Lemony Green Tea Muffins
The tearoom has been there since 1928, the year lovely Square Viviani was developed. The Tea Caddy was opened by an English woman who, according to the tearoom Web site, “turned it into a little corner of England.”
Surely by now it is part and parcel of Paris.
The day we visited the area in 2005, I was so intent on taking a photo of my husband in the park, that I overlooked The Tea Caddy. It wasn’t until I read a novel with a pivotal scene in the tearoom that a respondent chord rang out in my brain. The novel was forgettable, but the tearoom was not. It was still there, buried in my subconscious. I am sure we will visit the area again in May.
I thought of that tearoom as I baked Lemony Green-Tea Muffins this gray Sunday afternoon.
- 1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar or fructose
- 1 tablespoon matcha or loose green tea, ground with mortar and pestle
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup lemon yogurt
- 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350. Place 12 muffin cups in muffin tin.
Blend flour, sugar, tea, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Whisk together yogurt, egg white, oil, lemon zest and lemon juice in another bowl. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. When batter is blended, spoon into muffin cups. Bake 15-25 minutes, checking frequently. When muffins become firm and begin to brown, brush with butter. Allow to bake one more minute then remove from oven.
These muffins smelled heavenly when I took them from the oven. It’s a light aroma, sweet and herby.
The taste is layered, something I have not experienced in a muffin. First you taste the lemon, but there is a distinct aftertaste of tea. At first I thought I’d use lemon curd on these, but after sampling them, I chose unsalted butter so the taste would come through. This is a very complex little muffin.
Note: To ramp up the lemon taste, I used Celestial Seasoning’s Lemon Zinger Green Tea. But you could use any kind of green tea.
To read a delightful post on Paris tearooms, visit Carol at Paris Breakfasts.
Comments
Looking forward to the complexity of flavors you talk aboout. And with the weather we are expecting over the next couple of days, muffins and tea will hit the spot!!!
For some reason, maybe because we were there so long, I kept seeing tea stores all over Paris this last time.
I liked that this was a muffin that offered some surprises, like a wine.
Lu, I have four Patricia Wells' cookbooks, and I do not think that one is among them. You should see my Amazon wish list. . .
My husband once said that if I totaled all my French books and cookbooks, we could finance another trip to France.
F2B, thanks! I like the way the list looks. So tidy. The muffins were really good — we'll see how the do today. Some times with these things, they are only good straight from the oven.
Lydia, I'm trying to do the same. There will be more to come. I've actually grown to like the taste of green tea.
BTW, the muffins stood up well overnight.
Have a question though...what is lemon zest? Where would I find it in the grocery store? (Told ya I don't do that much cooking..lol) I did copy this down and plan to try it.
HOW on earth could I have missed that tea room after a million visits to Paris? Thanks so much, Mimi, for the link. You can bet I'll visit it in March. Did you have to make a reservation though? I see they say to "book."
Lemon zest is the yellow part of lemon skin. It is deeply flavored. The white underneath is bitter. Just grate the lemon lightly. You can also buy it in the spice department but it won't be as sharp.