I know I promised Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, but I just watched Alton Brown’s method of making vanilla ice cream and it just looks more precise. I made David Lebovitz’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream per the instructions and it said nothing about heating up the mixture to 170 degrees to kill the bacteria. So… it might not be the best, so it ain’t going on here.
Instead here are Parsnip Muffins! They are the best Parsnip Muffins I have EVER had. Okay… so they are the only parsnip muffins I have ever had. But my kid ate them and therefore ate his vegetables. Parsnips are high in potassium and fiber and actually have more vitamins and minerals than the more popular carrot. It is for that fact, the fact that I like the taste of parsnips better than carrots, and the fact that you can hide white veggies in almost anything compared to oranges and greens – that I am going to try and use more parsnips. I’m sorry for the recent photos. It is winter and the sunlight even in the afternoon is really not as adequate or pretty. (There are other ways to take these photos… but they require no kids running around which won’t happen soon.)
If you are simply interested in parsnips, try simply roasting them in a little butter, salt, pepper and sage/thyme/etc. in the oven. I love ’em!
Into gardening? I’m not… but if you are be careful growing these as the leaves are toxic! No worries, they are taken care of before entering the grocery store. And try buying them in the winter – they have more sugar in them that way.
Parsnip Muffins
yield 12 (maybe 13) muffins
1 oz. sliced almonds
8.5 oz. AP flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 oz. sugar
10 oz. grated parsnips (food processor makes this much easier)
1. While your oven preheats to 375 degrees, have your almonds already in a pie plate in the oven. Let them warm up while in there for 20 minutes – or lightly toasted. Watch close as nuts can burn fast.
2. Now to the muffins: Spray the 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray or Baker’s Joy. Mix together the dry goods: flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in the food processor and pulse 5 seconds. (Alternative to sifting)
3. Then, in a large bowl whisk together the wet ingredients: eggs, yogurt, vegetable oil, and sugar. Fold in flour and parsnips until JUST combined.
4. Divide and/or scoop with a 3Tbs. scooper into the muffin tin. Sprinkle on the toasty almonds and gently pat into the batter.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes or golden brown. Immediately remove from the pan and cool on cooling rack! I used a butterknife to get around the edges.
Next time I might try adding some ground cinnamon too.
Recipe from Alton Brown.
