Rhubarb Streusel Pie

This is it. The best rhubarb pie in the world. Did you hear me? THE. BEST. Perfect crust. Tangy-sweet rhubarb flavored with vanilla bean. Crumbly, crunchy, nutty streusel topping. This afternoon I'm planning to make my fourth in a span of two weeks, because if I'm with people, I need them to be eating this pie. And I need to be eating it. I ate almost the whole first one by myself.

I mean, I had help. A little. In the person of a tiny baby girl who is making her presence known more and more each day with kicks and jabs to my abdomen.



I'm a late sharer of pregnancy news online. I so love telling people in person and seeing their reactions; hugs and squeals of excitement and actual congratulations are SO MUCH BETTER than Facebook likes and comments. When mostly everyone knows, and it's starting to be visible no matter what, then I finally share the news online. It's a girl, and she's healthy! I'm feeling great.

{Apparently, I like to announce I'm having baby girls by sharing recipes for pink vegetables. Last time, Radish Pickles! And more thoughts about the weighty responsibility of raising girls into women. Head over to check it out.}

Rhubarb season is just warming up in the Midwest, so you have plenty of time to get some reddish pink treasure from the farmers market and make yourself and those you love an amazing pie.



Rhubarb Streusel Pie

I always, always use Heidi Swanson's pie crust recipe, and it is amazing every time.

Filling:
5 cups (about 2 pounds) fresh rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste)
3 tablespoons tapioca starch (corn starch will also work)

Topping:
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup butter, cut into cubes
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour

Make the crust and refrigerate it until ready to use (making it a day ahead of time breaks up the effort required to make the pie, and ensures the crust is fully chilled - win-win).

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the sugar in a small bowl with the vanilla bean (if using), and use your fingertips to rub the sugar along the inside of the vanilla bean, scraping out the seeds and distributing them through the sugar. (You could also do this ahead of time - the vanilla flavor will be more pronounced if you leave the vanilla bean in the sugar for a while.)

Place the chopped rhubarb in a large bowl with the vanilla sugar (or sugar and vanilla extract/paste) and tapioca starch and stir to combine. Set aside for about 15 minutes, while you prepare the crust and topping.

In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, salt and flour. Add the butter, and use your fingers to rub it into the sugar mixture until well-combined.

Roll out the crust and fit it into a pie plate. Decoratively crimp the edges, and pour the rhubarb filling into the crust, being sure to scrape all of the sugar and juice out of the bowl. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit (ahem, vegetable) filling and slide into the oven. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then decrease the heat to 350 and continue baking for 50-60 minutes, until the filling is bubbling, and the topping and crust are golden.

Cool at least 2 hours before slicing, and serve with vanilla ice cream.

7 Quick Takes: Rhubarb Roundup

Linking up with Jen this lovely Friday with my favorite favorite favorite things to do with rhubarb! Go forth into the kitchen while the rhubarb's still here!


A gorgeous shot of a sink full o' rhubarb from ksbuehler on Flickr.

1. Rhubarb Syrup! I just made a batch of this, and added a cup of fresh raspberries to the rhubarb while it cooked. Completely amazing. I see some raspberry-rhubarb gin and tonics in my future.



2. Honeyed Rhubarb Cobbler. Take it to a potluck!

3. Roasted rhubarb with white wine and vanilla bean. Perfect on ice cream or stirred into plain yogurt.

4. Overnight guests? Make them this Baked Rhubarb Oatmeal and they'll never want to leave.



5. Rhubarb Streusel Muffins. (Hey Dad! Bebop-a-rebop!)

6. Strawberry Rhubarb Crostata. When you're not in the mood to make a whole pie.

7. Rhubarb Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake.

I'll be back next week with one more rhubarb recipe for you! Have a fantastic weekend!

Baked Rhubarb Oatmeal

Long ago, motherhood -- womanhood -- was a community affair. Pregnancy, childbirth, nursing; these things were not so cloaked in mystique and taboos in past generations. There was support, practice, experience that came with being one of many women living in close quarters. Much of that is lost in our society, or at least it can be. Motherhood can be a time of tremendous isolation, since most of us live miles from our families and friends. I am so deeply grateful for the online communities I have found to give support and encouragement, answer crazy questions, and laugh and cry with me. I am grateful to be able to connect with women who completely understand when I talk about erratic sleep schedules, nursing marathons, and the fact that, to my dismay, my house looks nothing like what I see on Pinterest.



