rosemary and grape olive oil muffins.

I dreamt these muffins up and after thinking about them non-stop for a 1 week span, I finally took myself to the kitchen and made them.  

They are even more perfect then I imagined.  

After last weeks foccacia re-visit, I got stuck on the rosemary, grape, olive oil combination.  It truly is a magical threesome and I've basically done nothing but try and figure out how how I can incorporate that pairing into just about everything I cook (Sausssage with grapes?  Oatmeal with olive oil and rosemary?  This is how my brain works.)  But no matter what I thought about, I kept returning to the idea of a muffin since I loved the idea of a breakfast pastry encompassing both sweet and savory flavors.  This muffin is tender and moist with the most amazing earthy flavor from the rosemary infused oil.  The grapes create pockets of tartness and the oat topping provides a lovely textural contrast.  It's the kind of thing that makes for an excellent breakfast but works just as well as an afternoon snack (and trust me I've eaten it both ways).  

Rosemary and Grape Olive Oil Muffins
Adapted from Giada DeLaurentis

For the muffins

1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

¼ cup white flour

¼ cup oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar (3/4 cup ¼ cup for topping)
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil infused with 2 tablespoons rosemary, divided

1 cup grapes

For the strussel

2 tablespoons infused olive oil.

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

¼ cup oats

Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil with the rosemary in it until warmed.  Set aside to cool. 

Blend together the flours, oats, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend.

Using an electric mixer beat the sugar, eggs, in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the milk. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Add in the grapes and mix to combine. Fill the muffin tin almost to the top of the paper liners.

Make the strussel by combining the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sugar oats, and salt in a bowl.  Stir to combine.  Top each of the muffins with some of the strussel.

Bake until golden on top and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins onto a platter and let cool for 5 more minutes. Muffins can be stored in an air-tight container for 3 days.  

grape and rosemary foccacia (revisited).

I am going to preface this post with the fact that this is the second grape and rosemary focaccia recipe on the blog.  The first was posted almost exactly a year ago (I love how consistent my cooking can be).  You may be wondering how it is possible for me to be discussing a second version of grape foccacia because grape focaccia is not chili or tomato sauce or a food that warrants dozens of different varieties.  But I am a person who loves finding the best versions of thing and while the original was superb in flavor, I always found it to be a little fussier then I would like.  It was a project and I knew there had to be a way to make one that didn’t leave me with sticky dough covered fingers.  This new version does exactly that but in a more streamlined way.  The focaccia is crispy on the outside with a soft and chewy interior.  The grapes cook down, making pockets of tart jammy grapey goodness that intermingles perfectly with the sea salt and coarse sugar.  The rosemary perfumes the whole thing with a warm and earthy scent.  I usually devour the whole thing about 5 minutes after it emerges from the oven and I imagine you will do the same. 

Rosemary and Grape Focaccia (Revisited)

Recipe adapted from Dolci: Italy’s Sweets by Francine Segan

Makes one 9x13 bread

I edited this recipe a little since I found it to be a little overly complicated for my tastes and the new version is utterly perfect.  I also added a sprinkle of salt and coarse sugar (which is reminiscent of the original recipe) to the grapes in order to take this into a more savory direction.  If you don’t devour the whole thing straight from the pan, then I highly recommend serving it with a wedge of tallegio and some thin slices of prosciutto. 

7 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely minced

2 ¼ teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast

½ cup warm water

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ pounds concord grapes, halved and seeded (other grape varieties would work as well)

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons coarse suagar

In a small saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of the oil and 2 tablespoons of the rosemary until warm.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and set it aside until it bubbles, about 2 minutes.  Sift the flour onto a work surface or into a large bowl.  Make a well in the center and fill with the yeast water, rosemary oil, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and the salt.  Gradually incorporate the flour into the liquid in the well until a dough forms.  Knead the dough until smooth, then set it aside in a lightly oiled bowl until it doubles, about 1 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with 2 tablespoons of the oil.

Place the dough in the baking pan, stretching the dough so it reaches the corners of the pan.  Top the dough with the grapes.  Sprinkle the coarse sugar, sea salt, and remaining tablespoon of the rosemary over the grapes.  Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of oil over the bread.  Bake for about 1 hour, until the top is golden brown.  Serve at room temperature. 

kale, leek, and grape flatbread.

