Vegetable Medley on the Plancha

The best part about cooking on the plancha is that you can cook just about anything without much fuss while still getting that good old BBQ feeling.  No need to pull out the foil or mesh contraptions, just throw it on and let that beauty do its magic.  This is particularly useful for veggies.  You can cook them whole, or chopped as I did here.  All the seasoning happens before they even hit the plancha, so all you really need to dôwhile cooking is squeeze a bit of lime or orange from time to time to keep it moist (and to make it look like what you are doing is way more important than what anyone else may be doing..because You are holding the reigns for the meal..Ha!)

The end result is something that has that special outdoor grilling taste.  I've never been able to replicate it on the stove, but why would I want to do that?  The other nice thing about cooking on the plancha is that you do everything on it and don't have multiple pots and pans to go through.  Clean up is also fairly simple.  Just pour some water on while it's still hot and scrape with the wooden spatula.  That's it!

Here's what I used to pair with my Chimichurri meat night.

There are really no rules as to which vegetables you use, but these are the ones I happened to throw together and they were an excellent addition to everything else happening on that plancha.

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

300g (10.5oz) whole button mushrooms, chopped into wedges

1 onion, sliced into moons

1 green bell, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

juice from 1/4 orange

1 tsp piment d'espelette

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

pinch fleur de seul

some cracked black pepper

handful chopped cilantro

generous drizzle chili oil (or regular olive oil)

Directions

1.  Toss it all together

2.  Cook on medium high on the plancha while moving around until everything is deeply colored (but not burned).  This took me about 20 minutes.

Serve alongside your other plancha items.  Here I have some various cuts of various animals, some chimichurri sauce, and a little cabbage plum salad.
Those look like tomatoes don't they?  Well, they're plums.  And they work fabulously with that red cabbage!

Chimichurri Sauce and Marinade

This is the last weekend of my "vacation," and since the plan is that there is no plan, and it pretty much rained the whole time, I've stayed put.  There are certain things I was actually looking forward to during this off time which ended up never happening.  One of those things was to get to cook some octopus on my plancha.  That idea gets vetoed every single time I bring it up, but it will get through one day.. and that day will be a total game changer.  This type of thing does not make me upset enough to ruin my meal plan though.  Just a little resentment simmering in the back of my heart until one day I'm just going to bring home an octopus without consulting anybody and cook it and eat it all by myself!

Ah I feel better.
So today as I was forcefully steered away from the fish mongerer, I retaliated by buying a ton of meat and imagining I'd be having guests over.  Eh.. who needs guests when leftovers are amazing..so no guests, but mega meat night.  Tonight's victims are:

Beef chuck roll (basse-côte)

Horse rump steak (rumsteak)

Lamb leg slices (tranches de gigot)
Chicken drumsticks (pilons)

With all these different animals, I needed something to bring them together while letting their independence shine.  I looked up various spice rubs which were very interesting, but nothing that got my motor running.  Then I figured I'd just go classic flake salt, pepper, some herbes de provence and call it a night.. until I stumbled upon Chimichurri.
I've had this little Argentinian beauty before at an authentic Argentinian restaurant here.  It's refreshing, can be used as a topping sauce or a marinade, and works with any type of meat, egg, fish, or even vegetable.  The Chimichurri would be a perfect liaison for tonight's meal.  I looked at several recipes and they're all basically the same, so I'm pretty sure this is the "authentic" one here.
Yield 1 1/4 cup

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed chopped flat leaf parsely

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar (I used cider vinegar)

5 garlic cloves, crushed

1 small shallot, chopped

3 Tbsp oregano (better to use fresh if you can find it)

2 tsp crushed red pepper

3/4 cup EVOO

Some flake salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

1.  Put it all in a food processor and blend until everything is finely minced, but not a full on cream.

Oops, I only have a magic bullet, so mine is creamy, but that's ok with me today.  We'll see how I feel about that tomorrow.

2.  Refigerate for at least 30 minutes before using so the flavors have time to set.

I decided to use this as a marinade for the drumsticks, and more as a side sauce for the red meat.
It was amazing..
So for the grilling, there is nothing as simple as this.
Chicken drumsticks:  Score it and rub the chimichurri in all the crevices.  Let marinate for at least 1 hour.  Cook on medium high heat for at least 30 minutes, turning regularly and basting with lime juice, orange juice, and extra chimichurri.