Motherhood is still a community, albeit more Jetsons than tribe. This morning I had coffee with my mom via videochat. We showed each other the progress our seedlings have made, watched my daughter wiggle and squeal, and lamented the caprices of late spring (Michigan got snow again!). Later we went to a bakery to spend time with several other moms and babies Anne's age, whom we met through Meetup.com. While we rocked to sleep at naptime this afternoon, I checked the moms' groups I'm a part of on Facebook, commiserating, praying, and sharing what little advice and experience I've gained in five short months. I checked Twitter for updates on a new baby in the NICU, offered encouragement and more prayers. This may look very different than it used to, but it is essentially the same. I'm grateful for all my little tribes of mammas, living the joy and struggle of raising these tiny people together.



This recipe is adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day, a fabulous book full of unusual and inspiring vegetarian dishes. The original recipe calls for bananas and huckleberries (which, incidentally, I've never had!). I was craving rhubarb crisp, but looking for something a little more wholesome and substantial that could be eaten for breakfast, guilt-free. Rhubarb probably won't be at the local markets for another month or so, but I cheated last year and froze some. How wonderful it was to look in the back of my freezer and pull out the gift of spring a few weeks early! This would work with any fruit you have on hand; apples, pears, or berries would be lovely. Let me know what you try!

Baked Rhubarb Oatmeal

4 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and arrange a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish (or equivalent). Mix together the oats, half the walnuts, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl whisk together the milk, honey, egg, vanilla, and butter.

Arrange the rhubarb in the dish and sprinkle the sugar over. Toss the rhubarb a little to evenly distribute the sugar, but not too much; you don't want all the sugar to go to the bottom. Spread the oat mixture evenly over the top. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the top, and thump the pan on the counter gently to evenly distribute the milk through the oats. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden and set. Serve warm.

Rhubarb Syrup

Rhubarb is back, and this syrup is a delightful way to start off the season. The lime really complements the strong tangy rhubarb flavor, and the rosewater is so subtle as to be more of a scent than a flavor. Absolutely lovely.





If you're thinking that it's a lot of sugar, remember two things: this is rhubarb we're talking about, and we're trying to make a syrup. A lot of sugar is necessary. Here are some of my favorite ways to use this springy syrup!



Rhubarb Italian Soda!



Drizzled over yogurt and cereal in the morning...



AND used in place of maple syrup on buckwheat pancakes. Genius!



Rhubarb Syrup

from 101 cookbooks

1 pound rhubarb, chopped
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from one lime)
scant 2 teaspoons rosewater (more or less to taste)

Combine rhubarb and sugar in a medium saucepan and let rest for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the water and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook the rhubarb about 15-20 minutes, until it begins to break down. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, return to the saucepan, add the lime juice, and continue to cook until reduced and thickened quite a bit, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

When cool, add the rosewater a teaspoon at a time, being careful not to add too much - it's a very strong flavor, and you only want a whisper, not a scream. Store in a jar in the refrigerator - mine stayed good for about 2 weeks.

Yield: one pint jar.

Honeyed Rhubarb Cobbler

A beekeeper holding a full frame of honeybees

The Slow Food Chicago Summer Solstice Potluck at the Chicago Honey Co-op on Friday night was so much fun!  Usually potlucks are a sad amalgam of mayonnaise-based salads and jello molds dotted with canned fruit... not this one!  As you would expect from an event attended by people who are interested in Slow Food, the dishes people brought were fantastic!  I had some really amazing sun-dried tomato empanadas, something with quinoa and mole, a salad with grilled peaches, almonds and goat cheese that my friend brought, wild salmon, artisan breads, and some really amazing desserts!  I brought a honeyed (thanks, bees!) rhubarb cobbler that was gone before I could even take a picture of it!  Whoops! 

Not only does the Honey Co-op have a ton of hives, produce completely chemical-free honey, raise queen bees locally (normally beekeepers have to order queens from other areas with longer summers), and offer beekeeping classes; they also have a small urban farm growing on the same property!  We walked around through the beds, looking at some really gorgeous plants.  A man named Banks who was busily weeding and pulling up some spring onions showed us around a little bit, pointing out plants we weren't familiar with and telling us about all the gardens he works on.  He lives closeby, he told us, and started gardening because he retired too early, and needed something to do to keep him busy.  He filled our hands with bunches of onions and told us to come back in a few weeks for some tomatoes.  As we drove home, my hands smelling sweetly of damp earth and onions, I felt so happy to have found slow food, urban farming and gardening, the Chicago Honey Co-op, and Banks.

