CranApple OrangeTangerine Volcanoes

as I mentioned before, the secret is Wilton's Mini Fluted Muffin Pan. You can use any muffin/bundt/babka recipe you like, just remember to generously grease and flour the individual cavities; I find it helps both to use salt butter and to throw some salt into the flour layer as well to guard against scorching and insure a clean release.

 I bake mostly by feel but the basics of my personalized recipe (just for the muffins, not the filling) is as folows: 1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter1-2 tablespoons salted butter, to grease pan1 cup or less sugar (white or brown)1 egg, large as possible, separated 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour1/1/4 cup unbleached white flourscant teaspoon iodized salt1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar 4-6 oz fruit juice concentrate/grated apples, or other fruit such as sour cherries (chopped), diced peaches/pears, mashed banana, etc. confectioner's sugar for dusting Options:handful chopped walnuts (or any other soft nut)handful raisins or any other dried fruit, such as dates or even crystalized gingerhandful semi-sweet mini chocolate chips 6 oz whole cranberries (half package)brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon, maybe some allspice, ginger or cloves too sweetened shredded coconutbrown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon to glue on:chopped pecans or sliced almonds  Reserve a couple ounces of the two mixed flours to sprinkle on the greased pans. Combine softened butter with sugar, egg yolk and stir/whisk/beat until well blended. Mix together first five dry ingredients and blend into the above (with pastry dough blender or comparable food processing aid) to achieve a uniform crumb (resembles a fine meal). Mix in the walnuts and  any of the optional dry ingredients, then stir in enough of the fruit juice concentrate/prepared fruit until you have a semi soft dough spouting visible bubbles. Whisk egg white with cream of tartar and fold into the dough, to end up with a slightly stiff batter. Fill each muffin cavity about 3/4 full, just topping the center prong. (You can whack the pan down on your counter a few times to level the surfaces and adjust fills accordingly.) While preheating oven at 350º, even out muffin tops by pressing in coconut, or generously sprinkle with spiced brown sugar and then gently press in the chopped or sliced nuts. Okay, the oven should be at temperature by now! Bake for 17-20 minutes, until tops are firm and a bit crackled. Cool on rack 15 minutes, then invert onto waxed paper and fill with glazed fruit. Fruit Filling: Well I don't have a standard recipe for this at all, here's where I cook entirely on the fly, by taste and texture. You'll want to create about a pint of your own fruit preserves, just runny enough to trickle down the sides of the volcanoes (if so desired; I don't always bother about that) and fill the muffins with it hot off the stove. Just as an example, I brewed up this week's concoction from a few golden delicious apples (they don't brown, and hold their shape through cooking) peeled, cored, cubed and dredged in sugar. Simmered in wide pan while grating the rind of a few tangerines, half of which was reserved for the muffin batter. Dumped the allotted zest into the apples along with all the juice I managed to squeeze out of the denuded tangerines, then stirring occasionally reduced the whole mixture to a sauce while prepping the muffins. Deciding at the last minute I also wanted cranberries in the topping to  complement without muddying its bright orange color, separately whipped up some cranberry sauce — substituting mango passionfruit juice for the water ordinarily called for, because you can never have too much flavor, right? Unfortunately, even as the cranberries started to burst the mixture had not begun to thicken, so I removed from heat and fished them out with a slotted spoon, gently swirling into the apple tangerine compote. This I used to fill the muffins once they were out of the pan and dusted with the confectioner's sugar. Left with a saucepan of sweetened mango passion cranberry juice, returning to medium heat I vigorously whisked into that a little blend of equal parts table sugar and potato starch (because it comes out smooth and clear, unlike corn) until just beginning to gel. Threw in a capful almond extract and a quarter stick of butter to give the bright red sauce the consistency of melted candle wax, which set as I dribbled it all over the volcanoes. Happy Thanksgiving!