoon lemon juice

Crumbs:

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/12 cup or 20 grams cold unsalted butter

Glaze:

• 1/6 cup granulated sugar
• Almost 2 tablespoons lemon juice

How?

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius. Grease or line the muffin tin with muffin cups. If greasing the tin, since we're going to use some melted butter later for the main muffin part, go ahead and warm up the butter first in the oven. Using a wee bit to grease the tin won't alter the final result.

Prepare two large containers, one sift in all the ingredients under the "main part - dry ingredients" section. 

Also mix in all the ingredients under the "main part - wet ingredients" with the other container. 

Add the "dry" part to the "wet" bowl in two batches. Mix before adding the second batch. Eventually mix everything till blended.

Prepare the third bowl, but first cut the cold butter into small cubes. To the bowl, add in all the ingredients listed under the "crumbs." 

Use a fork to mix these ingredients till it starts to become crumb-like consistency.

Pour the main dry and wet mixed batter to the muffin tin, filled up to 80% full. You might have to do it all over again if need to bake the second batch. 

Top each muffin batter with some "crumbs" over.

Into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or run a toothpick text. Insert a toothpick to the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean without any uncooked batter sticking to it, then the muffins are ready. Remove the muffins from heat and wait till the temperature drops a little to handle by hand. 

Set a wire rack with large baking sheet on the bottom. Once muffins cooled down, take them out and set on wire rack.

Take a small bowl and whisk in ingredients listed under the "glaze" section. Drizzle that over semi-warmed muffins. The baking sheet on the bottom will help catching any sugary drippings. 

I'd like to eat it while the muffins are still kind of warm, but it's been proven, even after few days under room temperature, they're just as good with addicting grainy glaze intact. How can I be so sure? Well, all 10 muffins were gone in like three days (note that there're only me and Mister in the household). 

Definitely worth the effort making these addicting and lemony muffins.

  

Extended reading:

• Two-color madeleines
• Super addicting M&M's chocolate chip cookies 

Sun-Dried Cauliflower and Pork Belly Stew 白花椰菜干滷肉

Last time I made a shredded pork stir-fry dish with sun-dried cauliflower. This time around, an even more traditional route, sun-dried cauliflower is going to be used in a pork belly stew.

Sun-dried cauliflower and pork belly stew 白花椰菜干滷肉 - 

Ingredients?

• 1 1/2 loosely packed cups sun-dried cauliflower
• 385 grams pork belly
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 stalks scallion
• 2 red chilies
• 2 slices ginger
• 1 tablespoon preferred neutral cooking oil
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup Chinese rice cooking wine
• 3 crystal sugar 

How?

Soak the sun-dried cauliflower in room temperature water for 30 minutes. Once done, drain and set aside for later use.

Peel the garlic cloves. Destem and slice diagonally for the red chilies. Scrape off the skin and slice the ginger, about 1.5 mm thickness. Destem and section the scallion.

Cut the pork belly into chunks. If using good quality pork, like the kind without that sticky smell, go ahead with the regular cooking process. However, if unsure, you can bring a pot of water to a boil and quickly cook the pork chunks till some grayish foamy bits start to float on the surface. Drain and remove the foamy bits then set the pork aside for stew later on.

Prepare a clay pot if possible, otherwise a good size cookware. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of oil and turn to medium high heat. Once warmed up, add in pork chunks and sear till slightly colored on both sides.

Add in garlic, chilies, scallion and ginger slices. Give it a quick mix and sear till the garlic cloves turn slightly browned, but not burnt.

Pour in 1 1/2 cups of water along with 1/2 cup of soy sauce, and 1/3 cup of Chinese rice cooking wine. Also transfer drained cauliflower over.

Bring the whole thing to a boil then lower the heat to keep it slightly bubbling on the surface. Cover with a lid and let it stew for about 40 minutes. 

After 40 minutes, remove the lid and add few pieces of crystal sugar. Continue to stew till the pork reaches your desire texture.

For myself, this time I'd like to stew it all the way till almost no more sauce present, but the pork still remain moist and tender. The entire stew time took close to an hour.

Just like my earlier recipe using sun-dried cauliflower. Fresh cauliflower can be quite delicate and break apart easily. But after sun-drying process, the texture became somewhat sturdy and doesn't fall apart at all even used in a stew. The texture is still slightly chewy with concentrated earthy aroma.

You can serve this stew with some steamed rice, or use as a base for Chinese dry noodles. In the case for noodles, perhaps add more black vinegar, soy sauce, or chili sauce to bring the flavor up a notch. 

Extended reading:

• Sun-dried cauliflower and shredded pork stir-fry 白花椰菜乾炒肉絲