Rainbow Chard

Spring onions, fresh from the ground!
(And wine in a paper cup.  Happy Summer!)

Honeyed Rhubarb Cobbler
adapted from Ree's recipe

Because I made this to take to a bee farm potluck, I thought it only fitting that I add honey to it.  I used orange-blossom honey, for its strong, flowery flavor.  Any honey would work, but this was phenomenal.  If you can get your hands on orange-blossom, DO IT.

4 cups chopped rhubarb

1-½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoons almond extract (optional)

2 T orange-blossom honey

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ cups vegetable shortening or lard

¼ cups butter

½ cup whole milk

1 whole egg

more honey for drizzling, and raw sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine rhubarb, sugar, salt, almond extract, lemon juice and honey in a large bowl and set aside.  In another large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  Add softened butter and shortening and work in with your fingers (or a pastry cutter or two knives).  In a small bowl (or Pyrex liquid measuring cup), whisk together the milk and egg.  Pour milk and egg into the flour mixture and mix together with a fork until just moistened.  Place the rhubarb mixture into a shallow, buttered baking dish, and plop small pieces of dough on top of the fruit.  Drizzle generously (I mean it - really go for it) with honey, and sprinkle with raw sugar for a little extra crunch.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbling and golden brown, and serve warm.  With ice cream or whipped cream, or with nothing at all (if you happen to be taking it to a potluck, like me).

Lemon-Fennel Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Conserve

It took me a few hours to figure out what to do with my huge haul of strawberries from the market last week.  First I thought I would make strawberry shortcake.  Simple, allowing the strawberries to show off.  Then I considered this strawberry summer cake.  Then this strawberry upside-down cake with cardamom.  I couldn't decide!  I agonized!  I searched!  I read recipe after recipe trying to find something that would be worthy of these first summer strawberries.  I had settled on a strawberry-rhubarb crumble - the perfect way, I thought, to highlight the short period of time in which both are available!

Then, at the last minute, I didn't.  I decided to make an unrelated cake, and top it with a simple conserve of strawberries and rhubarb.  And I was right.  I will surely be making some cakes, pies, and crumbles with the strawberries to come, but for now, this was exactly what I wanted.  Plus, a bonus!  There's leftover conserve in the fridge, ready to be spooned directly into my mouth when I need a shockingly delicious reminder that it's finally, officially summer!  Happy summer, everyone!

Lemon-Fennel Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Conserve

The combination of ground pine nuts, yogurt, and olive oil gives this cake an almost pudding-like texture.  It is not too sweet, and is very delicious toasted the next morning for breakfast.

For the cake:
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup ground pine nuts
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8-inch standard loaf pan, and line with parchment so that the edges are folded over the sides like this (this makes the cake SO EASY to get out of the pan - it's like a little hammock you can use to lift it onto a cooling rack!). 

Sift together the flour, pine nuts, baking soda, fennel seeds and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine sugar, eggs, and lemon zest.  Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Fold in the olive oil.  Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan, and bake for 50-55 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Serve with strawberry-rhubarb conserve and a little dollop of plain whole-milk yogurt.

For the conserve:
2 cups hulled and halved super-ripe strawberries
2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
zest of 1 lemon, in strips

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and bubbling, but not so long that the fruit loses all of its shape.  Remove the lemon zest strips, cool and serve.

Rhubarb Streusel Muffins

To close out Rhubarb Week, I have a few little rhubarb-related tidbits to share with you.

First, this:

and this:

And I baked some muffins!  I baked them last night, because I'm leaving on an early flight to see my family and go to my cousin's wedding (whoop!), so heads-up, family!  I'm bringing muffins!  :-)

I'm very excited to get out of Chicago (where it was rainy and 45 degrees yesterday!  ick!), and go to Virginia, where today's high temperature is a toasty 90 degrees!  Did anyone else catch that?  THAT IS TWICE AS WARM!  I'm all about it.  I've got an adorable new vintage-inspired bathing suit, a big floppy hat, sunscreen, espadrilles... bring on the summer! 

I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Whole Wheat Rhubarb Streusel Muffins
adapted from Deb's recipe at smittenkitchen.com

I expected these to be a heartier breakfast muffin, because of the use of whole wheat flour, but they are surprisingly light!  Next time around, I might add in a little something else for heft - oatmeal or ground flaxseed, or walnuts.

