This Rhubarb Chutney, full of ginger and golden raisins, has been a big favorite this spring. It's great spooned over grilled meats, but I've also been eating it along with Parmesan and Manchego cheeses. Rhubarb Chutney • Martha Stewart Living | May 2010 • • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil • 1 small onion, finely diced • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger • Kosher Salt • 1/3 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc) • 1/3 cup golden raisins, coarsely chopped • 1/2 cup sugar • 12 ounces rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces 1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and salt, and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and add the wine and raisins. Return to the heat and bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute. Add sugar and stir until it is fully dissolved. Stir in half of the rhubarb; bring to a boil. 2. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until rhubarb is just tender. Add the remaining rhubarb and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the newly-added rhubarb begins to soften. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Refrigerate if not using the chutney immediately. TAKE a LOOK:
0 Comments
No big surprise here... more RHUBARB! Each and every day, rhubarb continues to creep into my daily menus. I especially enjoyed this bread pudding with Strawberry-Rhubarb sauce for breakfast -- still warm from the oven. Bread Pudding with Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE | 1982 • 12 to 14 slices from a French Baguette,1/2-inch thick • 3 to 4 tablespoons soft butter • 3 large eggs • 2 cups whole milk, or half milk-half cream • 1/3 cup sugar • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon • Pinch of sea salt • Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce, recipe follows 1. Heat oven to 350˚F. Butter a 10-inch round or other shallow 2 quart baking dish. Butter each slice of bread on one side and arrange, buttered side down, in the dish with sides of the bread touching or overlapping slightly. 2. Beat together the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well-blended. Pour over the bread slices. Allow the bread to soak up the custard for about 10 minutes. 3. Bake on the shelf just above the center of the oven for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly puffed and crusty. Serve hot or warm with the Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce. STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB SAUCE • 3 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, 1-inch pieces • 1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced in half (quartered if large) • 1/2 cup sugar • 1 tablespoon finely grated organic orange peel 1. In a medium-sized enameled saucepan, combine all the ingredients and let stand 10 minutes. Stir again, cover, and bring to a simmer over low heat. Increase heat and bring to a gentle boil, uncovered, over moderate heat. Cook until rhubarb is tender, but not mushy. TAKE a LOOK: Every spring, once my rhubarb is ready for picking, I will bake a string of strawberry-rhubarb custard tarts. My aunt always did the same thing, but she never combined strawberries with the rhubarb. It was pure rhubarb-studded custard in her pies. Now, I can't imagine not including strawberries. They give additional sweetness, allowing me to cut back on the sugar. But in desperation, for the first time ever, I did not bake my customary tart. Instead, I made my first double-crust rhubarb pie, believing the 7 cups of rhubarb needed for this recipe would help to significantly reduce the copious amounts of rhubarb growing in my garden (insert laugh). It did not. Yes... rhubarb is on the daily menu at my house in all types of sweet and savory concoctions. Also, when you make this pie allow ample time to cool before slicing into it. Unfortunately, I didn't do that (I couldn't wait and I should have known better). I was extremely disappointed with my first piece, saying I would never make this recipe again. The next morning however -- for breakfast ;-), it was a different pie! The juices had set-up; the bottom crust wasn't soggy -- totally opposite from the night before. It was delicious, and I was sad to see it disappear so quickly. A rush to eat and a rush to judgment. adapted from a recipe by Beth Howard | REAL SIMPLE • Pastry dough for one double-crust pie (recipe HERE) • 2 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces • 1 cup sugar • 3 tablespoons cornstarch • dash of salt • 1 tablespoon salted butter, cut into small pieces • 1 egg, beaten • Coarse, raw sugar for sprinkling (optional) 1. Roll half of the dough into an 11-inch circle. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate and trim the dough to a 1-inch overhang. 2. Heat the oven to 425˚F. In a large bowl, toss together the rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. 3. Fill the bottom crust with the rhubarb mixture and dot with the butter. Place the second crust on top. Lift the edges of both top and bottom crusts and gently turn them under, all the way around the pie dish. Crimp the edges. Brush the crust with some of the egg. Cut vents into the top crust. (Or do as I did, and cut out small shapes from the top crust before placing over the rhubarb). Sprinkle the top crust with raw sugar. 