I was excited to try this week’s ShortandTweet challenge because one of the recipes was for these cider vinegar muffins. That meant I could use eggs from our hens and the apple cider vinegar I made earlier in the year. It was also a good opportunity to add some foraged greens to the plate for the 52 Week Salad Challenge.
The muffin recipe is simple. Mix the dough the night before, refrigerate it, then bring it up to temperature and finish in the morning. Short on time and hungry, I shortened the method slightly: I took the dough from the fridge, folded it, then scaled and shaped it into nine muffins. I let them prove in a very low oven for a couple of hours.
Cooking the muffins in a frying pan was new to me. It took a little practice, so the first batch looked a bit irregular, but the second and third batches turned out much better once I got the technique.
The muffins have a striking color. In Dan’s book they appear pearly white, but mine developed a beautiful saffron hue — I think the deep yellow yolks from our free-range hens made the difference. The rich yolks gave the crumb a warm tone and extra flavor.
Texture-wise the muffins are excellent: a crisp exterior with a soft, tender interior that soaks up a runny egg perfectly. They made a satisfying lunch, and I’m already looking forward to toasting some for breakfast with cranberry and orange jam I prepared recently.
The chickweed salad was made from foraged chickweed we picked two days earlier. After a good wash it keeps well in the fridge and makes a fresh, flavorful garnish. It’s one of my favorite wild greens and adds a bright, slightly grassy note that complements the muffins and eggs. For a look at other garden picks from January, see my earlier notes on seasonal salad foraging.
Overall, it was a very satisfying meal — simple, flavorful, and a great way to use home-produced ingredients.