I love food, but especially food where you have a sort of edible bowl / vessel going on – like tacos or bread bowls with soup. In this video I set myself the challenge of trying to make 3 separate courses in a muffin tin. One a sort of breakfast / brunch twist on an egg mcmuffin with sausage, egg and bacon encased in egg, the next spaghetti meatballs hidden inside their own nest of spaghetti, then last up a super fun toffee apple pie! Super tasty!
Breakfast muffins
Ok these are super fun to make. Start off by rolling your bread flat with a rolling pin. Overlap the slices of bread and roll together to join, turn over and roll again. Lift into muffin tin, easing in gently to not break the bread, then cut off any excess. Bake for 5 minutes at 375f/180c/160fan or equivalent, just to firm up the bread. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
Meanwhile shape the pork meat into small discs, just larger than the size of the bottom of the muffin pan as it will shrink during cooking. Bake until browned in the same temperature oven for approximately 20 minutes.
Once the pork is cooked place it into the centre of the cooked bread cases, trimming if needed. Carefully place in the bacon vertically, like shards sticking out of the cups, add in the egg white, enough to fill ¾ of the toast cup, then carefully drop in the yolk and season. Bake for 25 minutes in the oven or until the egg is set, if the bacon starts to catch and darken too much place some foil over the bacon pieces and return to the oven until the egg is fully set on top. Served hot or cold!
Spaghetti meatball cups
For this one we make the spaghetti cups first to provide a sort of nest for the meatballs to sit in at the end. Take the egg whites and whisk them until they are just foamy in a bowl using an electric whisk, add the spaghetti, 2tbsp of grated parmesan and 2tbsp of marinara sauce and mix well together to completely coat it! Lightly oil the muffin tin then using your hands, shape the spaghetti in the muffin tin and press down to form a nest shape, in the base add a couple of pieces of torn mozzarella and press in again. Bake for 15 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 375f/180c/160fan for around 15 minutes. Meanwhile warm the meatballs in the marinara sauce, simmering for 10 minutes to warm them through. When the nests are ready fill each one with a couple of meatballs in the sauce, then top with extra parmesan and some basil – proper delicious!
Toffee apple pies
Roll out the pastry and cut into discs large enough to fit snuggly into the tin, cut away any excess. Place the tin in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up the pastry and stop it sagging during baking. Meanwhile make the toffee apple pie filling. Add the water, butter and apples to a large pan and stir continuously over a low heat for about 20 minutes until softened & reduced down. Remove from the heat and stir in the caramel until well combined, allow to sit to room temperature – warning, this alone is delicious!
Fill the pie cases with the apple mixture, then optionally add a lid of pastry or strips to lattice the pie. Give it an egg wash with the beaten egg and a sprinkle of sugar, then bake at 375f/180c/160fan until browned on top approximately 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature before removing carefully from the tin, lovely hot or cold with ice cream!