Happy Birthday Miami U!

February 17, 2009: Happy Birthday Miami University!

Miami Culinary Traditions:

The following two items are available at Tuffy's Market in Shriver Center and are staples in Miami student life. You can ask any freshman and they will tell you about their late night love of the Toasted Roll and the Cheesy Clinton.

Tuffy's Toasted Roll

http://www.hdg.muohio.edu/shriver/?showme=tuffy.htm

Visitors to the campus quickly become aware that Miami is a University with many traditions. And one of those traditions is known as Tuffy's! Tuffy was the nickname of Myron Timothy Potter, who came to Miami in 1921 as a freshman and never left. Working his way as a soda jerk in a local drug store and as a sandwich peddler on the street, Tuffy also decided to open up his own business. Tuffy's Place opened in 1929 in a ground-floor nook of the nearby three-story Tallawanda Apartments, and Myron Timothy Potter soon became too busy to graduate. Despite the Great Depression and beyond, Tuffy's Place was a popular campus gathering spot where generations of Miami students met for refreshment and socializing. This habit turned into nostalgia as Tuffy's became a mecca for returning alumni until it closed in 1973. The standard fare included the usual Coke, coffee, hamburger and ice cream; but there was a mystique about Tuffy's specialty: Toasted Rolls. Thousands agreed that nobody else knew just how to make rolls so tasty. To old and proven friends, Tuffy might confide that it was a combination of sugared rolls from a secret source, flavored with a special spread and warmed on a unique grill. Yet everyone still suspected he kept some secret in reserve because no home-toasted roll was quite as good, and few restaurants even tried. The Tuffy's tradition is kept alive in Shriver Center's specialty shop of the same name where dozens of Tuffy's Toasted Rolls are still prepared and sold daily. The demand for Toasted Rolls during the annual Alumni Weekend keeps our in-house bakery busy around the clock!

Cheesy Clinton returns to Tuffy's as late-night snack
By Ben Garbarek

http://www.miamistudent.net/media/storage/paper776/news/2006/12/05/Campus/Cheesy.Clinton.Returns.To.Tuffys.As.LateNight.Snack-2521667.shtml?norewrite200612302102&sourcedomain=www.miamistudent.net

The rumors are true: the Cheesy Clinton is back at Tuffy's. After a brief hiatus, the renowned Cheesy Clinton is once again featured on the Tuffy's menu for those looking for a late-night snack. The Cheesy Clinton disappeared after Tuffy's closed as a late-night venue. According to Tina Rotundo, executive manager at Tuffy's and Haines Food Court, the Cheesy Clinton was only offered as a "third shift item" and was a victim of the earlier closing times. For those unfamiliar with this Miami culinary tradition, a Cheesy Clinton consists of a slice of pizza placed in the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich. The Cheesy Clinton was created by a late-night manager at Tuffy's in 2003. According to Ian Ballard and Dush Ratnayake, both student managers at Tuffy's, an extremely intoxicated student, named John Clinton, attempted to order "a slice of sausage pizza and a grilled cheese," however this student was slurring his words so badly that Vicky Curler, the manager that night, heard "a slice of sausage pizza in a grilled cheese." Puzzled by this request, the manager gave the student his order and placed the slice of sausage pizza in between a grilled cheese sandwich. The student enjoyed this new creation so much that he continued to come to Tuffy's and order this unique item. Gradually Clinton and his friends ordered this culinary masterpiece until it was dubbed the "Cheesy Clinton" and became a fixed item on the Tuffy's menu. According to Ballard, the return of the Cheesy Clinton was spurred by comments during the past year of its departure and the number of students purchasing pizza and grilled cheese sandwiches in order to make a Cheesy Clinton on their own. "I completely stopped going to Shriver after they stopped making them," said Pat Deignan, a Miami junior. "But now that it's back, I'll probably go back because it's a good alternative to Bell Tower." Other students shared the same sentiments. "I quit going to Tuffy's to protest their earlier closing times," said Josh Poling, a Miami junior, "but now that the Cheesy Clinton is back, there's a good chance I'll go more." However the Cheesy Clinton isn't the only new item at Tuffy's. New this year at Tuffy's are calzones, new cappuccino flavors and patty melts. The Cheesy Clinton is only served after 10:30 p.m. at Tuffy's and Haines Food Court in the Shriver Center. Tuffy's is now open from 7 a.m. until midnight daily and Haines Food Court is now open until 3 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Cheesy Clintons are priced starting at $3.16 for a slice of cheese pizza in a grilled cheese. For those seeking other pizza toppings, a Cheesy Clinton with these extra toppings will be priced at the cost that slice of pizza plus a grilled cheese sandwich.

Celebrating Miami University's Bicentennial

200th Birthday Cake: Red Velvet Cake with White Butter Icing

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1/3 cup soft shortening
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the freezer for at least an hour. (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

Source: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html

To prepare the white butter icing simply blend together the confectioners sugar and shortening. Once fully blended, stir in cream and vanilla until smooth.

When cake layers have cooled, place them on a flat surface and using a serrated edge knife, cut the puffed up top off of each layer to flatten the top of the cake. To complete the cake, begin by placing one of the prepared cake layers on a serving platter cut side up. Spread about 1/3 of the icing onto the top of the layer and then top with the second layer of cake, cut side down. Be careful not to press the second layer of cake down, lay it gently onto the layer of icing. Top the cake with more icing, followed by the sides of the cake. Distribute evenly until fully covered. Decorate as you like.