Part of learning the art of cooking without recipes is accepting the fact that trying out new recipes for the first time will not always produce the results you expect. There are two perennial breakfast favourites in the Wallace household: Quaker Oatmeal muffins (yes the ones from the package) and Dorothy’s Rhubarb muffins made from fresh rhubarb grown in our garden.
So, recently, one fine Sunday, I had the bright idea to combine these two recipes. I did not have any of the pre-made Quaker Muffin mix and Dorothy uses a recipe to make her muffins which I had never followed. The only original ingredient from either recipe that I had was the fresh rhubarb. As you are probably aware, are many varieties and types of muffins but they all have the same basic ingredients: flour, sugar, egg, water or milk, shortening (oil, margarine or butter) and some type of raising agent, usually baking powder. Of course, the secret of making muffins the way YOU like them is to get the proportions of the ingredients to get the right consistency, fluffiness, taste and sweetness. I’m not going to pretend that this is necessarily easy. The Art of Cooking without Recipes requires some trial and error but once you have it down pat, you are free to add your own creativity.
Typically, the first time that I try something new, I will do a little research and pull up two of three recipes and get the general idea of the key ingredients and their approximate proportions. The second step is to look through the ingredients that I have on hand and decide which and what substitutions I might need or want to make. Finally, I will consider what additions or flourishes I will add to add that personal touch.
I will admit that up to this point, my own muffin-making was restricted to using the pre-made mix because I both liked it and found it easier to use. However, on this day, I decided that it was time to try things the Un-Chef way and threw things together off the cuff. As you can see, the muffins came out perfectly acceptable from an appearance point of view. The disappointment was that I did not have enough sugar or rolled oats. I can be fairly sure that my next attempt will be closer to what I was looking for.
Although the Un-Cookbook, The Art of Cooking without Recipes does not specifically have un-recipes for muffins, once you have mastered the art and science of cooking laid out in its first section, you will have the knowledge and skill you need to attempt this yourself.
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