Streusel:

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Muffins:

1 large egg
1/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced rhubarb, in 1/2-inch pieces (from about 6 to 8 ounces of stalks)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 12 muffin cups.

Make streusel: In a small dish, stir together flours, sugars, spices and salt. Stir in butter until crumbly. Set aside.

Make muffins: Whisk egg in the bottom of a large bowl with both sugars. Whisk in butter, then sour cream. In a separate bowl, mix together flours, baking powder and baking soda and stir them into the sour cream mixture, mixing until just combined and still a bit lumpy. Fold in rhubarb and 1/3 (feel free to eyeball this) of the streusel mixture.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with remaining streusel, then use a spoon to gently press the crumbs into the batter so that they adhere. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean. Rest muffins in pan on cooling rack for two minutes, then remove muffins from tin to cool them completely.

The Crostata That Almost Wasn't



Sometimes things just work out.

Yesterday afternoon, the Coppertop Guy called me.  A friend of ours who lives in Indiana had a really early flight out of O'Hare this morning and needed a place to crash.  We expected him to get in really late, say hi, go to sleep, and then leave before we woke up.  At about 5, CG called again to say that our friend had gotten on an earlier train and was going to be to our place at about 7.  I love to feed people, so I was happy about this new development.  I got home from work, looked at the messy house, decided that people like to eat more than they like to look at clean rooms, and went straight to the kitchen.  I threw together the crust for this absolutely lovely strawberry rhubarb crostata that I had been planning.  CG got home and I found out immediately that he did not share my opinion about messy rooms not mattering.  Ah well, marriage is a learning experience, after all.  I baked chicken breasts and potatoes, made these butter-glazed radishes and carrots, and tossed together a quick spinach salad.  While everything was working (I love braised and baked things - you can get them going and then go do something else!), I made the strawberry-rhubarb filling.  Then we sat down to eat.

I love when friends unexpectedly drop by.  This is probably due in part to my leave-the-mess-and-let's-have-some-cake mentality, but mostly I just love having people around.  This particular friend just finished his Master's degree and is about to start a new job, left this morning for a week-long trip to El Salvador, and his wife is having a baby in August.  It was so nice to have this impromptu get-together to catch up and hear about his life.  With all the ways we have to communicate with each other, nothing can replace a face-to-face conversation over a shared meal.

Not to mention, it can really pay off to have an extra pair (or two) of hands in the kitchen.

Caught up as I was in the lively conversation we were all having, I didn't give my full attention to the crostata assembly.  I took the little disk of dough out of the fridge, sprinkled flour on the counter, and started rolling.  I got it all rolled out, poured the filling on top, folded up the edges... and then remembered that I was supposed to have done all this on a piece of parchment so that I could transfer it from the counter to a baking sheet. 

Pause for a moment of panic.

These two sweet men who were casually chatting in the kitchen saw the impending catasrophe, and with barely a word from me, they sprang into action!  It took six hands and two spatulas to get that sucker onto the pan, but it didn't fall apart!  Woohoo!  Crisis averted!

I am very thankful for my friends.

Rhubarb and Strawberry Crostata

adapted from Bon Appetit, May 2011

The flavor of the whole wheat flour adds a whole new level to the crust, and its nuttiness stands up well to the intense flavor of the rhubarb.  I used coarse kosher salt, and I loved coming across the little intact bits of it as I ate!  Salt + butter + sugar = good.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cubed

1 large egg

1 tablespoon whole milk

Filling:

1/4 cup cornstarch

4 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices rhubarb (about 6 stalks)

1 cup fresh strawberries, quartered

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg, beaten

Raw sugar

Combine both flours, sugar, and salt in a processor; blend for 5 seconds. Add butter; pulse until butter is reduced to pea-size pieces. Whisk egg and milk in a small bowl to blend; add to processor and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill at least 1 1/2 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Dissolve cornstarch in 3 Tbsp. water in a small bowl; set aside. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, and sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and juices are released, about 4 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil (rhubarb will not be tender and slices will still be intact). Transfer to a bowl. Chill until cool, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out dough on floured parchment paper to 12" round; brush with beaten egg. Mound filling in center of crust; gently spread out, leaving 1 1/2" border. Gently fold edges of dough over filling, pleating as needed. Brush border with egg; sprinkle with raw sugar. Slide parchment with crostata onto a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Let crostata cool on baking sheet on a rack. Transfer crostata to a platter, cut into wedges, and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Tornado Relief (and Roasted Rhubarb)



A streetcorner in Joplin, before and after the tornado. (Photo cred: Flickr/Aaron Fuhrman)

Some friends of ours live in Joplin, MO.  Sunday night's tornado missed their house by a few blocks, and they are safe, but I can't stop thinking about them.  And I can't stop praying for the people who were not so lucky; people who lost their homes, or even their lives.  I've been watching footage of the wreckage the tornado left, feeling helpless... and watching in disbelief as the reports of more tornadoes keep pouring in.

