the Dricoll Raspberry
Yesterday, I felt obligated to print a retraction to my comment in the post entitled, “To Market, to Market, ” (http://www.kitchen-inspirational.com/2014/05/26/economies-scale-supermarkets-control-eat/ ) where I dissed Driscoll’s and the supermarket industry for not offering more than one variety of a produce item in their stores. (Yes, I do have issues with Driscoll’s.) But, that is a post for another day. Of course, one day later, I walk into my local Kings and see the following staring back at me on the shelf:
Sunshine and Yellow Raspberries from Driscoll’s (having a little trouble with that hue of yellow – looks a bit unnatural to me)
I was actually really happy to see these and be proved wrong on my statement. I actually remember seeing an article about Dorie Greenspan visiting Driscoll’s a few weeks back and sampling a new variety of raspberry or strawberry they were working on. I’d have to admit, that if Driscoll’s are good enough for Dorie, I guess I’m ok with them too…. well, maybe……… I will have to search down the post, think about this and consider amending mine where I singled out Driscoll’s.
http://vickiwinters.com/dorie-greenspan-luncheon-daily-meal/
What first intrigues you about a baked item? Is it the aroma or the visual image? Or, is it both? I can “smell” a bakery from a mile, well, not a mile, away and will follow my nose just about anywhere. Then, I see…….. And, the “to see” is critical too – one soggy-looking scone or croissant and I’m out the door – even in spite of the floating aromas…….
Well, the last few times I tried baking for Ryan, or should I say almost every time, I get that razor-sharp incisive feedback which is oh-so-instinctive in him – coming down the stairs, nostrils pulsing and inhaling deeply, head cocked to the side and most always with a doubtful sneer on his face…….. We always chuckle at this and say, “Where did he come from, anyway????” But, of course, we already know the answer……
My Dad had the most instinctive palate of anyone I know. He knew what was going on based upon his sense of smell, probably before any other of his senses kicked in. This of course, in retrospect, was a double-edged-sword phenomenon – but he could definitely be relied upon to have an intense and visceral reaction to any aromas floating around the house. My late sister, Michele also inherited this sense – always using her olfactory acuity first in approaching food. It is one of the things I most dearly remember her for.
Generally speaking, when people walk into a kitchen, home or bakery they have an “ahhhhhh” reaction to smelling something baking or cooking. I remember getting off the elevator at 50 W 23rd street every day and taking a deep inhale – those Brioche days were my favs! (Our beloved cat Finnegan used to come and sit by the oven whenever I was roasting meats. He’d just sit and wait patiently – seemingly in a happy trance, only to be disappointed when not offered a sampling of the output.) Anyway, as I said, Ryan doesn’t just react to the positive aromas – he immediately lasers in on what it is and the most subtle of iterations I’ve tried to sneak by him.
Today, I’m back to basics for him – he likes “the PLAIN” Raspberry-Orange Muffins I used to make him from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. But, I’ve actually tried a new “plain” recipe – to try to get a better – aka higher top, visual out of the effort. This seems to be a relatively elusive quality in baking spheres and the object of much discussion in baking circles – those focusing on the science of baking and those focusing on the food styling perspective. I read up on all the secrets online. They range from over-filling the cups to the thickness of your batter to higher oven temps to the freshness of your baking soda. There must be a secret combo here ……… I closed all the windows against this damp air today, turned on the oven and got to work.
While Ryan can be a difficult customer in so many ways, I am actually lucky to have someone like him in my baking lair to be counted upon for that razor-sharp sensibility. I honestly can use him to help me fine-tune recipes. But, I’ll never tell him that!
RASPBERRY-ORANGE HIGHER-TOP MUFFINS FOR RYAN – adapted from the Joy of Baking
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, room temp
1 cup buttermilk, room temp
8 tblsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
zest of one orange
1 (1/2 pint) package fresh raspberries
1 tsp vanilla extract
muscavado sugar
Preheat oven to 400F Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Spray the pan with a cooking spray – just around the edges if you can, to prevent the muffins from sticking to the pan edges. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange zest. Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly. In a large measuring cup mix the buttermilk, egg, vanilla and butter together with a fork. Gently toss the raspberries into the dry mixture to coat them with a light bit of the flour. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold in gently with a rubber spatula, just until the flour disappears. Spoon into the muffin cups, mounding the batter high up above the edge of the liner – your batter should be thick. Sprinkle with muscavado sugar on top. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating pan after 10, until browned and crusty on top. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Ok, so I’m not totally happy with the height with these, so I’ll keep working on them. However, I would like to note that I got a positive response from our resident food critic! <3
Ok, so I migrated to Raspberries for a moment for Ryan – but I’m all over these:
from Melick’s in Oldwick – first picked! (photo courtesy Melick’s Town Farm)