4. Place the pie on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 375˚F and bake until the fruit mixture is bubbly and the crust is golden, 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and cool before eating! • This rhubarb pie is delicious served with vanilla bean ice cream. • If you would like to make the crust that Beth Howard uses, go HERE. TAKE a LOOK: A couple of weeks ago I spoke with a friend who lives in southern Missouri. Each and every phone call we have, our conversation includes our gardens -- our vegetable gardens to be exact. Whatever is happening in my friend's garden 500 miles south, will also happen in my own garden -- a month later. That is, however, unless it's 2012... the year of weirdness. How weird you ask? Well, we have never eaten dinner on our patio in March. On March 14th of this year, we officially opened the patio and dined comfortably in 70+ degrees. That was until we were forced to return indoors because of... mosquitoes! I have never seen a mosquito in March. Remember, I live in Minnesota. A normal winter usually knocks them out until June. My friend in Missouri mentioned that her asparagus was almost ready for picking. I told her how I've tried several times to plant asparagus in my garden, but it always dies off. She said she has the same trouble with rhubarb. Hard for me to believe. Rhubarb is the weed in my garden. My plants are enormous. They multiply. I end up giving bagfuls of rhubarb away to friends. I NEVER make a rhubarb tart until mid-May because my plants aren't large enough to use before then. That is, unless it's spring 2012... See what I mean? I have eight plants this size. I am scrambling this year to use it up -- quickly. It's already going to seed! And, you understand, I can't eat a rhubarb tart every day, so I've been making rhubarb syrup... so, so EASY! And with the rhubarb syrup -- gin and rhubarb cocktails. A refreshing little drink for those lazy, summer days just around the corner. Invite a friend, relax, and enjoy the day! I did. Rhubarb Syrup • 2 cups sliced rhubarb • 1 cup water • 1 cup sugar 1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the rhubarb has broken down. Remove from heat and let cool; strain. Store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. Gin & Rhubarb Cocktail :: The recipe below will make one cocktail. • 1 ounce rhubarb syrup • 1/2 ounce lime juice • 1 1/2 ounces gin • 1 ounce seltzer -- plus additional seltzer, optional • lime slices, for garnish 1. Combine rhubarb syrup, lime juice, and gin in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. (I usually am making more than one cocktail at a time and multiply the ingredients in a pitcher, add ice, and stir). Shake for 10 seconds and strain into a glass. Top with the selzer water (I dilute mine with additional seltzer). Serve with lime slice. TAKE a LOOK: By now most of my friends and neighbors know, if it is early in the morning and there is a knock on their door, most likely it's me asking, "do you have toast?" This has been the case since my kitchen demolition. In my attempts to get away from the incessant hammering and drilling, Pipi and I have found ourselves roaming the neighborhood and looking for signs of life, the smell of bacon frying and coffee brewing, and... a place to escape to. One of our favorite destinations is Isla and Jeff's kitchen. They are always welcoming and seem truly happy to see us when they hear the knock and find us on their front step. In addition to the morning toast (and sometimes freshly made biscuits with butter and jam!), I got a phone call last week in the late afternoon, asking me if I'd like to stop by for a slice of just-baked rhubarb tart. And, it just wasn't any rhubarb tart; it was Paul Bocuse's Tarte à la Rhubarbe, rhubarb tart. If you can get a copy of the cookbook, Bocuse's Regional French Cooking, you'll be treated to stunning photos and regional French dishes, including several recipes for savory French tarts; something I'm always searching for. Below is Isla's adaption of Tarte à la Rhubarbe. Tarte à la Rhubarbe A recipe by Paul Bocuse | adapted by Isla Pastry: • 1 1/4 cup flour • 1 tablespoon baking powder • 1/8 teaspoon salt • 1/2 cup oil • 2 tablespoons water • 1 egg • plus 1/2 cup sugar (suggested by Isla) Filling: • 4 large ribs rhubarb (Isla suggests using more) • 1 egg • 6 tablespoons sugar • more sugar, 1-2 tablespoons flour (suggested by Isla) 1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the oil, a tablespoon at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition to incorporate it into the flour. 2. Slowly stir in the water. Add the egg and beat well. The dough should be relatively moist. 3. Do not let the dough rest, but turn it into a buttered 10-inch tart pan, and using the fingertips or the back of a spoon, spread it out evenly over the bottom and sides of the pan. 4. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. 5. Trim and peel the rhubarb, stripping away the large fibers Cut the ribs into 1-and-1/2-inch lengths and spread them evenly over the tart shell. 6. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg and sugar, and beat until the mixture turns a light lemon yellow. 7. Turn the egg and sugar mixture into the tart shell, spreading it out evenly. 8. Place in preheated oven and cook for about 35 minutes. Serve warm or cold YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: When rhubarb is plentiful, I constantly search for rhubarb recipes. I really think it's hard to beat a rhubarb tart, but I can't bake a rhubarb tart every day, can I? This Rhubarb Bread is a good sweet treat and I wish I had baked more for my freezer, to have on hand this summer when I'm without my kitchen. What I learned from baking this bread is - it stores better at room temperature than in the refrigerator, and when I do have the chance to bake this again, I will also include chopped walnuts in the sugar & cinnamon topping; I just happen to really like nuts. Rhubarb Bread adapted from the Milwaukee•Wisconsin Journal Sentinel • 1 cup milk • zest of one organic orange • 2/3 cup canola oil • 1 large egg • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar (divided) • 2 1/2 cups flour • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1 teaspoon melted butter 1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. 2. Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. *I used one loaf pan slightly larger than a 9 x 5, and filled it with all the batter. Two separate loaves will not bake up very high. 3. In a small bowl whisk milk, orange zest, oil, egg and vanilla. 4. In a large bowl combine 1 1/2 cups of the brown sugar, the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in the rhubarb and the walnuts. 5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan(s). See above* 6. In small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture onto bread batter. Bake for approximately 40 minutes if making two loaves, approximately 50+ if making one loaf. Test if the bread is done by inserting a toothpick or wooden skewer into loaf. If the skewer shows any wetness, continue to bake. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: I have yet another bumper crop of rhubarb this spring. We've been eating our share of rhubarb tarts and rhubarb compote with crème anglaise, but I'm also thinking ahead to summer. Nothing's better on a hot summer night than a big glass of icy rhubarb slush. I have previously made a rhubarb slush using vodka and then topping off the glass with a soda such as ginger ale or key lime. But this time around, I eliminated the vodka and added rum and vanilla to the slush; sparkling water to the glass. I think this is the way to go from now on. By the way... it's pretty good even if it isn't a hot summer night. RUM RHUBARB SLUSH • 8 cups diced rhubarb • 5 cups cold water • 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved • 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice • 3 cups sugar • 2 teaspoons vanilla • 2 cups golden rum 1. In a large pot combine the rhubarb, water, strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the rhubarb is tender. Remove from heat and strain liquid, pushing on the solids. Take the solids and purée in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add to the liquid and whisk until all of the processed solids are thoroughly incorporated into the liquid. Stir in the vanilla and rum. 2. Pour the mixture into a freezer container and freeze. Fill a large glass with the slush mixture and top off with sparkling water. Enjoy ! YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: How I wish I were able to superimpose a scoop of ice cream onto this photo of the rhubarb crisp I made. While visiting my father in Amana, Iowa this past week, we ate it with vanilla bean ice cream after dinner one night. It wasn't until the next morning that I thought about taking a photo, and at that point, there was no ice cream left. The recipe is from the Union Square Café Cookbook, and it has become a favorite of mine. It's a snap to assemble and the best part, at least as far as I'm concerned, is the toasted walnuts on top. Make this soon, as you should, ideally, stop cutting rhubarb after the 4th of July. If your garden is overflowing with rhubarb, as mine is, or if you're seeing rhubarb at the farmer's markets and wondering what to do with it, please, please make Rhubarb Shortcakes with Caramel Sauce. Another recipe I had tucked away for many years without ever trying, I pulled it out last weekend when we hosted a dinner at our house for two other couples. The sweet caramel sauce compliments the glistening baked rhubarb beautifully. We should not have been hungry for dessert after appetizers, a salad that could have been a meal itself, and southern "barbecued" shrimp ( all of these recipes will be posted in the upcoming days ), but everyone cleaned up their bowls. This is a dessert I will be making again before the end of rhubarb season.
RHUBARB SHORTCAKE with CARAMEL adapted from chef Harlan Peterson Rhubarb: • 3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces • 1 cup sugar • 1/3 cup fresh orange juice • 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest (preferably organic) Shortcakes: • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour • 1/4 cup light brown sugar • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg • 1 egg • 4 tablespoons heavy cream Caramel Sauce: • 1/2 cup sugar • 1/4 cup water • 3 tablespoons whipping cream • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature Whipped cream: 1 cup whipping cream, firmly whipped 1. Prepare rhubarb: In a baking dish combine rhubarb, sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Cover and bake in a preheated 350˚F oven about 20 minutes, or until rhubarb is just tender. Keep rhubarb chunks intact; do not break up by stirring. Remove from oven. 2. Make shortcakes: In a bowl, cut butter into flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg until mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine egg and cream and stir into flour mixture until dough just comes together. (I did all of this in my food processor). 3. Drop dough in six portions onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 400˚F oven about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. 4. Make caramel sauce: In a small saucepan combine sugar and water, cover, and bring to a boil. When sugar has melted, remove lid. Cook gently until liquid is deep golden brown. remove pan from heat and slowly whisk in cream and butter. If caramel is not smooth, return to heat. Set aside. 5. Prepare shortcakes: Split biscuits in half and place bottom halves in bowls. Spoon warm rhubarb sauce over biscuits. 6. Spoon dollop of whipped cream on top of rhubarb and replace top of biscuit. Pour about 2 tablespoons caramel saucer over the top biscuit. Serves 6 |
Categories
All
|