Keeping Currant: Mini Currant-Kefir Muffins
When I become obsessed with an ingredient, I can’t rest until I’ve found it. Fresh currants, little rosy globes of tart juice, were calling my name. I had to have them.
But having scored the object of my desire, of course, I had to find something to do with it, and that can be tricky. Having never actually tasted a fresh red currant, I imagined that there would be loads of available recipes calling for them. No dice. These glossy jewels make very pretty garnishes, but I couldn’t find an appealing baking recipe that actually incorporated the fresh currants into the dough!
Luckily, I have a bit of a cookbook obsession, too. I recently acquired a discounted copy of Flo Braker’s Baking for All Occasions in the basement of the Strand. Her “Blue Ribbon Worthy” blueberry muffins seemed to be a classic worth riffing on. Instead of blueberries, I subbed the teeny red currants, perfect to be distributed among the cups of the too-cute-to-let-sit-on-a-shelf mini-muffin tin our friend Adrian gave us as a wedding gift.
The batter sounded a little sweeter than my usual, but I counted on the currants to provide a contrasting tartness, and they came through as promised. When the grocery store didn’t have organic buttermilk, I decided to substitute kefir, a newly-trendy traditional fermented milk that’s a bit like drinkable yogurt. To play up the flavor of the currants, I included a bit of cornmeal with the dry ingredients (though it probably would be good with more) and a little almond extract.
The little muffins puffed up enthusiastically, and they’re cheerful with bright red pops of color. It could be fun to make two batches, one with currants and another with blueberries—maybe for a 4th of July celebration? I bet the currant ones would disappear first, though. They’re fluffy and lemony, a little tangy from the kefir and a bit rich. They’d be delicious smeared with red currant jam—does anyone have a recipe for that? Not sure I’ve had my fill of currants yet, and the season is running out!
