Tuesday, May 19, 2009

TWD: Fresh Mango Bread


This week’s Tuesdays With Dorie selection was Fresh Mango Bread. I like mangoes; in fact, I have even been addressed as Mango. I suppose you could easily mistake “Margo” for “Mango” when you are looking at an email message. I go by “Margo” rather than “Margot” (my given name) much of the time, since it’s the phonetic pronunciation and easier for people. Seriously, by first grade I was already tremendously frustrated with having to constantly tell people – including teachers – that my name is not “Mar-got” (as in “you got it wrong”) I was totally jealous of all the Jennifers and Sarahs and Emilys. Mr. Penpen did not know the official spelling of my name until our fifth date when Michael Chabon was signing copies of the Yiddish Policemen’s Union for us, and he asked if Margot was spelled with a “t.” When Mr. Penpen replied, “No” and I replied “sure,” Michael Chabon (BTW: his wife also has “difficult” name) thought he might have started a fight since my boyfriend didn’t know how to spell my name. Mr. Penpen writes my name as Margot now, which I like, but I will respond to either. Just don’t call me “Mar-got.”





Okay, mango bread time! I can’t say I’d ever seen a recipe that involved both cinnamon and lime zest; they do not seem like natural companions to me, so I was a little wary of this bread. By the time I finally got around to making the bread, I was too tired to think of any alternative spice combinations, so I just went for it. I did omit the raisins, and added dried cherries and macadamia nuts instead. I enjoy raisins in a very limited number of desserts, like oatmeal raisin cookies, so if there is a suitable substitution, I will generally use it. I decided that instead of making bread, I would use my long-neglected mini muffin tins. This proved to be a very sensible decision, since my bread went into the oven at 10:10 on Monday night and the recipe said the loaf was to bake for an hour and forty-five minutes. The mini muffins only took twenty minutes. And made tons: I got twenty-four, from a half recipe, last night and still have batter in the refrigerator.




I ended up liking the muffins more than I thought I would, but enjoyed the leftover mango with yogurt for breakfast even more, which is certainly a good thing. I gave this recipe a 7.5 for Deliciousness and a 2.5 for Effort (it would have been a 2, but it took me a while to slice small mango bits), giving it an EDR of 3. Many thanks to Kelly of Baking with the Boys for choosing this yummy bread and reminding me how much I like mangoes. You may find the recipe on Kelly’s site and check out what the other bakers thought via the TWD blogroll. And there's still one more hour of Tuesday!

16 comments:

Cristine said...

I hear you on the name thing... People don't have a problem pronouncing mine, but I am always correcting people on the spelling. (No h!)

Love the idea of mini-muffins, especially since this bread took forever in the oven.

Leslie said...

Great idea to make minis, and I bet they were great with macadamias! This would have been much easier to make if it weren't for the surgical skills required to prep the mango.

Unknown said...

Your mango muffins look terrific. I think mini muffins are so cute! I totally hear you on the name thing too. People can never spell my first name correctly and when I married my husband I inherited a last name that NO ONE seems able to pronounce.

Pamela said...

I just don't understand people who actually would believe that your name would be Mar-GOT! People just never cease to amaze me. Anyway, nice muffins, and I mean that in the nicest possible sense! :o)

Megan said...

I hear you with the name thing - I go by my MIDDLE name, and you can imagine what that's like for a child. I think I have an identity crisis.

Anonymous said...

Your mini muffins are cute! Dried cherries sound like they'd be great in this recipe.

I knew how to pronounce your name. I can't believe people would get that wrong!

Hindy said...

My first name is Hindy and I've be called many names over the years because no one can believe they've heard me right.
Your muffins look delicious!

Kayte said...

I wondered about that cinnamon/lime zest combo myself when I was first looking at the recipe, but hey, it worked. I love your little mini muffins, how cute are those...and just the right size. It's always fun to see the subs people use and I have to say, cherries and mac nuts are just about the greatest combination I can think of...so going there soon. Great job and thanks for the info on 20 min. for the mini muffins. This weekend...yep, this weekend, lots of guests around for the big race and all...your combination will be a hit.

Jennifer said...

Now that you mention it, I've never seen the lime zest cinnamon combo, either. I liked the bread, but couldn't actually taste the lime zest. Next time I'll lower the cinnamon and up the zest. I almost added macadamia nuts, too, but since I had already added coconut, it seemed like overkill.

AmyRuth said...

No offense, but anyone with a two carrot brain would know Margot is pronounced with a silent t? duh and a teacher? Seriously? You poor second grader. Oh well such as life. Yes, ready for some holiday fun for sure here. great weather coming too. Have a great holiday.
AmyRuth

AmyRuth said...

One more thing I....you are right about making it the night before late and I think I'll add nuts next time as well. Muffins would bake more quickly so that is definitely a plus. You are so smart!! Seriously!!!
AmyRuth

Anonymous said...

Your mango mini-muffins look soo cute! I love how the mangoes and dried cherries stand out. Muffins are definitely a convenient and time saving option!

spike. said...

People mispronouncing my name would drive me crazy! Although being called mango would be kind of fun. nice muffins!

Elyse said...

Mmm, dried cherries and macadamias sound like a great addition!! Plus, who doesn't love a mini-muffin?! So glad these mango muffins turned out well! They certainly look moist and delicious. Oh, and I'm surprised people don't know that the "t" is silent; geez, Margot isn't that uncommon, people!

TeaLady said...

Great little minis.

Elizabeth Edmunds said...

I always loved your name, especially the spelling... so French! I'm bummed this is the first time I've actually read your blog, now I have a lot of catching up to do. It's great, and I love your mom's too.