Lamb leg slices:  Season with fleur de sel, pepper, and a nice rub of thyme.  Cook on high heat for about 2 minutes on each side, basting with orange juice and just a touch of chimichurri.
Beef chuck roll:  Season with fleur de sel and pepper and just a touch of chimichurri.  Cook on high heat for about a minute and a half on each side, brushing a touch of chimichurri during cooking.

Horse rump steak:  Season with fleur de sel, pepper, and a touch of olive oil.  Cook on high for about 2 and a half minutes on each side if they are thick.  Mine were about twice the thickness of the lamb slices.  Make sure to baste with the orange so it doesn't dry out.
When finished cooking, let rest for a few minutes.  This is where the flavor nectar is released.

The best part of this is the leftovers.. omg leftovers are heaven for me!!

You can use the chimichurri as a dipping sauce for meat or vegetables once they make it onto your plate as shown in the plate picture..

Bernettine Squash Pie

As an attempt to help non Americans discover that yes, we Americans do have specialties other than burgers and coke, I usually go for cinnamon rolls or pumpkin pie.  The most common reaction I get to these two typically American sweets is "Is that an appetizer or a dessert?" and then when I describe what's in it, "Oh I don't like cinnamon."
What??
I didn't even know that existed until moving to France.  I can understand having an aversion to pumpkin (they only make soups out of it here), but cinnamon?  It's like one of the starting blocks of life!  What in the world do they put in their apple pie?  Or in their maple cinnamon oats?  Such a strange bunch here on this side of the pond.  (There are an equal number of people here with a coconut aversion as well which is completely beyond me).
Certain people at work know to always ask 3 questions before tasting one of my pastries:
Il y a de la cannelle? C'est de la noix de coco? As tu mis du piment?
They know me well, for whatever I bring usually has one of those 3 elements.  Cinnamon, coconut, and spice (and everything nice).  Sometimes I bring a duo for the coconut people usually don't mind spice, but the cinnamon people are the ones I can usually weed out of any of my tastings.
Seriously.. isn't there a cure for that?  Did people here used to beat their kids with cinnamon sticks?
Anyway, when I'm baking for guests, I now know to always call and ask if one of those 3 ingredients is deeply disliked by one of their members.  After that is taken care of, people are usually pleasantly surprised by American desserts (made by me, of course).
The guests I made this specific pie for own and cook in their own restaurant, and one of them was a pastry chef before becoming a cook, so I was very happy that they both liked it, and even took some slices home with them!
Discovery accomplished.
Serves 8-10 depending on the size of the slice

Ingredients:

2 cups (440g 15.5oz) roasted Bernettine squash flesh, well mashed with a fork

2 eggs

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup (95g 3.4oz) packed brown sugar
1 packet bourbon vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

1 tsp ground cinammon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp pain d'épices spices (or 1/4 tsp ground cloves)
1/8 tsp salt

1 shortcrust (I used half buckwheat, half T80 flour)

Directions:

1. Cover the rim of the uncooked shortcrust with foil, poke the bottom a few times with a fork and pre-cook it for 10 minutes in the oven at 190°C 375°F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whip together the eggs, sugars, salt, spices, cream, and milk.

3. Pour the squash flesh into the mixing and whip.

4. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake for 10 minutes at 220°C 425°F, then reduce to 175°C 350°F for 30 minutes or until you knife comes out clean when you poke it.

5.  The most important step!  Let cool for at least 30-40 minutes before attacking!  This pie is better at room temperature or refrigerated anyway.

I highly recommend the buckwheat in the shortcrust.  It really compliments the flavor of the filling.
I also will continually search out squash similar to Bernettine for it is far superior to any other squash or pumpkin I have ever used.  The flesh is just amazing and easy to work with.. plus there is no strange aftertaste when you eat it right off the skin (before adding all the sugar and spices).  It's my new dream come true and I stocked my freezer full of 440g portions for the future.

