1 cup chopped rhubarb (or any fresh berries or other fruit)
For the Streusel:
1/4 cup chopped pecans, or any nut you happen to have on hand
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
a pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375F.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil and egg. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until almost combined; add the rhubarb and stir just until blended.
Divide between 8-10 paper-lined muffin tins. In a small bowl, stir together the pecans, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon and sprinkle a bit over each muffin.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Makes 8-10 muffins.
“The recipe for the muffins is in the black book”. If this statement means anything to you, then you’ve been around long enough to own Canada’s Best of Bridge 1980s cookbook series, as their recipes were referenced by the colour of the book cover that included the recipe. These Calgary friends played bridge and prepared fancy appetizers and brunches long before I, an Abbotsford Mennonite girl, had ever even heard those words. They gave this young bride the confidence to cook with curry, use puff pastry, make stir-fries and even pair fancy drinks with meals. Many of our family’s favourite childhood dishes are found within their pages. If you’ve ever eaten Christmas Morning Wife Saver, you have the Best of Bridge ladies to thank.
Phantom Rhubarb Muffins, so named because they tend to disappear quickly, are the perfect way to open the season of cooking with local fruit. I realize that rhubarb is technically a vegetable, but since it’s generally used in sweet preparations, we’ll place it in the fruit category. It’s the perfect recipe for the aspiring young chef in your house since all it requires is two bowls and a spatula and takes more time to assemble the ingredients than actually preparing the muffins. Since they’re so quick to prepare, you won’t mind that they’ve vanished by the end of the day!
