“The death of someone with whom a person has been long and closely associated leaves a literal vacuum in that person’s life. The streams of psychic energy directed toward that lost someone now have no object. . . Since the consciousness of the deceased is so vulnerable to impressions, the emotions of those left behind can have a powerful effect on it. Intense sorrow creates a vibration which actually causes pain to the departed, holding them back from progression.”
Richard Mattheson, What Dreams May Come
These heart-shaped muffins stained with the blood of beets are the stuff of lovers separated by death.
There’s a haunting ache in finding one’s true love: the knowledge that one day, one of you will die, and the other will be left alone. Fields of the Nephilim take this subject on in their concept album, Elizium. It’s loosely inspired by Richard Matheson’s What Dreams May Come, which tells the story of a man who dies in a car crash and journeys through the afterlife to rescue the lost soul of his wife, who takes her own life shortly after his passing. In this world, to die is to dream, and hers is a dream of hell. He must risk journeying through her nightmare without being engulfed in the dark projections of her mind.
Elizium is my favorite Fields of the Nephilim album. It is an all-encompassing universe of sound, and evokes an underworld that is dark, nautical, and cavernous, as though floating on Kharon’s raft though an undersea, labyrinthine version of the Mines of Moria. The album was birthed in water and touched by the hand of Pink Floyd, being recorded on David Gilmore’s houseboat studio and produced by Andy Jackson. Pink Floyd were students of architecture, known for sculpting immersive, multidimensional landscapes of sound, and that influence is evident here, as well as their tendency toward lengthy, instrumental progressions.
In the case of Elizium, those progressions are darkly atmospheric and hypnotically psychedelic. Guitars fall like melancholy caresses that cascade in waves conjuring the watery feel of one’s subconscious meandering through a dark and uncertain afterlife. Dramatic drum and vocal attacks evoke thunderous sky battles of the gods. Carl McCoy’s singing is at its peak; some ethereal, warbley, chanted blend of Jim Morrison, Ian Curtis, and the gargling with gravel for which he is known. Legend says McCoy got his textured voice as a result of burning his throat when he was young, as though he were The Hound from Game of Thrones, and his throat his burned face.
The final track on the album is “And There Will Your Heart Be Also,” and it is for that song that this recipe is named. I interpret it as a brief but beautiful reunion of the lovers that cannot last, a serene and melancholy lullaby that climaxes with a sequence of sublimely mournful guitar howls that reflect the depth of their longing and the agony of their separation. It’s one of my favorite moments on the album.
RECIPE: GLUTEN-FREE AND-THERE-WILL-YOUR-HEART-BEET-ALSO MUFFINS
These heart-shaped muffins are my offerings to The Ancient Gods, and my love letter to Elizium. Savory more than sweet, they’re craggy and crunchy on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside, and offer surprising earthy notes courtesy of the beets. A kiss of caraway imparts a natural sweetness and a suggestion of the flavors associated with rye, while a splash of apple cider vinegar evokes the tang of sourdough. Made primarily of quinoa, shredded beets, coconut oil, and chia seeds, these vibrant muffins are gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan, and delicious.
RECIPE NOTES
TO HEART, OR TO MUFFIN
The cook time, as well as the ratio of batter to muffin cup for the heart-shaped version of this recipe is based on SCI Scandicrafts Cast Iron Heart Shaped Cake Pan – 9 x 7.5 Inch which I bought off Amazon (not sponsored). If you want to make these with a different kind of heart-shaped muffin pan, you may have to experiment a bit as the size of the heart molds will likely be different. The Scandicrafts hearts hold 2 tbsp of batter.
In truth, I only baked these in heart-shaped molds for the aesthetic, and I actually think they taste best when baked in a traditional muffin pan. I include instructions for both, though the outcomes are different. The heart-shaped muffins have less textural contrast and are more moist, reminiscent of a firm, baked pudding. The traditionally shaped muffins have a jagged and crunchy exterior that gives way to a moist and chewy interior that is reminiscent of mochi. Both are good, but in quite different ways.
ABOUT THAT COLOR
Full disclosure: when you bake these muffins, the color will not be quite as vibrant as you see in these photos. I photo-edited them to be more intensely pigmented for the sake of drama, art, and fun. However, the raw batter truly is hot pink.
CHEERS TO THE HEMSLEY SISTERS
This recipe is based off Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley’s Quinoa and Zucchini Toast from their “Good + Simple” cookbook. Incidentally, I tried this loaf for the first time at the Hemsely+Hemsley cafe in London back in 2017 when I traveled there for the Fields of the Nephilim winter solstice concert. It was still warm from the oven when it was served to me, and full of enchanting, whole grains of quinoa, like so many tiny round beads. I am very grateful for that experience.
INGREDIENTS
Makes 22 heart-shaped muffins or 12 traditional muffins
1 2/3 cups (395 mL) quinoa
2 cups (474 mL( tightly packed fresh grated beetroot
5 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine pink Himalayan salt
4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
Soak quinoa in double the volume of water, covered, for at least 8 hours.
Shred fresh beetroot in a food processor using the grater attachment. Place in a container, and toss with the chia seeds. Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or as long as overnight.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350F (176C) and melt the coconut oil on very low heat.
Rinse and drain the soaked quinoa. Place the sabatier blade (the S-shaped blade) into your food processor, and alternately layer in scoops of the quinoa, beetroot and chia seed mixture, caraway seeds, baking soda, salt, coconut oil, and apple cider vinegar. Placing bits of the ingredients into each layer enables better distribution.
Run your food processor for 2-3 minutes. Err on the side of under mixing rather than over mixing. You still want to see whole grains of quinoa and chia seeds after processing. It’s part of the textural charm of these muffins.
If using the Scandicrafts cast iron heart shaped muffin pan, scoop 2 tbsp of batter into each heart. If using a traditional muffin pan, scoop ⅓ cup or 80ml into each muffin cup. Bake the hearts for 17 minutes, or bake the traditional muffins for 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a baking rack for 20-30 minutes before removing from the muffin pan.
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