Chana Dal and Split Fava Lazy Hummus

Hummus = Love
Served with its special man'ouché Lebanese bread and local olive oil, it becomes the most sublime mezze you can possibly be served.
The thing about making very good quality hummus is that it can be very time consuming.  Ok ok.. while the chickpeas are soaking overnight, you are (presumably) sleeping.  While they are simmering away in the crockpot, you are going about your day as usual.  Technically, those are the longest parts, but they are not the most bothersome.  The part I dislike the most about making hummus from scratch is the unsheathing of each and every chickpea.  I usually make big batches and freeze portions, so I end up with many many chickpeas (or favas) to peel.  I once spent about 2 hours just peeling chickpeas!  Don't get me wrong.. I'll do it, and I never regret it, but its not quite as indulging as.. say.. kneading dough, or rolling rotis, or filling samosas or dumplings.  It just feels like work you would give to an intern to free up your skilled little fingers for more important tasks.
For those of you who feel the same way as I do, and don't have an interne to keep busy, I've found the miracle solution to the hummus dilemma!
Use split chickpeas!
Yes!
Chana dal is just that: a sheathed, split chickpea.  Split favas are sheathed (and split as the name implies) fava beans.
I call this a "lazy" version of Hummus-Ful Bi Tahini  only because the cooking time is reduced and the peeling time is no longer part of the deal.
yield about 3 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1/2 cup dried chana dal, soaked
1/2 cup dried split fava beans, soaked
4 cups water (for cooking)
150g excellent tahini (Al Wadi if you want it to be perfect)
Juice from 1 lime
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
3 garlic cloves
Enough cooking water for the hummus to be of desired consistency
some excellent EVOO for drizzling
black sesame seeds for garnish (I chose black to go with the black salt on my eggplant caviar)
Directions
1.  Place the soaked chana dal and split favas in a pot with the water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the chana are tender.  You may want to regularly scoop the foam off the top.  I'm not sure that does anything, but that is the traditional way and that is how the best hummus is made in its mother land.
2.  Remove the cooked chana and favas into a blender and pulse a few times to break them apart.  Add in the lime juice, garlic, salt, cumin, and tahini and blend, adding some of the cooking water to smooth it out if too dry.
How much water should you add?  Well, at this point it is still hot, so you want it to be a little more "wet" than you expect the finished product to be.  As it cools down, it will thicken, and you don't want your hummus to be dry now do you?
3.  Actually, warm hummus is delicious too.
Serve by making a small well in the middle of your serving dish and drizzling a small pool of olive oil into the center.  Sprinkle some sesame seeds all around and contemplate the beauty.

The hummus is on the left, the eggplant caviar on the right.

So does it taste different than the traditional lengthy hummus making business?

Call me crazy, but I found it to be creamier and more addicting than usual!  

I would have to taste them side by side to really give an honest opinion, but this is one of the best outcomes I've produced so far.  

In terms of time vs quality, this version is the ultimate hummus, even if they call you "lazy" after hearing your secret.

Works well with piment d'espelette olive oil as well.

Spicy Roasted Eggplant Caviar

My love affair with eggplant continues (and is not ready to end).  This time, I exposed its caviar and sublimed it with pure adornments such as olive oil from Nyons, toasted pine nuts from Pakistan, and black lava salt from Hawaii.  Did you know the active coconut charcoal made to blacken the lava salt is an antitoxin and digestive aid?  Intriguing!
Something magical happens when you combine quality with spice and mix it together with love.  Today, that is this caviar.
The difference between my eggplant caviar and the traditional baba ganoush is the use of tahini.  Since I was already serving some lazy hummus at my little dinner party, I didn't want to double up on the tahini doses and risk having the variety be too similar.
yield about 2 cups

Ingredients

2 eggplants (600g) halved lengthwise

1/4 cup yogurt

1 clove garlic, grated

1 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp quality EVOO plus more to drizzle

1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp piment d'espelette
1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Few cracks black pepper

1 tsp Hawaiian black lava salt (or smoked salt)

Directions

1.  Rub some olive oil over the eggplant halves and roast flesh side down for about 50 minutes at 190°C 375°F.

2.  Scoop out the flesh and blend together with the yogurt, garlic, lime juice, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.

3.  Stir in the toasted pine nuts.  

4.  Add the black salt just before serving with a drizzle of excellent olive oil.

This was a creamy smokey spicy dream come true...
The pine nuts make it even more interesting than the regular old eggplant caviar and that lava salt just takes it over the top!

