Upside-Down Lingonberry Muffins

Almost without exception, my favorite recipes aren't the ones that I find within high-gloss, "coffee table" cookbooks (much as I love paging through these!). The best recipes come from the self-published cookbooks that community groups compile to support their organizations - often, in the case of Scandinavian-American groups, cookbooks that are rich in recipes handed down through generations.

I was lucky enough to get permission from Sylvia Hampson, current president of the Nellie Gerdrum chapter of the Daughters of Norway, to share her recipe for Upside-Down Lingonberry muffins with you. Crowned with a layer of fresh or frozen lingonberries, these muffins are as beautiful as they are tasty (you can substitute cranberries or even blueberries if you can't find lingonberries).

Sylvia's recipe has also been featured in A Lingonberry Cookbook, self-published by the Bellingham Damekor (Norwegian Women's Chorus) - the only cookbook I've ever found dedicated solely to lingonberry recipes. I'm hoping that the Damekor will still have a few copies on sale at Nellie Gerdrum's 10th Annual Scandinavian Fair, to be held on Saturday, November 7th at the Hampton Inn in Bellingham, WA. Attached to a jar of homemade lingonberry preserves, they'll make great gifts for the fine cooks in my family!

Upside-Down Lingonberry Muffins photo & text ©Kari Diehl, licensed to About.com.

Do you have a self-published cookbook or upcoming Scandinavian community event that you'd like to see celebrated at Scandinavian Food at About.com? If so, send me the details, along with a great representative recipe and / or photos, and I may well be able to highlight it here.