Last week we told you a bit about Jordan Marsh the department store. This week we are remembering those wonderful Jordan Marsh Blueberry muffins.
Just as you see tourists today walking around the North End with boxes from Mike's Pastry, you once saw box after box of both visitors and locals in Downtown Crossing carrying white boxes with blue lettering filled with dozens of Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins.
Old Jordan Marsh building, side entrance off of Summer street, 1975 photo by Andrew Zalewski from the Boston Public Library print department.
The New England Historical Society explained that it was not unusual for a department store to be known for an edible specialty.
"Each department store had a signature food item: chicken croquettes were a favorite at Shepard’s in Providence, almond macaroons at Gilchrist’s in Boston. Sage-Allen in Springfield smelled like sticky buns, so spicy they almost burned the tongue. The aroma from the bakery wafted up the escalators, drawing customers into the basement. Date nut bread sandwiches with cream cheese were a favorite at G. Fox. And Jordan Marsh’s blueberry muffins were a required treat at the end of shopping trips to Boston."
Here's a Collection of Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffin Recipes
First up is the Boston Globe where this was a favorite topic with food editors across the years. This one is from the team that worked under Sheryl Julian in 2013.
Yankee Magazine offered both history and a recipe.
King Arthur Flour is another source of trusted baking recipes. Here's their version of Famous Department Store Blueberry Muffins.
The Diva of Dining offers a recipe and a bit more muffin history.
My own recipe for the muffins comes from this little book, Mostly Muffins that I borrowed a number of times from the Boston Public Library until the copy they had was literally falling apart and then disappeared. Eventually, I found a used copy on Amazon.
In my favorite version, you mash some of the blueberries to create a deep blueberry color and flavor and the sugar on top is mixed with nutmeg. Nutmeg sugar is now a constant in my pantry adding zing to everything from cereal to banana on toast.
By the way, the muffin in the top photo is fromThe Wholy Grain bakery Café in the South End and they make my favorite bakery version of this treat.
What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?
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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny, Entrance photo by Andrew Zalewski, used under creative commons license.
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