Bernettine Squash, Undressed

I wasn't really expecting to see any squash or pumpkins on the stalls at the beginning of August.  It's actually one of my favorite things about fall.. The myriad different varieties of these lovely imposing vegetables.  As it turns out, I wanted to make some pumpkin pie for my little "apéro dinatoire" involving first time guests whore are culinarily aware.  No pressure.  I'm not sure exactly how to translate "apéro dinatoire."  I wouldn't call it a cocktail party because first of all, a party is a celebration of something usually involving more than 4 people, and second of all, there certainly will not be a bartender serving drinks.  Apéro is usually drinks and munchies that happen before dinner.  If you invite someone for apéro, they should expect to leave afterward and supply their own dinner.  Apéro dinatoire is.. well, they aren't expected to leave because there will be enough appetizer-ish things served that they will go home fully nourished (and hydrated).  I suppose I would call it Happy Hours or a Happy Hour Evening.. or maybe just a Happy Evening.  Yes.

Anyway, since my menu is Lebanese oriented, I had to leave my American mark somehow, since these are first time guests..and so pumpkin pie for dessert is just perfect.  Except that it's early August.

While shopping I was planning on making it a sweet potato version of the pie instead, not expecting to find anything pumpkin-like, but then this naughty little Bernettine called me, "Escusi signora, PrrRrrRR!"  And that was all it took to convince me.  Bernettine is from Italy, where she is in season.. And she's green and gorgeous..just like thyme gelato..

I was expecting the beauty to "melt" or render a ton of water while roasting, but after 2 hours at 190°C, she just crisped and tanned and left no unpleasant juice.

Ah excellent!

Her flesh is amazing.  I sampled a small piece and found it to be naturally sweet and rich..might I say even more velvety than butternut!  Once seeded, the flesh behaved more like a sweet potato than a squash.  No filandrous mess.

Bellissima!

She offered herself wholly to me, giving me much more than I had expected.  I may as well make dinner with it..I'll still have enough to make 10 pies afterward if I wanted! (Ok ok more like 3, but still, that's pretty impressive)

She even offered me her offspring, which I washed, tossed in olive oil and fleur de sel, and toasted to perfection.  When you bite into one of those hot seeds, its nutty nectar squirts into your mouth, leaving the tough carcass behind.

Since the flesh was already cooked (and mashed) I decided to make little mozzarella volcanoes with it.  Needless to say, this beauty doesn't need any adornments..the cheese and tomatoes were just for the looks.  This little Bernettine gives you that buttery velvety texture with its sweet rich flavor that it makes a perfect side dish all by itself.

I filled her with some basil, mozzarella

some evergreen tomatoes, fleur de sel, pepper, and some piment d'espelette, a small drizzle of balsamic vinegar and another small drizzle of olive oil.

Into the 190°C 375°F oven for 20 minutes and the volcano had erupted into a cheesy delicious mess.

After all the courting, I fell soundly asleep, exhausted, but in a good way..

Beef Rendang (Daging)

My day started out nicely..
This morning I decided I needed to use those candlenuts that were so lovingly brought to me from Malaysia from a friend who "didn't know what they were used for, but was sure I'd figure it out."  I don't know why candlenuts were specifically on my mind, but I do know I haven't cooked a real meal lately, since I'm either out wandering the world or invited to dinner during these lovely summer days. Lucky for me, the first result of my research was Roti n Rice, a blog that first intrigued me by its name but kept me reading for the fusion of cultures.  Featured was Beef Rendang (or Rendang Daging), a dish often served for special occasions in Malaysia originating from Indonesia.  What drew me to this dish is the blend of spices and different textures of coconut used to enhance it.  There are several layers of pleasure going on here and it needs to be simmered for a long time, which means I could do all the preparations right then when I was feeling it in the morning, then let it simmer in the crockpit, freeing up the kitchen for any other desires that may apprear during the day.

