Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Basil Muffins, With Incredibly Vile Green Soup

This weekend, Bob went to the Farmer's Market and came back with a variety of wonderful foods, including spinach and asparagus.  Looking at the produce, I decided to make a simple dinner of muffins and soup. To be honest, there was a muffin recipe using blue cheese, bacon, and fresh basil that I wanted to try. I thought a simple soup primarily made from the spinach and asparagus would be perfect, with the green color to remind me that spring is right around the corner. 

And so, I prepared the muffins, which baked as I cooked the soup.   The batter was very stiff, so much so that I had a hard time spooning them into the muffin pan. I wound up using my hands to pull off chunks of the dough and put them in the muffin cups.  The resulting muffins were good, with a texture similar to biscuits. But the soup?  It was vile.  I was unable to eat it.  This was a case where less was definitely less.  It tasted like liquified grass clippings, with a slimy feel in the tongue.  I warned Bob that it was odious and watched in amazement as he ate a large bowl of it, pronounced it "very good," then refilled his bowl for a second serving.  I don't think he was being perverse. He had just returned from an afternoon rowing on the Sacramento river, and I think he was so hungry he would have eaten a large bowl of library paste and enjoyed it.

Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Basil Muffins

(Wisconsin Dairy Council)

1/3 cup bacon fat (can substitute oil)
1 egg
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
10 basil leaves, chiffonade (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup bacon, chopped and cooked until slightly crispy. Don't let it get too hard
3/4 cup amish blue cheese, crumbled

Combine the bacon fat, egg, water, milk, sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with the whip attachment. Mix until everything is incorporated. Sift together the flour and baking powder and add into the bowl. Whip until there are no lumps. (do not overmix!) Incorporate the basil, chopped bacon and amish blue cheese. Scoop the muffin mix into well greased muffin tins and bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Note: These muffins taste best warm, which makes the blue cheese more pronounced.  Like biscuits, you can re-heat them VERY CAUTIOUSLY in a microwave for only around 15 seconds.  But, no longer, or they will get rubbery.  These are not moist and delicate like regular muffins. I saw another recipe similar to this one, but it contained 1 cup of blue cheese and 1 cup of shredded Jack cheese. That muffin would probably be moister.  If you leave the bacon out, it might be a good idea to add more cheese, to provide more moisture.

Vile Asparagus, Spinach And Potato Soup (Suitable for livestock)

(Love to Know)

12 asparagus stalks, washed, cut in pieces
1 pound spinach, washed, chopped
4 potatoes, peeled, quartered
6 cups water
1 cup milk, scalded
Seasonings to taste

Put the first four ingredients in a large pot and simmer until done for about 20 minutes.  Puree in a blender or food processor.  Add the milk or not.  It won't improve the taste.  Serve to willing victims.  Could be useful for food challenges.  Ponder whether to try and improve it by adding cream and butter. Decide not to waste perfectly good cream or butter on this vile stuff.  Get rid of the remains by pouring down the drain. If you raise pigs, they might like it.

Comments

[sam]

I remember I made a vile beetroot soup last year. it was so digusting I threw it down the sink like you. It's not that i don't like beets, its just i didn't like my beet soup which made me want to gag. Next time I make beet soup I am using an official recipe preferably one with lots of cream and potato in it. Or maybe i just wont bother

[Callipygia]

Sher, I cannot help laughing at this. First of course the muffins...hello bacon fat, sounds delish. But the soup, I make stuff like this all the time. Meaning cook up the veggies in broth and whiz it up in a processor with some milk/cream/ or soy. D'ya think that stock in lieu of water could have saved it from the pipes? Not to deprive the livestock however.

[Lydia]

Sher, the muffins more than make up for that soup! I wonder about the 6 cups of water. I think a cup or two of a rich stock, plus milk or -- dare I say it? -- cream, and tons of salt and pepper, might have helped. But sometimes you just have to dump it down the disposal and move on -- to really yummy muffins.

[bea at La tartine gourmande]

This is very much my idea of a delicious lunch! Excellent choices.

[kristi]

Well, at least the soup didn't go to waste, right? And even if it didn't taste very good, it is a lovely shade of green. Very similar to the color of my living room, actually. :)

[Anh]

Oh my, this is so delicious! So perfect - the muffin and pretty green soup.

[Anh]

Sher, will the soup flavour improve if using stock instead of water?

[aria]

hahaha, you fuuunny. hungry husbands will eat anything, its true.

your muffins look yummy, i tried making an herby muffin once and it was terribly dry. not edible. herby muffins can be so shady but these sound tasty.

your strawberry bowl is SO pretty though, i love it! :)

[Kalyn]

You're hilarious. You could have posted it for St. Patrick's Day!

[gattina]

*LOL*... asparagus really look great at stores recently, I'm just waiting for a good recipe. Sher, don't give up :)
I like creamy potato soup, creamy spinach soup and creamy asparagus soup (respectively), probably they don't feel like mingling sometimes?

[ann]

HI-larious! Men amaze me. I think they only eat well because women are around. Given their druthers they'd all just walk around eating donuts and cinnamon rolls all day.
This reminds me of a pesto that, I think, Luisa the Wednesday Chef made once, from spinach. She said the same thing, tasted like cow food!

[Patricia Scarpin]

I should try savory muffins soon!
I've never made them and yours look delicious!