I taught my first cooking class the last week which was kind of a big deal for me since it makes this whole cooking, blogging process feel real. I never thought starting this would amount to much more then a way for me to document my creations but slowly it's grown and it's amazing to watch.  I knew in teaching this class I wanted it to feel special and be personal (because the best classes always are) which meant I wanted to provide them with a parting gift as well as a snack to eat while cooking. It needed to be seasonal and elegant and also show a range of skills and flavors (and handheld to!).  This seemed like a tall order but when I thought about it, I thought about what I love to eat and what I love to make and a flatbread seemed like a great idea.  I decided to start with a base of kale and leeks since the sweet, creamy leeks pair well with the heartier kale.  Since I love the combination of savory and sweet I knew II wanted to incorporate a fruity element.  Apples didn’t seem right but concord grapes seemed perfect.  An explosion of tangy fruit in each bite would offset perfectly with the kale and leeks.  To round out the dish a sprinkle of goat cheese to add an extra bit of creaminess and to bring all the elements together. I found the final result to be visually stunning with the green leeks and purple grapes beautifully contrasting the white goat cheese.  The best part was the taste – sweet and savory in every bite which is just how I like it.  

Kale, Leek, and Grape Flatbread

About 5 cups of kale, sliced into ½ inch ribbons

1 leek, white and light green part only, halved and then cut into half moons

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ cups halved and pitted concord grapes (or regular grapes can be used)

3 ounces goat cheese

1 tablespoon Mike’s Hot Honey (or regular honey with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes)

1 batch of pizza dough (recipe here) or store bought dough

In a large sauté pan with lid, heat the butter and 1 tablespoon oil on medium, until the oil is hot and the butter is melted.   Add the leeks to the pan, and turn the heat to low.   Break up the leeks with a wooden spoon, and continue to cook on low until the leeks are soft, about 10 minutes.  Once the leeks have softened, add the kale to the pan and the additional tablespoon of oil, and stir to coat the kale with the leeks and oil.  Cover the pan and allow the kale and leeks to cook for about 10 – 15 minutes, until the kale is soft.  When the kale is soft, add the salt and pepper.  Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. 

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. 

Roll out your dough into a rectangle about 9x13 (it doesn’t need to be perfect!).  Place the dough on your baking sheet.  Sprinkle the dough with the kale and leek mixture.  Scatter the grapes atop the kale and leek mixture and the sprinkle with the goat cheese.  Bake about 10 – 12 minutes until the crust is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. 

grape foccacia with rosemary.

I am a girl who has no formal culinary training; I learned to cook while watching my mom, (who also has no culinary training but is the single best cook I know) by relying on my palate, and by wanting to always challenge myself and learn new things.  I have had many kitchen mishaps (causing the smoke alarm to go off is an almost daily occurrence) but when I fail I try it again until I get it right which leads me to discussing this bread.  I have made many breads in my day but this is in a league of its own.  It is a sticky and difficult dough to work with (if your hands aren’t well oiled or floured lets just say you end up looking like a dough monster), it involves multiple rises and lots of olive oil and pitting a lot on concord grapes (which are terribly annoying to pit) but the end result is nothing short of amazing.  The sweet tangy grapes pair perfectly with the flecks of sea salt and coarse sugar and the earthiness of the rosemary balances out the whole thing.  I devoured half the bread in about 10 minutes but managed to save some for the next morning where I promptly consumed it as side to scrambled eggs with goat cheese.

Grape Foccacia with Rosemary

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

You can use regular grapes for this but the concord ones have the most amazing taste and despite all the work involved really elevate this dish.  I plan on using my remaining grapes to make a goat cheese and grape flat bread. The concord grapes can be found at the farmers market!  This is also suppose to make 2 foccacia’s but I always have the worst time trying to divide it so I make one large one which works just as well!

¾ cup warm water (105 – 110 degrees)

2 tablespoons milk, slightly warmed

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

2 cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cups Concord, red or black grapes, seeded

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary needles

2 tablespoons raw or coarse sugar

2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

In a bowl of an electric mixed fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the water, milk, sugar, and yeast. Let the mixture sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.  Add the flour, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the yeast mixture and mix well on low.  Attach the dough hook, raise the speed to medium-low and knead the dough for 8 minutes longer. 

Brush a large bowl with a generous amount of olive oil.  Scrape the dough into the bowl and brush the top with additional oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a cool place until it doubles in size, 1 ½ to 2 hours. 

Brush a large baking sheet with olive oil.  Press the dough down with a floured hand (very floured!)  and pour the dough out of the bowl and onto the baking sheet (I find using an oiled spatula helps get it out of the bowl).  Brush the top of the dough with a little more oil.  Set aside for 20 minutes, lightly covered with oiled plastic wrap.  After 20 minutes, dip your fingers in olive oil and press and stretch the dough into an oblong shape (about 16 inches long).  It will be dimpled from your fingers.  Cover again with the plastic and let it rise for another 1 ¼ hours in a cool place.

Preheat the over to 450 degrees.  Brush the tops of the dough with a little more olive oil and top with the grapes, rosemary, coarse sugar, and coarse sea salt evenly over the dough.  Bake for 15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and puffed around the edges.  Let cool before serving.