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How I met my stud muffin, John F. Kennedy Jr.

By JOHANNA GARCIA, The Philippine STAR Published Jul 29, 2021 6:00 am

When I was going to school and working in New York, one of the best things about my job (and my school) was working next door to Melissa’s Deli, where they sold the most delicious muffins: raspberry, chocolate, corn, bran, and my favorite, blueberry.

These muffins were glorious carb explosions — light, tender and fruity, with a generous crumble topping. And I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Deciding to treat myself to a muffin one night after work, I walked into Melissa’s and ordered a blueberry cheese muffin to go. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a tall man with a luxuriant head of dark hair and an expensive-looking white shirt haphazardly tucked into impeccably cut black trousers. Cute, I told myself. As I overheard him order the same thing, I smiled inwardly. Good taste, too.

I stopped short and turned around to go back to Melissa’s, but instead, bumped into a bicycle wheel. I looked up and realized the bicycle was being wheeled on the curb by the good-looking man from the deli.

Engrossed in my own thoughts, I was only dimly aware of the palpable buzz and excitement among the deli’s usually blasé customers and staff. I wondered briefly, but I was too busy trying to decide whether or not I wanted to go out for drinks that night and if so, what I would wear.

As I exited the deli and crossed the street, I reached into the paper bag to take a bite out of my loot, only to realize that my blueberry muffin was in fact, a raspberry muffin. I stopped short and turned around to go back to Melissa’s, but instead, bumped into a bicycle wheel. I looked up and realized the bicycle was being wheeled on the curb by the good-looking man from the deli.

“I’m sorry,” he said, stepping to his right (my left).

“I…I…” I stammered, stepping to my left (his right). 

“Excuse me,” he said politely with a small smile, stepping once again to his left (my right).

“I…I…I…” I continued to stutter, now stepping to my right (his left), suddenly realizing why the good-looking man had all of Melissa’s people in a tizzy.

Still smiling patiently, John F. Kennedy Jr. gripped my shoulders and gently pushed me to my left (his right), safely out of the way of his bicycle and his life.

Still smiling patiently, John F. Kennedy Jr. gripped my shoulders and gently pushed me to my left (his right), safely out of the way of his bicycle and his life.

“I…I…I…” was all I could say, as I gaped at the man of my dreams and his bike walking away before I could string a coherent sentence together.

More than a decade later, I was walking on the Upper West Side in New York and was thrilled to find Melissa’s Deli still standing. I stepped inside and ordered myself another blueberry cheese muffin, but sadly, they just weren’t the same.

  Easy-to-make blueberry muffins

So, in honor of my favorite city and its late native son who, I like to think shared my taste in baked goods, I’m sharing a ridiculously easy recipe for blueberry muffins. In the interest of full disclosure, I should share that this isn’t the recipe I use for the muffins I sell on www.realgirltoykitchen.com, as that one is considerably more involved and time-consuming.

These muffins, on the other hand, are incredibly easy to make, but they still taste great. Best of all, you can make them in minutes. And if you happen to run into your own stud muffin, may you have better luck coming up with something clever to say. But if you don’t, at least you’ll have a delicious muffin to help convince him to stick around.

Blueberry muffins

Adapted from a recipe on www.smittenkitchen.com

(Servings: 9 standard muffins)

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (from one lemon)

3/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons (7 grams) baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (no need to defrost)

3 tablespoons muscovado sugar

Procedure:

Heat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with 9 paper liners or spray each cup with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in the bottom of a large bowl and whisk in sugar, zest, yogurt and egg until smooth. Whisk in baking powder, baking soda and salt until fully combined, then lightly fold in flour and berries. Batter will be very thick, like a cookie dough.

Divide between prepared muffin cups and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon muscovado sugar. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

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