Springing into Summer

Monette’s Rhubarb Cake

At first bite, I declared it a coffee cake with an enjoyable tartness from the rhubarb. Very moist, and we loved it. I had to take this picture quickly before leaving for work as I knew there would be a piece missing by the time I got home. If you enjoy rhubarb, you will enjoy this. 

Here is the link to the recipe. I am quite happy with the majority of Ricardo's recipes. 

1/2 cup (125 ml) unsalted butter softened
1 egg 
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) brown sugar -- I used only one cup of brown sugar and it was perfectly fine
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract 
2 cups (500 ml) flour 
1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking soda 
A pinch of salt 
1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk (the recipe says you can use vinegar mixed with milk instead of using buttermilk which is what I did)
2 cups (500 ml) fresh unpeeled rhubarb, dice into 1/2-inch (1-cm) pieces or 2 cups (500 ml) frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained 
1/4 cup (60 ml) sugar 
1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cinnamon 

Preparation 

1. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (350 ºF). Butter a 8-inch springform pan. 

2. In a bowl, beat the butter, egg, brown sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth. 

3. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the previous mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Add the rhubarb and combine with a wooden spoon. Pour into the prepared pan. 

4. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of cake. 

5. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. 

Rhubarb Dream Bars..the Hummingbirds are coming!

 

Yay, we finally have decent weather and the hummingbirds are on their way!!
This week it's about the little things. Here we celebrate the Lenten Rose blooms and the arrival of the hummingbirds. I even have clematis buds. This is big folks :-) Over the weekend, I noticed I had some frozen rhubarb from last July so I pulled out my rhubarb folder where I have six tried and tested recipes. I found the recipe for Rhubarb Dream Bars and I was reminded of how good they are. Too good really, but always share with my next door neighbor Isabelle who is 95 and still bakes and shares with me.   

It's a nice change of pace from the usual rhubarb pie or cake recipe.

Rhubarb Dream Bars

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups white sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 4 1/2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups of flour, confectioners' sugar and butter until it forms a dough, or at least the butter is in small crumbs. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. While this bakes, whisk together the white sugar, salt, flour and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in rhubarb to coat. Spread evenly over the baked crust when it comes out of the oven.
3. Bake for another 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until rhubarb is tender. Cool and cut into squares to serve.

Thank you for stopping by! 

xoxo

Debbie

May, Rhubarb & Beekman Boys

Happy May, Happy Mother's Day. A friend shared these beautiful lilacs with me, and I just can't get enough of all the beautiful spring blooms. 

Each spring I look forward to seeing this rhubarb sign, it's self service with a cash jar on the table. $1.50 per bunch, just picked from her chemical-free garden. She happened to be pulling out of her driveway when we stopped to make our rhubarb purchase. Her smile was ear to ear. If you enjoy rhubarb, I have a couple recipes I enjoy mini pies  and rhubarb apple pandowdy.

When I was offered this beautiful Farm-to-Table Desserts book by chef Lei Shishak who grew up in rural Pennsylvania, I jumped at the offer to let my blog friends know about this new book with 80 seasonal, organic recipes. Go back to the earth, back to basics whenever you can. Back to a time when it was easy to find whole, chemical-free foods in your own community, to support local farmers. Lei demonstrates how baking with locally sourced, organic ingredients is so satisfying. This book is divided by seasons which I love since I try to use local ingredients at their prime. 

I made her Rhubarb Cardamon Cake which was lovely. "The texture and shape of this cake is similar to a pound cake, but what makes it so much more is the gorgeous red sweet-tart rhubarb on top and the hidden layers of soft rhubarb in the middle. This cake is lightly flavored with cardamon, ginger and orange liquor."

Ooh, what is in that mini Courtly Check loaf pan...it is a lavender poppyseed mini tea loaf that is the perfect size for two of us. It's from a gift set that comes with soap, lotion and a mini baking dish.  MacKenzie- Childs entered a regional-based collaboration with Beekman 1802 from Upstate NY. The "Beekman Boys" Josh and Brent were at MKC and we popped in to see them.  I have been to the Beekman Farm which is used for goat milk soap and cheese production. These are a couple perks of living in Central New York. Don't ask me in the winter why we live here. 

You may recall that in 2012 the "boys" won $1 million on the CBS show "The Amazing Race". They invested the money in the business. I found out about them several years ago when they had their own TV show on Planet Green and later on the Cooking Channel. They worked with Martha Stewart at one time.

I rarely make a pie because we can't eat more than two slices, so my sisters and nieces and I are enjoying the mini pies from the Breville pie maker that I dusted off. I bought it in 2012, and am enjoying it again. All it took was La Table de Nana to post a pic on Instagram to jog my memory. 

Thanks for stopping by!
Debbie

RHUBARB MINI PIES

I adore mini pies, and I'm madly in love with the mini pie maker that I got on sale at Williams-Sonoma for $100 off in April. The first pies I made were mini cherry pies. Since April, I have made just about every fruit pie you can name, and my new favorite is Rhubarb. Most of the pies I have given away, and my mom always enjoys the weekly delivery.

                  

I used a Rhubarb Pie recipe from Thibeault's Table (Rhubarb Pie Source: Madame Benoit Cooks at Home 1978)  It is the best rhubarb pie filling I have ever had. I baked the filling in a casserole dish before using it in the pie maker, and cut the recipe in half to make FOUR mini pies.

I have been experimenting with different store bought pie crusts to use in the pie maker, and the frozen Belmont brand deep dish pie crusts are the best by far. I found them at Aldi's in the freezer section, and they come in 9" reusable pans (keep the sturdy pans for future use). I thaw the pie crust in the refrigerator, and then remove it from the pan and roll it just enough to flatten the crimped edges. (see photo below) 

The pies sit on a tiered stand until I make my deliveries. Or until I eat one :-)

The recipe:

4 cups rhubarb, cut in to 1/2 inch pieces

2 eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons flour

pinch of salt

juice of 1/2 small lemon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pastry for two crusts

1 tablespoon sugar

Roll out dough for bottom crust and line pie plate with pastry. Beat eggs lightly, and then stir in brown and white sugars, flour, lemon juice, salt and extract. Mix in rhubarb. Pour into pour in to pie shell. Roll out remaining pastry and cut into strips. Weave pastry strips over top and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake in a 450°F oven on bottom shelf for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and move pie to middle of the oven. Continue baking for 25 to 35 minutes.

While I was picking rhubarb from the garden, I took time to enjoy the joyous June blooms. 

Thank you for stopping by!

xxoo

Debbie