Solar Baked Muffins and Tea

The oat flour gives these tea infused muffins a slightly chewy texture. If you’re like me and don’t really use a lot of oat flour, look for a well stocked grocery store that sells it (and other ingredients you only use occasionally) in bulk. That way you’re less likely to find a partially used and expired bag of the stuff in the back of a cupboard one day.

Sun Oven Tea Infused Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk

6 Earl Grey tea bags

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup oat flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, at room temperature

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

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Racks and Mats

The new dehydrating racks were the perfect excuse I’d been looking for to invest in some silicone baking mats – just in time for the holiday baking season.

The first thing I wanted to experiment with was a batch of crunchy crackers. I was so excited to try them out that I completely forgot about the weather. By the time they were ready for baking, the skies, as predicted, were overcast.

This batch was baked on the dehydrating racks and the silpat mats in my conventional gas oven. I don’t know why, but I was surprised to find that they didn’t taste quite as good as solar baked crackers. I’ll wait for a more favorable forecast for my next batch.

And in case you’re wondering, the mats measure 11.75 in. x 8.25 in.

 

Cookware for Sun Oven Cooking

People who cook often like to collect cookware and if you’ve been following this blog you’ve probably noticed that I’m no exception.

The bulk of my cookware collection predates my foray into solar cooking and being able to use most of it in the Sun Oven was a key factor in my original decision to purchase one.

Many of the pots and pans I’ve picked up over the years probably would have been culled from my cupboard by now had it not been for solar cooking.  I’m always coming up with creative ways of using them in the Sun Oven. Silicone bakeware is a perfect example. I’d picked some up at a thrift store years ago and was never impressed with it. It’s still not the first baking pan I’ll reach for, but it comes in handy when I want to cook two things at the same time – such as the soup and frittata in the photo. Stacking pots can be a bit of a balancing act and I’ve found that silicone is less likely to slip. It’s also very easy to clean and really is as non-stick as it claims to be. I still probably wouldn’t pay full retail for it but it has earned a permanent spot in my collection.

What a Difference a Rim Makes

Finding the right sized cookware for your Global Sun Oven can be frustrating – or part of the fun. I get most of mine at thrift shops or yard sales. Camping supply stores are another good source if you don’t have time to scour the second hand shops. I’ve gotten to the point where I can tell at a glance if a pot or pan is the right size for the cooking chamber but I used to carry a tape measure with me at all times.

If you use your GSO a lot you’ve probably noticed by now that the standard 13x9x2-inch baking pan doesn’t quite fit in the cooking chamber (that’s not entirely true and I’ll come back to that point later). For a better fit look for one that’s 9x8x2 with no extra rim. Or even better two that can be cross-stacked. The two 9x8x2-inch grey pans in the picture above are the newest addition to my cookware collection (the aluminum pan is 13x9x2). The gray one with no handles is destined to become a favorite. As you can see by the way it fits perfectly on the leveling tray it’s almost as if it was designed for the Sun Oven.

But the one with the handles – not so much.

The extra 3/4-inch on each side is just enough to keep it from fitting.

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Macaroon Madness

My cousin Liz makes the best coconut macaroons; so good that she sells them made to order. Today we were finally able to bake a batch in my Sun Ovens.

It was pretty much a day of experimentation, mostly trying to find the best way to fit the most macaroons in the Sun Oven at the same time. Her recipe (which unfortunately I forgot to get from her) makes about two dozen rather large macaroons.

I went over to her house equipped with mini-muffin pans and a square tart pan. My plan was to use the muffin pans which would have each held 12 cookies, that was until I saw the size of the cookies. The mini-muffin pans were definitely too small, and, as my cousin explained, the macaroons are very sticky; any bakeware would need to be lined with parchment paper.

We managed to fit four on the square tart pan and popped them in the Sun Oven while we rummaged around her kitchen for another suitable baking sheet. The first batch of four was baked to perfection in 18 minutes, the same as in a conventional oven. That was good, but we wanted to fit more in at a time. We opted for standard sized muffin pans with paper liners. Unfortunately the macaroons stuck to the liners. They were still good enough to eat and we all had fun eating the stuck on bits, but not good enough for professional baking.

