Duke's Mayonnaise Makes Everything Better: Even Muffins

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When you pick up and move to another part of the United States you’ll soon discover all sorts of things you’ve left behind. Traditions, accents, and regional idiosyncrasies are just the tip of the iceberg. However, one of the biggest shockers for me was becoming accustomed to supermarkets whose names weren’t Harris Teeter and Food Lion.

And then there was the realization that certain products just didn’t make it this far north. Duke’s Mayonnaise being one of them.

Duke’s is an institution, and let it be known, one of the few I have no problem supporting. It’s all I remember growing up. It was part of the after school go to snacks which included banana sandwiches. Sliced banana and and heaping of Duke’s on a couple pieces of light bread. And many a time, I forwent the banana…just Duke’s and bread for me please!

Needless to say, when my family and I moved to Vermont one of the first things we ordered from home was Duke’s. We get it delivered regularly, and on those rare occasions where we run out and a recipe or a sandwich calls for it…we just don’t eat that sandwich or save that recipe for any other time. Duke’s; accept no substitutions.

So when I decided to invite folks to “join me in the kitchen” by offering them the chance to purchase a handful of my pantry staples for cooking/baking all with the intent to “feed my neighbors” Duke’s was on the list.

And my man Jordan came through! Check out the video below for a big shout out!

Jordan is good people and I’m lucky to have known him during my time at Campbell University. We had many an afternoon over at the Campus Ministry House. Studying, snacking, and watching Mr. Rogers on Netflix. And while I say it in the video, I’ll say it again here; thank you thank you thank you Jordan. The muffins below made their way to our next-door neighbors who needed to be educated as to why Duke’s is the measuring stick. Thanks for helping me proselytize the good news that is Duke’s.

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This recipe comes from the Home Moravian cookbook, With Heart & Hand.

Ingredients

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees

1 Cup of self-rising flour (I prefer White Lily), 2 full Tbsp of Duke’s, 1/2 cup of milk (half in half will work too), 1/4 cup of sugar.

With just four ingredients you don’t have a lot to mess up.

With just four ingredients you don’t have a lot to mess up.

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Combine all ingredients into a medium-size bowl and mix. I’ve made this recipe several times and prefer using a basic hand mixer. Take a few minutes to make sure everything is combined, and then pour into greased/coated muffin tin. I have a very shallow tins. Even then I try and only fill it between 1/2 to 3/4 full since the muffins do rise. You should get between 6-8 muffins.

Place in oven and bake between 10-12 minutes or until you see browning on the top.

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Once they look ready, pull them out and allow them to stand for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Chewing the Fat…

Since this recipe is short and simple, I want to keep this entry the same. With jars of Duke’s showing up on the doorstep of the church, I knew this was something I wanted to make for our neighbors. Turns out someone in their house was celebrating a birthday that day, and while I know it’s not a cake, a savory and slightly twangy muffin isn’t a bad trade-off. I wanted to share this with them after they joined many other voices in my community asking “what makes this (Duke’s) so special?”

I know I could say it’s creamier. I know I could rattle on about how its twangy-ness is superb. I know that I could spout off about the smells being different, with Duke’s having a more vinegary smell versus, say, Hellmann’s neutral aroma.

But the real reason Duke’s is superior to me is that when I opened the fridge at the age of 10 it’s what was in there. The large jar with the yellow lid. As odd as it sounds, the “white stuff” to a kid like myself was exotic compared to the standard ketchup and mustard. Duke’s was special in that way. And, it was something from my neck of the wood; the Carolinas. Created by Eugenia Duke in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1917, Duke’s was something the South made and gifted to the rest of the world to enjoy. It’s a culinary offering saying, “Hey, this thing we created is pretty good and it says a lot about who we are. Y’all are welcomed to try it. Especially if you want to understand us.”

I’m inclined to think this same approach could be used in faith communities too.

Whether it’s food or a particular faith tradition practice when’s the last time you tried something that wasn’t yours? Were you better off for it? Or, when’s the last time you offered a little of who you were to some someone else? When’s the last time you were vulnerable with people? There’s always a chance what you offer won’t be received, and yes that can happen, but on those moments where you do share something that changes a person’s perspective or taste buds…well, I think those moments are worth the risk.

And let’s be honest, after trying Duke’s who’s going to go back to Miracle Whip or Hellmann’s?!? And if they do, we’ll just keep praying for them.

As you were,

~tBSB