On Valentine's Day, say it with quinoa
My husband proposed to me while we were driving down Narragansett Boulevard in Providence one night in 1984. It went something like this.
His grandmother was planning to sell her house on the Chesapeake and we were talking about going to see her before she moved. We had lived together for some time, but we weren't married, and judging from the reception we'd received from his parents, we considered the fact that we wouldn't be welcome.
"It would probably be all right if we were engaged," Rob said.
"You think so?" I said.
"Yeah," he replied. "So maybe we should do that."
I think romance is most wonderful when it surprises you, when it pops up in the midst of an ordinary day. It can be difficult to conjure on demand, as on Valentine's Day, for instance. And it can be most illusive when it has had many, many years to find a good hiding place.
We marked the beginning of our 30th married year in October, my husband retired in November, and he celebrates his 60th birthday in April. No Valentine's Day pressure there.
Throughout our years together, my plan has always been either to ignore the day completely and let spontaneity reign, or to do, buy or make something that spurs a romantic memory. This year, I'm thinking quinoa muffins.
To help celebrate our landmark year, we spent Christmas in New York City at one of our favorite fancy hotels. On Christmas morning, we ordered room service for breakfast. It arrived with all the expected flourish — white linen, fresh flowers, the works. Among the delights was a bread basket from Norma's, the very snappy restaurant in the lobby. The basket included lemon quinoa muffins that were so delicious I decided to recreate them, as well as the romance.
My first attempt was a disaster. The original was very coarse, filled with wonderful grains and seeds and that great pop of quinoa, all infused with fresh lemon zest. Mine, on the other hand, were gray and doughy, not at all pleasant. They ended up in the trash.
My second attempt, one which clung closer to an already established recipe, was a success. The addition of quinoa creates a uniquely moist texture, making the muffin taste substantial without any of that leaf and twig dryness. The balance of lemony tang and sweetness was just right. And what says "I love you" more than a wild Maine blueberry?
Of course, I'm the one who finds the muffins romantic. I don't really know whether Rob even remembers eating them in the hotel. He'd probably much rather I make him his favorite pasta or a big ol' steak on the grill. Maybe I'll do that to. Or maybe he'll cook for me. You never know with romance.
Enjoy!
Jill Blanchette is the multiplatform production manager at The Day. Share comments and recipes with her at j.blanchette@theday.com. Follow her, @2Petunia, on Instagram and Twitter.
Lemon Blueberry Quinoa Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
¾ cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
Paper muffin cups (purchased or make your own), or cooking oil spray for the pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Juice and zest from one medium-size lemon
3/4 cup whole milk (I used almond milk)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 generous cup frozen wild Maine blueberries
¼ cup sliced almonds (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a good simmer; cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes. The grains of quinoa should be tender but separate. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, put paper liners in a 12-cup muffin pan or squirt the individual cups with cooking oil spray. The paper cups will make for a moister muffin. The oiled cups will result in a toastier one.
In a medium bowl, mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and 2 cups of cooked quinoa; reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.
In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients. When the batter just begins to come together but there's still plenty of unincorporated dry ingredients, fold in the still frozen blueberries just until combined, Divide batter evenly among muffin cups and top each with a sprinkling of sliced almonds.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Original recipe from Martha Stewart.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