I see another day of experimentation in our future.

Individual Solar Oatmeal Berry Crisps

These crisps are not very sweet on they’re own so be sure to serve them with vanilla ice-cream. If you don’t have a set of black metal mugs you can use custard cups or ramekins, but the cooking time will probably be a little longer. I love my metal mugs, they come in handy for all sorts of things. I got mine at a thrift store but, they can be found at camping supply stores. Six of the metal mugs just fit on the leveling tray or you can use a metal cooling rack and do two layers of three to allow for better air flow.

Solar Berry Oatmeal Crisps

Ingredients

2 12-ounce packages frozen mixed berries

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Set Global Sun Oven out to preheat.

Toss frozen berries and cornstarch in a large bowl. Let stand until the cornstarch dissolves, tossing occasionally, about 20 minutes. Divide berry mixture among six metal mugs. Toss brown sugar, flour, oats, nuts, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add chilled butter; using fingertips, blend butter into mixture until coarse crumbs form. Divide oat mixture among mugs, sprinkling evenly over berry mixture. Bake crisps in GSO until topping is golden brown and fruit filling is bubbling around the edges. Cool crisps at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature topped with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Spontaneous Solar Cooking

Solar cooking is easy, but getting into the habit of using your Sun Oven can be hard at first. The biggest challenge for me was planning. You don’t have to plan a week’s worth of meals, but you will have to start thinking about what you’re going to make for dinner early in the day or even the night before. It’s so much easier when you have all the ingredients you’ll need on hand when you get up in the morning. Having said that, there’s still plenty of room for spontaneous, spur of the moment, solar cooking. Today, after getting my pre-planned main course going bright and early, I found some baby veggies on sale at the grocery store. I snatched them up, tossed them in with some olive oil, and added them to the Sun Oven to cook along with it. Now all we needed was a nice loaf of bread and we had a meal.

Mmmm… Solar Meatloaf Muffins

Making meatloaf muffins has many advantages. They cook faster, make portion control easier, freeze well, and are fun to eat. Use your favorite meatloaf recipe or use mine which can be found by clicking here. Serve them with mashed potatoes or make some solar tomato sauce for spaghetti and meatballs. Don’t worry if you don’t have a fancy cast iron pan like the one in the picture, any muffin pan, or even silicone cupcake molds, will work just fine; if not better. Whatever type of cookware you use, it will need to be covered with tin foil and a tea towel, or placed in an oven bag.

Slow Solar Baked Asparagus

Asparagus solar baked in parchment paper comes out evenly cooked without being mushy or floppy. Ideally it should be baked at a low temperature, around 200ºF, for about 90 minutes. Keeping the Sun Oven at such a low temperature requires a bit of attention, it needs to be focused slightly away from the sun and adjusted every 30 minutes or so. If you get distracted the temperature could drop or increase too much. But with a little patience you’ll be rewarded with deliciously crisp spears infused with whatever seasoning you choose. For a quick lunch spread some asparagus on a sheet of parchment paper, drizzle them with olive oil, season with tarragon, toss in some sliced prosciutto and mushrooms. Using a stapler (or kitchen string if you prefer) make a pouch. Bake at 200ºF for 90 minutes. Serve over whole-wheat couscous. Experiment with different seasonings and don’t worry if the GSO gets too hot, it will cook a little faster but will still be delicious.

Global Sun Oven Vs. the Microwave

In many of my previous posts I’ve mentioned freezing any leftovers you might have from your solar cooked soups and stews. When ever possible I freeze mine in containers can go straight to the GSO, not plastic. Aluminum or silicone cookware works great, just keep in mind that solar reheating is not comparable to microwaving you food, it will take much longer. If you’re planning on a reheating something for your lunch, be sure to get it in the Sun Oven before experiencing hunger pains, otherwise you’ll have to scrape together something else for your midday meal and your Sun Oven lunch will turn into Solar cooked dinner – or afternoon snack. With a little bit of trial and error, you’ll be able to get the timing right and enjoy a effortless hot lunch any sunny day of the week.