Ritz Carlton Christmas Brunch Recipes

This recipe came to The Times by way of Marian Burros in a 1985 article about the famous muffins served at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Boston. The hotel has been serving blueberry muffins since it opened in 1927, but in 1971, then pastry chef Charles Bonino set out to develop a better recipe. One of the city's best-known department stores, Gilchrist's - long since closed - was renowned for its version, so Mr. Bonino bought dozens of the muffins over the years and would analyze and and try to replicate them. He was never totally happy with the results, even if the guests were. Gunther Moesinger, the pastry chef who succeeded Mr. Bonino in 1982, again made more changes, swapping out shortening for butter, increasing the eggs and blueberries and reducing the baking powder. This recipe is an adaptation of Mr. Moesinger's recipe which results in a plump, crusty-topped muffin. They're best eaten the day they are made. (After this article ran, a reader wrote in to argue that the department store Jordan Marsh's blueberry muffins were the best in Boston, not these. That recipe is here, so you can decide for yourself.)

Provided by Marian Burros

Categories     breakfast, side dish

Time 40m

Yield 15 to 16 large muffins

Number Of Ingredients 9

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 248, UnsaturatedFat 3 grams, Carbohydrate 37 grams, Fat 9 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 5 grams, SaturatedFat 5 grams, Sodium 161 milligrams, Sugar 14 grams, TransFat 0 grams