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By Request
Want to make everyone in the office love you? Bake. Works every time. Put out a plate of these babies at coffee-break time and everyone will think you're a genius. They're a cut above your average home baking project and would also elevate your next brunch. Baking up a
better brunchRecipe No. 1 is from Heidi's Bistro and Delis, owned by Micki Mortensen. Mary Murphy, a regular customer, asked for Heidi's recipe for pineapple or blueberry muffins. "They are light and moist with a nice, crisp edge on the top. Very flavorful."
The pineapple is Mortensen's personal favorite, but she says all her muffins are a point of pride. "The muffins are as old as we are," she says. "I remember in '74 or '75 when we decided to make the best muffins in town."
She and a baking friend took to the kitchen and tested batch after batch. "I remember trying it out -- 'No, it's not perfect' -- trying it again -- 'No, it's not perfect.' ... "
The muffins are a mainstay of all three Heidi's -- in Bishop Square, Grosvenor Center and Pioneer Plaza -- and of the company's catering service.
The original recipe makes 8 dozen, so this one has been broken down to make a manageable dozen. Don't expect them to turn out exactly the same, but they should be close.
Recipe No. 2 is from The Orchid at Mauna Lani. Lynn Namihira was looking for a macadamia-nut biscotti recipe from one of the resorts on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island, she wasn't sure which one. Inquiries to a few turned it up at The Orchid, courtesy of pastry chef Daniel Sampson.
Sampson hails from Terrence Bay, Canada, where he grew up with his mother's fresh bread, baked in a wood stove. He recalls watching her knead the dough, then place it in a bowl and wrap it in blankets so it would rise overnight.
He took it as his job to wake up first and uncover the bread to see how much it had grown.
Sampson says his mother would sometimes have 10 to 12 loaves of fresh bread lined up on the kitchen counter.
His macadamia nut biscotti is served with specialty coffees at the resort's Grill restaurant.
Heidi's Pineapple or Blueberry Muffins
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
3/4 cup margarine
3-2/3 cups flour
3/4 cup powdered milk
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup drained, crushed pineapple or frozen blueberries, defrostedPlace ingredients in a mixer in the order listed, except fruit. Mix 2 minutes at low speed, then for 30 seconds at fast speed. Add fruit. mix 30 seconds at slow speed.
Pour batter into muffin pan lined with baking cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden, turning the pan every 15 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.
Approximate nutritional information per muffin: 380 calories, 13 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium.*
Macadamia Nut Biscotti
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
12 ounces of sugar
12 ounces flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 ounces diced macadamia nutsWhip together eggs, yolks and sugar until light and fluffy (ribbon stage).
Sift the dry ingredients together and fold into egg mixture. Add nuts. Chill dough one hour.
Roll into 4 6-inch logs, about 2 inches in diameter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Cool at room temperature one hour.
Slice logs about 1/2 inch thick and bake again for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool and dip them in chocolate sauce if desired. Makes 30-40 biscotti.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Food Stuffs: Morsels
Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com
Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the
Body & Soul section indicates calculations by
Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts,
a nutritional consulting firm.