Perfect!
And there is absolutley no way to describe the velvety aroma wafting through my home as the dish simmers to perfection.
Serves 4-5

Ingredients
2 lbs (750g) beef chuck, cubed
3 tbsp canola oil
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
4 cardamom
6 cloves
2 stalks lemongrass (or 1 tbsp dry per stalk)
3/4 cup (180mL) coconut milk
1 Tbsp tamarind pulp
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup desiccated coconut, toasted and pounded in a mortar into kerisik (better to use fresh)
4 kaffir lime leaves, sliced
1 turmeric leaf (sub 1 bay leaf)

To Blend:
2 thai red chilies, seeded
10 dried red chilies, seeded, soaked, and drained (I only used 2)
2 inch galangal, sliced (I used dried that I soaked and drained)
2 inch fresh ginger, sliced
5 shallots
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup water

To dry grind:
3 candlenuts (or macadamia if you can't find these)
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds

Directions
1.  Make the spice paste.  In a spice grinder, grind the ingredients in the "To dry grind" section.  In a food processor, blend the ingredients in the "To Blend" section, then stir in the ground spices.  Set aside.
2.  In a heavy based deep pan or wok, heat the canola oil and add the cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, and cloves.

Fry about 30 seconds, then add the lemongrass and spice paste.  Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes.  A lovely aroma should start wafting.
3.  Add the beef pieces and stir around to coat well.
4.  At this point, transfer everything to a slow cooker with the coconut milk.  Cook on low for about 7 hours.  The meat should be tender.
For the stove top option, bring to a boil, then simmer, covered for at least 1 hour.
5.  While this is happening, make the kerisik.  Kerisik is a Malay term for toasted coconut that is pounded in a mortar with a pestle to release its essence.  To do this, toast in a dry pan until colored.
6.  At the end of the cooking time, add the kerisik, tamarind, sugar, salt, kaffir lime leaves, and turmeric leaves.  I added some cilantro in the photo but that was before I figured out that an ok substitute for turmeric leaf is bay leaf.
Cover and let cook another hour or until ready to serve.
If doing this stovetop, simmer for another 30 minutes.  The sauce should thicken and make an almost "dry" curry.

I served mine with some red cabbage and rice.

This Beef Rendang was really an art.  I now understand why it is served to special guests.
As it turns out, my special guest lives inside of me, sometimes talks to me, most of the time makes love to me in the kitchen between the tomatoes and fennel seeds..
This time, my day started out nicely, and ended with a home run...

Steamed Fish with Fermented Black Bean Sauce

Something magical happened today...
Something I had been longing for, dreaming of, romanticizing, tasting, feeling was able to materialize today.  All the past month's withholding was released upon arriving in my Asian Wonderland.  I felt a rush of oxytocin and serotonin and was able to let myself go, if only for a few seconds.
I was able to walk freely through the aisles, inspecting each item, feeling a close tenderness enveloping my aura and leading me to the treasure I had been seeking.
Dou-chi.
Dou chi is Chinese for fermented black soy beans.  Sometimes they are called salted beans.  Here I finally found them, in the spice aisle (where I wasn't looking) in their vacuum sealed bag.  I would finally be able to make Sichuan style steamed fish starring the 2 little fellows:
Doubanjiang (right) and Dou chi (left).

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 small hakes (whatever white fish you desire) gutted and scaled

1 tbsp Doubanjiang

1 1/2 tsp Dou chi (fermented black beans) chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 inch ginger, sliced

1 handful chopped scallions

1 Tbsp cooking wine (I used mirin)
Directions
1.  In a small bowl, mix together the doubanjiang, chopped dou chi, garlic, ginger, wine, and half the scallions.
2.  Score the fish on each side, then stuff the mixture inside the fish and rub it well all over the outside and into the crevices.  Let marinate this way for about 15-20 minutes.  Meanwhile you can prepare the sides if needed.
3.  In a bamboo steamer, lay some cabbage leaves or banana leaves or parchment paper at the bottom, then lay the marinated fish inside and cover.  Place about an inch of water in a large enough pan and bring to a boil.
4.  Put the bamboo steamer in the pan with the boiling water and cook on high for 7-8 minutes, then turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes before uncovering.
5.  Serve with rice and a salad or whatever you so desire for the fish is so good and spicy and pleasantly umami that it doesn't matter what you serve it with, just sprinkle the rest of the scallions over it on the plate.

