There are a number of culinary combinations that we take for granted. That just are. Raspberry and white chocolate, apple and cinnamon, pumpkin and pecan, orange and poppy seed…to question them would be heresy. I don’t plan to. But there’s a catch associated with accepting such combinations as ‘culinary rules’. We can be inclined to forget about or try others. Others that work nearly as well, or even better, yet are not exactly by the book. But why bother when you can go with a tried and tested combination? The case in hand for today is orange and poppy seed. Why, it’s a fantastic combination, particularly in baked goods such as these orange poppy seed muffins. However, it does mean that when I consider orange and seed/nut combinations, that is the only one that crosses my mind. It’s automatic. It was well and truly time to break down that block. Venture out into the unknown. Continue reading