[sandeepa]

Sorry couldn't drop by the last few days, but loved that Rice Salad with Shrimp. Haven't ever tried Taragon though

Thanks for the muffins, going to make them soon, but pardon me what is basil chiffonade, is it like chopping them real fine ?

[Linda, The Village Vegetable]

sorry the soup wasn't so tasty. those muffins however look amazing. i'll have to try them sans bacon! can't wait!

[Rosa]

Your muffins look fabulous and tasty! I'm very sorry to hear that you found the soup vile :-(. Such kinds of soups can tend to have a very "green" taste that some people might dislike... Maybe I would have liked it, who knows?

[Shannon]

Sher, I make a spinach soup that I got from a recipe on Farmgirl Fare's website that is quite tasty. It calls for sauteed onions, stock, and rice to thicken it. Also, I tend to put in either some curry powder or nutmeg to give it a bit less "grass" taste. I think you might need something with a bit of a kick (onions, spices) to get it to work better.

[sher]

Sam,

I know what you mean. I usually enjoy these kinds of pureed soup, but this one was just too stark , I think. It did need something else in it. I had a very negative reaction to this soup.

Callipygia,

I think stock would have made this much better, as well as some onions in some form---leeks, shallots and so forth. I love making simple soups where I puree them and add some cream or milk. But, this one didn't work.

Lydia,

Yes, this needed the mellowing taste of stock, cream and so forth. For some reason, the spinach and asparagus were too assertive and all I could taste was a sort of metallic, slimy sensation. Ugh!

Bea,

The muffins were good, but the soup was a good idea--but the execution, as sometimes happens, was a failure!

Kristi,

At least Bob ate a great deal of it. And it did have a pretty color. Shudder.

Aria,

Actually, this muffin does taste a little dry if it's at room temperature. It's not a typical muffin. But, if it's hot, with a smear of butter, it tastes good. I actually preferred it heated briefly in the microwave because that seemed to activate the blue cheese and made the muffin rather moist.

Anh,

Thank you. The muffin was tasty--thank goodness. At least the whole thing wasn't a failure.

Kalyn,

LOL!! Yes! You're right. It would have been good for St. Patrick's Day. But, not for actually eating it!

Gattina,

Yes, I too love all those soups. I have had lovely asparagus and spinach soups before. But, obviously--they need to handled with a bit more finesse.

Ann,

Yes, I was quite amazed to see Bob practically guzzle two large bowl of this swill. Then he said it was "good." Well, now I'm going to have doubts about his credibility.

Sandeepa,

Yes, the basil is chopped very fine. Make sure you serve the muffins hot, or they taste a little dry.

Hope you try fresh tarragon sometime. It has a lovely flavor that's rather unique. :)

Linda,

I was thinking about the muffins baked without the bacon , as I made them. This muffin was not the typical moist muffin texture. I think you might want to add some extra moisture to it, to compensate for the texture. Or you could increase the amount of cheese. Even though it was 3/4 cup--the flavor of the cheese was not overwhelming.

Rosa,

You described it perfectly--it was too "green" tasting. If it had been mellowed a bit with stock and other things, I bet it would have been quite nice.

[Brilynn]

Those muffins definitely make up for the soup! I've got to start trying my hand at more savory muffins...

[e]

Who needs soup when you have muffins with BACON. Ingenious, Sher!

[Susan from Food "Blogga"]

LOL! Liquified grass clippings, hey? And Bob still liked it? Goes to show you, taste is so personal. I just made my first savory cake a few days ago and it looks like I'll be trying your muffins soon! They look so moist and sound delicious!

[sher]

Shannon,

Yes,I think that soup you made sounds wonderful!!! This recipe was too stripped down, I think. Some types of veggies that have natural sweetness, like carrots, can be made simply. But, I think spinach and asparagus need some help!

E,

Thanks! Bacon solves everything! :):)

Susan,

Actually, these muffins aren't that moist. They are more like biscuits. I was surprised at the texture. I wondered how they would taste if they were cake-like, but they weren't that way.

[BostonChef]

Oh Sher~

The soup is definitely something pretty to look at at the very least! Those muffins however look great...The only time we've ever made savory muffins, was blue corn muffins with diced jalapenos (not too many though!)

[Tanna]

Being the savory girl that I am, these biscuits look divine! There will be another soup.

[Christine]

You're too funny Sher! I love it that you can cook something you just hate but still blog about it. Very funny!

[s'kat]

That is hilarious! My husband would not have suffered any green thing 'cross the table, so bravo! Even if it didn't turn out quite palatable to all involved...

[whaleshaman]

the soup disaster is -- very funny. i laughed right out loud, and i can't stop grinning.

wow. husbands named bob: ya gotta love 'em.

oh, mercy, i'm laughing again, the soup even looks hideous. where's the compost heap?

watch out worms!

[burcu]

Sher, this is the greenist soup I've ever seen. Too bad it didn't turn out ok, at least for you.

[Willa]

The muffins sound wonderful- I will be making them pretty quick. I have to laugh about your husband and the soup- because my husband works nights we eat at different time- I make something on Monday night, send it in his lunch on Tuesday, he calls me after he eats and tells me how good something was. When I sit down to eat it,expecting something delightfulbased on his review, I find it to be just tolerable, or even wretched. Oh, well, at least they aren't picky!

Willa

[Fer Guimaraes Rosa]

the color of this soup is amazing! i loved it! :-)

[Lisa]

"Vile." I love that word. Sorry about the soup; must admit, the color, while vibrant, is . . . shall we say, off-putting?!