Dinner on the Patio (finally!)

     Other than my garden looking like it's early May instead of early June, I composed an alfresco meal with produce from my vegetable garden (as best I could).  And with another bumper crop of rhubarb this spring, you probably have a very good idea of what took center stage in our meal.

                        • Champagne with Rhubarb Syrup
                         • Salted Butter, Radishes, and Baguette
          • Dry-Rubbed Pork Tenderloins with Rhubarb Chutney
                                             • Seared Broccoli
                                        • Double Corn Muffins
            • Roasted Rhubarb with Candied Ginger Shortcake

     The Roasted Rhubarb with Candied Ginger Shortcake is reinvented from previously-posted recipes.

  Our main dish was dry-rubbed, grilled pork tenderloins served with a rhubarb chutney loaded with fresh ginger and golden raisins.
   For dessert I oven-roasted rhubarb drenched in orange zest, fresh orange juice, and a generous splash of Grand Marnier.  I took the thick, left-over juices from both the chutney and roasted rhubarb and strained them, giving me a delicious, rosy syrup that we mixed with champagne.  We served that with European salted butter on baguette slices that were then topped with French Breakfast radishes from my garden.  All left-over syrup is now being mixed with sparkling water for a refreshing drink after working outdoors or biking.  The spicy ginger in the syrup gives it a nice little kick!

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Pipi enjoying spilled grilled pork juices >

              Bon Appetit, Pipi!

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    Roasted Rhubarb with Candied Ginger Shortcakes

Shortcakes:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 5 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 cup candied ginger, small dice
• Additional whipping cream for brushing scones
• Coarse sugar, for sprinkling
• Sweetened whipped heavy cream, for serving

1.  Preheat oven to 425˚F.  Line a small heavy baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt.  Pulse until blended.  Add the butter and pulse again until the butter is the size of small peas.
2.  In a large bowl gently whisk together by hand the egg, milk and 5 tablespoons heavy cream.  Add the flour-butter mixture, along with the diced candied ginger, and stir together with a fork just until combined.  Gather dough together and on a lightly-floured work surface, pat the dough into a round about 3/4 of an inch thick.  Try to work the dough as little as possible.  Using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut 4 rounds and transfer to a parchment-lined heavy baking sheet.  Gather together the remaining dough and cut 2 more rounds.
3.  Brush the tops of the 6 scones with the 1 tablespoon heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 14 minutes or until golden.  I found, the 2 times I baked these scones, that the bottoms will become quite dark.  A heavy baking sheet is recommended.  Cool the scones briefly on a wire rack before splitting and filling with the roasted rhubarb.

Roasted Rhubarb:
• 3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest (preferably organic
• Splash of Grand Marnier

1.  Prepare rhubarb:  In a baking dish combine rhubarb, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and splash of Grand Marnier.  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.

Assembly:
• Split the scones. Layer the roasted rhubarb along with the sweetened whipped cream.

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