Dahl's delightful muffins

FOOD: Muffins don't have to be full of butter and whole eggs, as sophie Dahl demonstrates with her egg white and yoghurt variation

IT HAS BEEN TOO darned cold to start on seriously slimming food, but I have made a breakthrough, at least for breakfast. Last year I waxed lyrical about Sophie Dahl’s cookbook, not so much about her recipes, which I meanly said were a little dull, but rather about her obvious skill as a writer and good-food lover. But I did go back and have another look at it when faced with the task of buying my sister-in-law a good cookbook for Crimbo. I ended up getting a copy for her, simply because if you scratch the surface of Dahl’s cookbook there are quite a few decent recipes in there, especially if you’re a solid cook, but don’t want to be bothered with anything too finicky.

Always on the search for good breakfast and brunch items, we made these muffins from her book, which naturally got tweaked a good bit to be made even more holier-than-thou and good for you. Initially I felt like a bit of a neurotic Hollywood type for endorsing them, as they are made with egg whites and yoghurt (rather than butter, sunflower oil and whole eggs).

I kept thinking about all those crazy Yankee starlets ordering egg white omelettes in swish LA restaurants, while secretly craving a doughnut and a cappuccino. Egg white omelettes have to be one of the worst inventions ever. I understand protein-searching, fat-evading body builders may hanker after such delights, but call me old-fashioned. Omelettes need to be yellow, preferably oozing with some melting cheese, with maybe a sprinkle of mushroom or ham or tomato, treading the plate with the butter it has been fried in. But certainly not white and bland.

Hence the other recipe, for a delicious omelette-type of supper dish which is a little heavier on the comfort factor. But at this time of year, not only am I searching for healthy treats, I am also searching for recipes to make from next to nothing, ingredients-wise. This winter egg dish ticks all the right boxes – all you need is a fork and a green salad to make it an ideal January supper.

Pear, apple and ginger muffins

Sunflower oil, for greasing tins

3 dessert apples (approx 400 g), peeled and diced

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

2 tsp baking powder

145g wholegrain spelt flour

150g rolled outs

4 egg whites, lightly beaten till frothy

125ml plain yoghurt

240g agave syrup or honey

110g raisins

1 pear, peeled and diced

We used wholegrain spelt flour, simply because it’s all they had in the shops when we went in search of spelt flour. You could also use plain old white spelt flour, or cream flour. You will need a non-stick 12-muffin tray.

Preheat an oven to 190 degrees/gas five. Grease the muffin tray with a little sunflower oil (or line with paper cases). We got 16 muffins out of this recipe, but if you overstuff the tin, you may get 12. The raw apples weighed 400 grams, but when they were peeled, cored and diced, we were left with about 240 grams of diced apple. Cook the apple with 150 millilitres of water on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes until you have dry apple mush.

Meanwhile, mix the spices with the baking powder, flour and oats. Make a well in the centre. In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites together with the yoghurt, agave syrup and apple mush. Pour these wet ingredients into the well of dried ingredients. Mix gently and fold in the raisins and diced pears. Fill up the muffin tray and bake for 25 minutes or so, until golden brown.

Winter egg supper (serves 4)

2 tbsp olive oil

500g potatoes

1 large onion, peeled and diced

Salt and pepper

100g chorizo, diced (optional)

150g frozen peas

12 eggs, beaten

150g Gruyère cheese, grated

100ml creme fraiche

A boring recipe title for sure, but tasty, and cheap to beat the band. You’ll need a saucepan that can go in the oven.

Heat up the olive oil, preferably in a large non-stick frying pan, or a cast-iron pan which can go in the oven. Peel and dice the potatoes; they should be the size of sugar cubes. Let them get a good head start in the frying stakes – they should just be starting to colour before you chuck in the diced onions and continue to cook for four to five minutes. Season well. Cook for another few minutes, as high as you can without burning them, but feel free to add another glug of olive oil if this is proving tricky. Chuck in the chorizo and let it start to caramelise.

Taste, and if the spuds are just beginning to lose their rawness, add the peas and mix them in. Take off the heat and add the beaten eggs. Poke around the mixture with a spatula or wooden spoon, making sure the chunky bits are evenly distributed. Scatter the grated cheese over and blob spoonfuls of the creme fraiche on top. Bake at 200 degrees/gas six, for about 15 minutes, or until it is bubbling and golden, but still with the odd puddle of wobble. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so before slicing. Serve with a salad and some warm bread.

See also itsa.ie