Similar
to the last time, the muffin recipe comes from my Aunt Rae.
These
Sultana and Rosemary muffins were always my favorite, although I never said no
to her rhubarb muffins, either. Okay, I never said no to any of her muffins.
I
remember the day when we were on the phone planning my visit from Albany, New
York, to her home in Saxton's River, Vermont - a short two hour drive.
Knowing
that I love to cook, she was always on the lookout for unique and unusual
things to make for me. I can hear her voice now: "Say, David, I found a
recipe for muffins with rosemary but I can't find fresh rosemary in the store.
Can you bring some with you?"
I half
think she was making them for shock value. Herbs in a sweet dish? Who'd have
heard of such a thing? Especially in her generation, before celebrity chefs
began vying for the oddest possible combinations.
She ended
up loving them, as did I - and Mark was an instant devotee. There always seemed to be a batch of
them in her freezer, even up until the day she died.
I made
them - and her
Blueberry Muffins - for a staff meeting. There were many
requests for the recipe, so here it is.
~ David
Sultana
and Rosemary Muffins
3/4 cup
milk
1/2 cup
sultana (golden) raisins
1
tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup
butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2
cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup
sugar
2
teaspoons baking powder
1/4
teaspoon salt
1 large
egg
1
tablespoon coarse turbinado sugar
Preheat
oven to 350°F.
Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Combine
milk, sultana raisins and rosemary in a two-cup glass measure and microwave at
high power (100%) for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; keep an eye on it, as it can boil
over easily. Let raisins as milk stand an additional two minutes. (This can also be done in a small saucepan. Bring milk and raisins to a simmer, then remove from the heat and let stand 2 minutes.) Add butter,
stirring until melted. Cool to room temperature.
Whisk
together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; make a
well in the center. Combine milk mixture and egg, then add to flour stirring
just until moist. Spoon batter into muffin cups and sprinkle coarse sugar
evenly over muffins.
Bake for
20 minutes or until muffins spring back when lightly touched in the center.
Remove from the pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.
Makes 12
muffins.
