Right now I’m busy prepping for my first cookery class @ La Cocotte this Thursday. I’ve been busy researching, testing, tasting, doing all things muffiny…so much so I think I’m actually becoming a muffin. I found out the word muffin comes from the old french term “moufflet” (=soft). And that the American muffins did originate from the English ones but quickly developed their own style.

The polenta, feta & sundried tomato muffins are ones I’ll be putting in the goody bag which everyone at the cookery class gets to take home (with a few sweets ones too). I’ll let you know how it goes.

Wish me luck!

Btw I tend to use a mini muffin tin because the size is great for snacks or dinner party canapés. But you can make it any size you like, just change the cooking time accordingly.

Polenta, feta & sundried tomato muffins

240g plain flour
150g polenta
2 tsp baking powder
150g sundried tomatoes
150g feta
1 handful of parsley
1 tsp of salt
1 egg
250ml milk
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 185°C. Chop the feta, sundried tomatoes and parsley smaller. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Then mix all the other ingredients. Combine both mixtures (don’t overmix will result in tough muffins). Spoon the mixture into the muffins cases. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until they are golden. To verify poke a wooden skewer into the centre, if cooked it will come out clean.

Remember back in October my fifth time lucky muffins? Well, this week the book came out for which we (La Cocotte and I) wrote the recipe for. The delivery guy hardly made it through the bookshop’s door this Tuesday I was so excited. Like a kid on Christmas day I ripped open the box and flicked through the book to find my recipe. Very very happy with the result (I’m even in the picture, well half of me is ) and the book has lots of other amazingly delicious recipes too (Rhubarb & strawberry, sticky toffee…the list goes on). Taking a leaf out of the book, my mum and I decided to invent our own muffin recipe. Currently at my parents this weekend, with the weather being snowy one minute, sunshiny the other, the best bet is to stay inside.

If you’re in Paris on the 29th March we’ll be having a “Muffin” booklaunch at La Cocotte. So do pop by if you’re around. There’ll be lots of tasty muffins to eat.

These muffins would be for a perfect packed lunch. Easy to make, with sunflower seeds and a fruit component. This is a much healthier dessert option than a chocolate bar. Check out Coffee & Vanilla’s Wholesome lunchbox event for other great ideas!

Lemon, sunflower seed & plum compote Muffins
taken from “Les recettes de Bob: Muffins originaux et authentiques”

Muffin mixture

2 eggs
110ml sunflower oil
150ml milk
110g sugar
240g self raising flower
75g sunflower seeds, chopped
1 lemon

Plum/Oat mix
75g oats
100g plum purée/compoté*
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

12 hole muffin tin with papercases

Preheat the oven to 160°c. Grate the zest of the lemon and then juice it. Add all the other ingredients to the bowl except the plum/oat mix. Mix together (if there are a few lumps, don’t worry. It’s better not to overmix , otherwise the muffins will come out brick like). Mix together the oats and plum purée add some sugar if the mixture is not sweet enough. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the muffin mixture into each papercase and then add a heaped teaspoon of the plum/oat topping. Slightly fold (or marble) the mixtures together using a knife. Bake for 25-35 minutes.

*My mum just chopped up some plums and boiled them with a little water until they were soft enough to purée. She added no sugar as the plums were sweet enough.