A Summer Without Rhubarb!

I write about rhubarb every summer. After all, it is my favorite vegetable.  And why not? You put sugar and butter on it, mix it into cake batter or throw it in a pie crust. You eat it and call it a vegetable! Life is Good!

Every year, I think 'I cannot find another rhubarb recipe'. Just when I think I have come to the end of the rhubarb recipes, low and behold, another recipe pops us.

This year I found a recipe for rhubarb bread. Quite tasty. Check out Discover Seasonal Cooking later this summer for that recipe. It's a real gem.

I also found a recipe for Rhubarb Frangipane Pie. A new recipe - for rhubarb. I was in 'hog heaven'. As it turns out, frangipane is an almond flavored pastry cream. After making the pie, I thought the frangipane would be good with other fruit based desserts. When I looked through my resources, it stated that frangipane is often used with fruit based desserts. Okay, so my idea was not original. That's fine, cooking is about each of us making discoveries in our own time.

Here is my recipe for rhubarb frangipane pie. The original recipe called for a cornmeal crust. I ditched that in favor of a regular crust. You decide.

Rhubarb Frangipane Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie.

Ingredients:

Source: First Prize Pies by Allison Kave and Tina Rupp

⅔ cup slivered almonds, toasted
⅓ cup sugar
6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon vanilla flavor

Rhubarb Filling:
¾ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ pounds rhubarb, sliced, about 3 cups
Zest of one orange
Egg wash or milk, for glaze
Raw or brown sugar, for garnish

Pie dough, for two crusts

Directions:

1. Frangipane Filling. In a food processor, grind almonds and sugar until the mixture is sandy. Add butter, egg, flour, and vanilla. Process until mixture is smooth. Set aside until ready to assemble the pie.

2. Rhubarb Filling. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the rhubarb and orange zest. Stir mixture to coat the rhubarb.

3. Roll out pie crust and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Spread frangipane over the bottom of the crust. Top with rhubarb mixture. Brush edges of pie crust with egg wash or milk.

4. Roll out the second pie crust into an 11-inch circle. Place crust over top of pie. Trim edges of second crust. Press the two crusts together to seal.

5. Brush crust with egg wash or milk. Sprinkle sugar over the top. Cut vents in the top crust to allow steam to escape.

6. Baking the Pie. Preheat oven to 425°F.

7. Place pie on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is set. Remove the pie to cool completely, at least one hour.

Source: First Prize Pies by Allison Kave and Tina Rupp

Celebrating Ramadan

Members of the Muslim faith are currently observing Ramadan.  So this month, I decided to blog on Ramadan.  No, I am not Muslim and do not profess to be well versed in the culture.  I do, however, believe that we all have an obligation to at least attempt to understand the culture of others.  As I began to research for this posting, I found a lot of interesting information on Ramadan.   So, it is in that vein that I am writing this blog.

Ramadan is celebrated during the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar and lasts for 29 or 30 days.  The dates for Ramadan vary each year, moving backwards by about eleven days per year, thus in 34 years; Muslims will have fasted every day of the calendar year. Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month in which the first verse of the Qur’an was revealed to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.

It is a time of spiritual reflection and worship.  Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam and to avoid obscene and irreligious sights and sounds.   During fasting, intercourse is prohibited as well as eating and drinking, and resistance of all temptations is encouraged.  Purity of both thought and action is important.  The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm.  It also teaches Muslims to practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate; thus encouraging actions of generosity and charity.

Ramadan is also a time when Muslims are to slow down from worldly affairs and focus on self-reformation, spiritual cleansing and enlightenment; this is to establish a link between themselves and God through prayer, supplication, charity, good deeds, kindness and helping others.  Since it is a festival of giving and sharing, Muslims prepare special foods and buy gifts for their family and friends and for giving to the poor and needy.  There is also a social aspect involving the preparation of special foods and inviting people for iftar, the fast-breaking meal.  Iftar begins with the eating of three dates.  After eating dates, it is prayer time and finally the celebratory meal.

While you may not be celebrating Ramadan, if you are like me, you probably need to slow down – and breathe.  So please, prepare a meal, invite a few friends over and maybe bake this pie. 

New Fashioned Bean Pie

Ingredients:

2 cans (15 ounces, each) white beans, such as,

   Great Northern Beans, Navy or Cannellini
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 pie crust

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Drain and rinse beans. 
3. In a blender or food processor, blend beans and the remaining ingredients.  Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a pie crust.
4. Bake at 375°F for 1 hour or until the center is slightly soft. 

Note:  If this pie is made in a purchased deep dish pie crust, you will have a little filling left over. 

Ode to Rhubarb – It’s a Vegetable

One of the first signs of spring in the Midwest is rhubarb popping through the ground. You see, the reason I like rhubarb is because botanically it is a vegetable. But if you are going to eat rhubarb, you gotta cover it with sugar and a healthy dose of butter doesn’t hurt either. It’s vegetable that you get to eat for dessert. Vegetable for dessert – life is good.

It wasn’t until I moved to the Midwest that I became acquainted with rhubarb. It didn’t grow in the South, but hey we got watermelon (but that’s another blog).

There are two basic types of rhubarb, green and red. Personally, I prefer the red. If your neighbor is giving you green rhubarb, take it. Rhubarb has a very sour taste and astringent flavor. Therefore the need for sugar or some other fruit, like strawberries.

Midwesterners say strawberries are a perfect complement to rhubarb. I don’t know if that is because they both show up in the spring or because you have got to put something with rhubarb. There is strawberry-rhubarb jam – a classic that always makes an appearance at the county fair. http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_07/rhubarb_strawberry_jam_liquid.html According to folklore, rhubarb was added to stretch the strawberries.

There appears to be an endless supply of rhubarb recipes –

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lattice-Topped-Strawberry-Rhubarb-Pie-4459

I understand from my Midwestern friends that this recipe is a new thing. That is, not something they ate as children. It’s a good pie, so I say, “that’s too bad”.

Rhubarb Custard Pie - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rhubarb-Custard-Pie-III/Detail.aspx My friend makes this pie and it’s good!

Apple Rhubarb Chutney

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups rhubarb, diced
½ cup water
¾ cup sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith, diced
1 – 1 inch piece of a cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
½ cup raisins
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper

Directions:
1. Heat oil and sauté onions, garlic and ginger until transparent. Add everything else and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Mixture should be thick not soupy.

2. Mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for several months. I can’t say that I have tried this one, but my friend says it’s great with pork or chicken. For those of you who prefer something a little more savory or with fewer calories, give this one a try.

Donna Handley’s Rhubarb Cake

Ingredients:
1 box (18.25 ounces) yellow or white cake mix
4 cups sliced rhubarb
1⅓ cups sugar
2 cups whipping cream

Directions:
1. Mix rhubarb and sugar. Set aside.

2. Prepare cake according to package directions. Pour into a greased 9 X 13-inch. Sprinkle rhubarb over top of cake batter.

3. Pour whipping cream over top. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

This time of year rhubarb is quiet easy to find in the Midwest. Check your neighbor’s backyard, you may find a steady supply (aka, free). If you are unable to find rhubarb in the neighborhood, head out to your local farmers market.

Thanks for reading about rhubarb. Take a stroll through your neighbor’s garden or the local farmers market and pick up a bunch. I gotta go and get another piece of rhubarb cake. If I eat enough, I can get full serving of vegetables.