If you'd like to help the relief effort in Joplin, there are many different ways you can contribute.  CNN has compiled a list of the different organizations that are helping to clean up, care for those who were injured, reunite people with their families, and provide food, water, and shelter to those whose homes were destroyed.  Text "REDCROSS" to 90999 to make a $10 donation, or visit the American Red Cross website to donate, give blood or volunteer.

I will donate $1 to the Red Cross for every person who comments on this post with a prayer or a word of encouragement to those affected by this disaster.

And here's a recipe, too.  To make your day a little sweeter.

Roasted Rhubarb
adapted from Molly's take on a recipe from Canal House Cooking, Volume 3

I just became aware of the existence of vanilla bean paste earlier this week, and I am still a little amazed by it.  For less than the price of two vanilla beans, you can get four ounces of a mixture of sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla beans that, to my taste, does precisely the same thing that vanilla beans do.  And it lasts forever in the fridge!  For a girl on a budget, this option cannot be beat. 

2 lb. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths
½ cup sugar
½ cup crisp white wine
1 vanilla bean, split (or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste)

Set a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the rhubarb in a Dutch oven or other deep oven-safe pot. Add the sugar, wine, and vanilla bean (paste), and stir to mix. Bake (uncovered) for about 30 minutes, or until very tender, giving the pot a gentle stir about midway through to ensure that the rhubarb cooks evenly.

Yield: About 2 cups.

Lentils with Rhubarb and Caramelized Onions

I just finished reading Mark Bittman's Food Matters (you should read it; it's fabulous), and it convinced me (again) to eat many, many more plants.  If you're anything like me, deciding not to eat something leads to obsessing over it, dreaming about it, and eating it in extraordinarily large quantities.  Here's how the conversation with myself usually goes:

Well-intentioned me, on a Sunday night, after a sugar-, carb-, meat-, cheese- and alcohol-laden (otherwise known as fun) weekend:

"OK. This week I'm going to commit to being healthier. I'm not going to eat refined carbs or sugar. I'm going to scale back the wine. I'm going to eat less meat and cheese. I'm going to work out every day! I can do it!"

Realistic, food-loving me, about 15 minutes later:

"But wait... what about bread?  I think I should be able to have bread.  And what about those cookies I was going to make?  And chocolate.  OK, but only dark chocolate, and only in small portions..."

Hungry me, Monday morning:

"I WANT A DONUT!!!!!"

Clearly, this approach is not working out so well.  So instead of reminding myself several times a day of what things I want not to eat, I am expanding the horizons of what I would like to eat.  Namely, plants.  Fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains.  These things are delicious!  Instead of choking down blandly prepared, sad piles of refrigerated grains and veggies, I want to eat plant-based meals that taste amazing!  And this is not hard, it just takes a little imagination, a willingness to experiment with new flavors, foods, and combinations, and maybe a little planning. 

Most of the savory rhubarb recipes I've seen so far combine it with either meat or legumes and Indian spices.  I made some lentils with rhubarb, and I loved it so much that I can't wait to try some of the other things I've seen!  The rhubarb is pleasantly sour, but not sharp.  Combined with the sweetness of caramelized onions and the earthiness of the lentils, it is delicious, and even better eaten as leftovers for lunch the next day! 

Lentils with Rhubarb and Caramelized Onions
adapted from this recipe from My Little City Food Garden

Ingredients:
1 onion, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1/8 cup dry white wine
4-5 fresh stalks rhubarb, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup lentils
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or a few sprigs fresh if you have it on hand)
Salt to taste

Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add onions a small handful at a time, waiting until each addition softens a little before adding more.  Once the onions are golden, caramelized, and smelling like heaven, add the wine and deglaze the pan.  Add rhubarb, lentils, vegetable stock, and thyme, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil.  Cover immediately, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 35 minutes, until liquid is evaporated and lentils are tender.  Adjust seasonings and serve.

Rhubarb Week!

