The Housewares Maven, one of my neighbors, kindly lent it to me. The cook book is divided by sections related to the various immigrant and native populations including Southern European and Irish. There's also a recipe for goetta (or scrapple) which involves braising a hunk of pork before mixing it with oats then frying. I would be put off if I hadn't been pleasantly surprised by goetta at Autre Monde recently.
The recipe is called "Vira's Muffins" and was intriguing in its simplicity. The recipe dictated that we layer the ingredients in a mixing bowl in the order listed before mixing "hard" and baking at "good heat". Phew! I did modify slightly by subbing out white for a little whole wheat flour and quick cooking oats. I also added 2 cups of chopped rhubarb which came from my friend Brooke's Forest Park garden.
Here's the muffins under a fluorescent light after a harsh night on the town. All full of gritty reality. Perfect for mornings with coffee and penitence.
They were pretty dang sweet. I'd cut back the sugar by a 1/4 next time. The fruit-muffin ratio was perfect. These were quite moist but lacked the crusty top that is most coveted among quality muffins, emblematic of what's on offer at Blue Max. If anyone knows the trick to producing muffins like that let me know!
Vira's Muffins (with Rhubarb)
1 egg
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter)
2 1/4 cup flour (I used 1 cup white flour; 1 cup flour; 1/4 cup oats)
1 cup sour milk (I used 1/2 cup each sour cream and milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 cups chopped rhubarb
Put in bowl in the order given (except rhubarb). Do not mix until the last item is added. Then beat hard until mixed. Add rhubarb and stir just to combine. Bake with good heat (I interpreted as 350 degrees). These took approximately 20 minutes in my oven in a standard 12 muffin tin.
