Tag : rhubarb
previous warm-season muffins
7/16, blackberry almond muffins || 8/16, gluten-free blueberry buttermilk muffins || 7/17, balsamic roasted strawberry muffins with balsamic glaze
The first time I ever baked with rhubarb (the first time I ever used rhubarb, period), was when I worked at the restaurant a few years ago. Even though I wasn’t necessarily a fan of the desserts on that menu, I was oddly enamored with the idea of baking with rhubarb. I think because rhubarb desserts aren’t common, the rhubarb season isn’t long, and rhubarb itself isn’t Southern (and thus it’s difficult to come by here). We want what we can’t have and rhubarb in its rarity had some kind of allure to me.
The only other memory I have of rhubarb, and in fact the only other exposure I had ever had to rhubarb, was when I was much younger: I remember my grandma making rhubarb pie when we visited her in Boston. I have a faint memory of the taste: kind of orange-y, ginger-y, tart, a little bit sweet. But it’s just a wisp. Until recently, I had forgotten that I had ever had rhubarb before the restaurant experience.
Last year and this year, wanting so desperately to master this warm weather produce, I would stock up on a pound of rhubarb each week, chop it into bite-sized pieces, and store it in the freezer until I had time to make something of it. Last spring, the rhubarb found its way into the occasional pie or crumble, but nothing notable (aside from a super delicious jam that will be coming up in a few weeks.)
This year, I finally have a rhubarb recipe: whole wheat ginger rhubarb muffins. Ginger and rhubarb are a natural pair, in my mind, but because their flavors are so aggressive, I used some whole wheat flour to round out the flavor of the muffins.
whole wheat ginger rhubarb muffins
makes 12 muffins
6.5 oz whole wheat flour
3.5 oz all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
5 oz granulated sugar
7 oz milk
3.5 oz vegetable oil
2 oz fresh ginger, grated
2 large eggs (4 oz total)
6 oz fresh rhubarb (1 cup), plus extra pieces for topping, if desired
1 oz crystallized ginger
Preheat oven to 350 F/175 C and line a muffin pan with paper muffin liners.
In a small bowl, combine flours, salt, and baking powder.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, milk, oil, ginger, and eggs until uniform.
Quickly mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then fold in the fresh rhubarb and crystallized ginger.
Using a spoon or large cookie scoop, scoop the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 – 3/4 of the way. If desired, top each muffin with one piece of rhubarb and extra pieces of crystallized ginger.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until the muffins spring back when pressed lightly in the center with your finger, or a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let muffins cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove them from the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Wrap leftover muffins individually in plastic and store in the refrigerator overnight. Microwave muffins if they start to feel firm or dry, about 10 – 15 seconds. The muffins will last up to 48 hours, but are best the day they are made (within a few hours of coming out of the oven.)
Happy Easter and Passover, y’all,
Nick P.
Categories: Breads, muffins, seasonal produce