      

I am obsessed with rhubarb right now, and I decided to make it official. 

I hereby declare this to be the Coppertop Kitchen Official Week of Rhubarb!

For my whole life, I have been content to make one rhubarb crisp a year, sit down and eat the whole thing myself with a spoon, and wait until next spring to do it again.  This year, I decided to find out what else I might be able to do with this delicious seasonal vegetable/fruit!  Each day this week, I will devote my time here to sharing little-known-facts about rhubarb, and some recipes that don't (all) involve strawberries and/or pastry.

Did you know?

Rhubarb was first cultivated in China for medicinal purposes (it is a digestive aid, and can be a mild laxative), and was first grown for culinary purposes in Britain and America in the 18th century. 

Rhubarb Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake
adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2008

This recipe originally used cherries and balsamic vinegar instead of rhubarb and bourbon, but my version worked beautifully.  Also, I don't have an appropriately-sized and -shaped skillet, so I used a regular 9-inch cake pan. 

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided

1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon bourbon 

3 cups chopped fresh rhubarb (4-5 stalks) 

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably stone-ground medium grind)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs, separated

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon bourbon

1/2 cup whole milk

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Combine 1/4 cup butter with brown sugar and 1 tablespoon bourbon in 10- to 11-inch ovenproof skillet with 2-inch-high sides. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high; add rhubarb and bring to boil. Remove from heat.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter in large bowl. Add sugar; beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, vanilla and 1 teaspoon bourbon. Add flour mixture alternately with milk in 2 additions each, beating just until blended and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until whites are stiff but not dry. Using rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of whites into batter to lighten slightly. Fold in remaining whites in 3 additions (batter will be thick). Spoon batter over rhubarb in skillet, then spread evenly with offset spatula to cover rhubarb.

Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool in skillet on rack 5 minutes. Run spatula around edges of cake to loosen. Place large serving platter upside down atop skillet. Using pot holders or oven mitts, firmly hold platter and skillet together and invert. Leave skillet atop cake 5 minutes. Remove skillet. If necessary, rearrange any fruit that may have become dislodged. Let cake cool at least 45 minutes. Cut cake into wedges and serve slightly warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or bourbon-laced fresh whipped cream.

Market Day... and Moose Tracks Cookies.

Visited the Daley Plaza market again today, and picked up so much great stuff!  Pickles, orange blossom honey (the local bees went for a winter vacation in Florida), 3 more bunches of asparagus, some cheese, and most importantly...

RHUBARB!!!

I looked for it last week, but they had already sold out by the time I got there!  So I got two bunches this time.  And I will be searching high and low for different ways to use this delicious vegetable... fruit?

...(going to Wikipedia)...

"Rhubarb is usually considered to be a vegetable; however, in the United States, a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit it was to be counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties."  What duties do fruits have, exactly?

Anyway...

The farmer who sold me the rhubarb told me that it freezes really well, and I told him thanks for the tip, but I'd rather stuff myself silly with something when it's in season (even if that's only 3 weeks a year), and then wait for it to come around again.  He looked at me with that look salespeople get when you talk to them more than they wanted you to, and I continued to the next stall to make someone else uncomfortable. 

Keep your eyes peeled for rhubarb-laden recipes in the coming days (and please share some if you've got good ones!), but in the meantime, you should probably make these!

Moose Tracks Cookies!

I came across this recipe yesterday as I was scanning my favorite blogs, and as soon as I read the words "pudding cookies," I knew I was a goner.  As far as I can tell, there are nearly limitless flavor combinations for these cookies, but the Coppertop Guy loves Chocolate Moose Tracks ice cream, and I wanted to do something nice for him.  And I wanted not to have to eat all the cookies myself.  And I had bought this little container of mini milk chocolate peanut butter cups at Trader Joe's this weekend.

So the Moose Tracks cookies were born!  And they are goooooooooooood. 

Chocolate Moose Tracks Cookies

(about 40 cookies)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 3.9-oz. package instant chocolate pudding mix

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

3 Tbsp. chocolate sauce (I used Hershey's Special Dark)

1 12-oz. container mini milk chocolate peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until fluffy again.  Add vanilla and pudding mix, and beat until combined.  Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda, and add to the butter and sugar mixture.  Mix well.  Drizzle in the chocolate sauce, and mix well again.  Gently stir in peanut butter cups.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, press down slightly to flatten, and bake 10-12 minutes.  Pour yourself a glass of milk.  Eat, baby.