Pungent is an appropriate word to describe that dou chi.  It's a salty fermenty pungent flavor that marries perfectly with the fish.  Do not use too much or it might overpower you.. and if you're lucky you may have the same reaction I did..
a feeling so incredible it almost seems illegal..

Moroccan Poached Egg Soup

The "cold" rainy July weather is giving me soup hallucinations.  My recently swapped Moroccan spice mix for a few chiles de arbol and tucked nicely into my spice drawer has also been nagging at me.  Every time I open the happy place drawer, I open up the little jar and breath in, trying to discern the blend.  I kniw for a fact there is chile powder, coriander, and perhaps a bit of cumin, but there is something else in there that makes it so incredibly Moroccan that I can't seem to uncover.  It's quite different than ras el hanout.. It would be more of a blend for tajine, so that is how I'll describe it in the recipe.  The best way to get your hands on something of this quality is to fetch it from Morocco, or have someone you can count on fetch it for you from Morocco.

That's what I did (well, it was a gift.. i didn't specifically order it), but in the meantime, use a blend for tajine.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 Tbsp EVOO
1 onion, sliced

1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

1 large zucchini, cut into chunks

1 heaping teaspoon spice blend for tajine

1 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp harissa

1/4 cup chana dal, soaked (or cooked ckickpeas)

1 cube chicken or veg bouillon
enough water to cover (about 3 cups)

2 eggs

Handful halved cherry tomatoes

Handful chopped cilantro
Directions
1.  Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the onions.  Cook until translucent, then add the carrot chunks.
2.  Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes, then add the zucchini, spice blend, tomato paste, harissa, and chana dal.  Mix together until evenly pasty.
3.  Add the bouillon and water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.  It should be deep and spicy.
4.  About 10 minutes before serving, bring back to a boil and drop in the eggs.  Let them poach covered and off heat.  Let rest for 5 minutes.

Serve with 1 poached egg per person.  Garnish with cherry tomatoes and chopped cilantro.

I didn't photograph the phenomenon, but when you pierce the egg, the yolk mixes into the broth making it creamy and velvety.. another pleasant surprise...

Spicy Melon & Basil Muffins

There comes a time during a day filled with extensive research on various subjects, that I scramble to the kitchen with a desire to make muffins.  It's one of those things that once I decide to do it, there is no stopping me.  Even on days I realize I'm out of flour or eggs or bananas (usually not on the same day), it doesn't stop me.  It's like an urge I need to let be expressed.  These days, the expression lies in  herbal combinations.  I love the way herbs or spices enhance the flavor of fruity muffins, especially basil.  Hmm actually, mint or rosemary do a lovely job as well.  Oh I need to try one with cilantro next time!
And that's how a combination of melon and basil makes its way into a muffin in my house.  I had a half melon perfectly ripe, juicy, and sweet just begging to star in the show.  I was worried about the juiciness of the melon after blending it, so I added some ground almonds and corn starch as thickener.   What I like about muffins is that I'm never 100% sure how they will turn out in the end.. if they will be fluffy, flat, or even if the flavors will go well together.  The first bite is always a surprise.  That surprise notion is covered with the addition of chile powder.  Mine is very strong, so I only used a bit, but oh how it does little wonders in unexpected places!

Yield 15 muffins

Ingredients

1 egg, well beaten

1 tsp corn starch

100g (3.5oz) cane sugar

40g (1.4oz) canola oil

30g (1oz) ground almonds

320g (about 1 1/4 cup or 11.3oz) blended melon

1 handful finely chopped fresh basil

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp chile powder

1/4 tsp salt

150g (5.3oz) whole wheat flour

Directions

1.  Beat together the egg, corn starch, sugar, melon, ground almonds, and oil.  Beat it well, then fold in the basil.

2.  Sift together the flour, chile powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Carefully stir in the flour mixture until just combined.

3.  Fill your buttered muffin tins 3/4 full and bake for 22-25 minutes at 175°C 350°F or until a toothpick comes out clean.

The juicier the melon, the longer they will have to cook at a lower temp.  I almost went for 150°C 325°F for 30 minutes, but thought of that too late.  I may have ended up with a prettier shape and avoided the brown tops, but eh.. the muffins were delicious so who really cares how they look?

These turn out very very moist and fragile, so be gentle please..