An Observation and a Recipe

[browngirl]

aka 'two thoughts I want to write down'
At dawn, in a clear sky, if I remember, I look for the Moon. Its position is always wonderfully illustrative of the fact that we live on a ball hanging in space. This morning I looked up to find a half Moon directly overhead, its lighted side facing and thus pointing to the Sun just below the horizon. Not at all unexpected, but just *nifty*, the way I could see a bit of the Solar System we live in, not the usual vantage-point illusion of flat land and bright circles in the sky.


I made these in my new Sweetheart Rose Muffin Pan, and people liked them. If I say so myself, I really like the flavor balance; the spicy and lemony notes successfully kept the rosewater flavoring from making the results taste like hand soap.

Rose Muffins

2 tbsp rose syrup or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp rosewater*
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon (Ceylon/softstick/'true' cinnamon, if you can get it)
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
2/3 cup honey
1 stick softened but not melted butter
2/3 cup buttermilk (or 1 tbsp lemon juice and 11 milk)
1 egg
1 pear, or 1 cooked quince
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour

*Note on the rosewater: if raw cake batter doesn't scare you, add the smaller amount, and at the end taste the cake batter, then add more if you like. I used the rose syrup because it's more dilute and thus easier to not overdose on.]

So, when I bake I usually to add the salt and flavorings to the butter. Cream the butter with the flavorings, then whisk in the honey and the egg.

Meanwhile, peel and core the pear or quince (if necessary), and roughly chop. Place in the food processor with the sugar and pulse until it's on the borderline of 'little sugary pieces' and 'wet fruit paste'. Whisk into the mixture. Sift the flour with the leaveners and add alternately with the buttermilk.

I baked this at 325 for 25 minutes in muffin tins, but I bet it'd make a great Rose Bundt Pan cake, too.

Comments

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*blush* I wrote it down in part because it worked; not all my baking improvisation does. Rosewater is especially tricky because of its strength.