Donut Muffin: A Trip to the Source

My brother, who is one of my first "followers" on this blog, asked what I would be writing about. He commented that I just couldn't keep writing about the Donut Muffin. Well, actually, Bro, I could...they are that good. And did I mention they are "baked" not "fried"?

So here is the sequel: Donut Muffin: A Trip to the Source. The motivation: as the weather got colder and damper, the donut muffins available at the outdoor booth at the SF Farmer's Market got colder and damper. Not so good. The fix: Drive to the source ~ Healdsburg and the Downtown Bakery and Creamery. Goal: to get them when they first came out of the oven. I called to confirm the time the first batch would be ready and was told 7:15 am. The dilemma: Healdsburg is over 2 hours away, would we really get up early and drive there by 7:15 am? Probably not.

Then when my daughter needed a ride to SF airport for a very early flight... the plan started to come together. My husband & I would drop her off at 5:30am then head for Healdsburg. We were up anyway. It was perfect.

I didn't know they had such thick fog inland but I saw nothing on the 1 1/2 hour drive except the pavement several feet in front of the car. Joe slept, this was my obsession and I was determined to arrive just before those muffins popped out of the oven.

We parked in front of the Bakery and watched them open the doors. I'd like to say the Donut Muffin adventure had a happy conclusion, it did not. Disappointedly, the muffins were warm but they fell flat...literally, the tops collapsed or never rose. I figured there was a glitch or the real baker took the day off. I cheered myself up with a sticky bun, an apricot pastry and a chocolate croissant. Wondering if I should at least let them know their muffins were small, flat and not at all like the ones at the Farmer's Market! They had displayed the muffins with the collapsed tops in a glass case. I decided to let it go. By this time the line of customers was out the door and I was tired and sinking in to sugar shock from my consolation pastries, which were excellent, by the way.

But, yes, my friend, there is still a happy ending. We ordered breakfast. And here is where the morning hit a high note ~ The Poached Eggs on Polenta became my new best friend. If you've never had those two together it is really worth trying. I silently forgave them for the botched Donut Muffins (I'd wait until spring and resume my trek to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market) and savored my new discovery. The dish also included fennel, spinach and goat cheese...absolutely divine and well worth the drive.