Strawberry and Rhubarb Cake

Garden rhubarb is getting a bit long in the tooth at this point in the season, but this cake makes fine use of it, sliced thinly and partnered with strawberries.  Together, they cook in a buttery caramel with a light sponge on top, and the whole thing is turned out as an 'upside down' cake, delicious slightly warm with ice cream or whipped cream.  I use a classic 'pound cake' recipe, with 130g each of self-raising flour, soft unsalted butter and caster sugar, mixed in a KitchenAid with 2 eggs, 2 slightly heaped tablespoons of Greek yoghurt and a teaspoon of vanilla essence.  For the fruit bit, line a 20cm square or round tin with baking parchment, dollop in 40g of butter and 2 tablespoons of soft brown sugar and put into an oven (180C fan) for 8 minutes until the butter has melted and the sugar is bubbling and starting to caramelise.  Now, take 1 large or 2 medium sticks of trimmed rhubard, cut cross-ways into pieces as thick as a £1 coin, and lay out over the caramelised butter/sugar.  Now top with 2 handfuls of hulled, halved strawberries.  Gently dollop the cake batter over the surface, spread with a spatula (don't worry if bits of fruit peek out a little) and bake at 170C for about 30 minutes or so, until the sponge is set and a skewer comes out clean.  Leave in the tin for 20 minutes or so to cool, then turn out onto a large cake plate or board, peel off the parchment and cut into squares or slices.  Eat with a dollop of vanilla or strawberry ice cream or whipped cream.  Any leftovers (who am I kidding!) are nice eaten cold as a regular cake.

Rhubarb Fool

Hubby went to the excellent pick-your-own Rectory Farm in Stanton St. John on Thursday, and picked some wonderful asparagus, which is late this year, but with an intense grassy flavour.  He also got some of their main crop outdoor rhubarb.  Normally, this is fairly green, but the variety they grow here is the most amazing red colour, and is tender and not too tart.  We baked it with sugar, orange zest and juice, and when cool, folded the drained fruit through pillows of softly-whipped double cream and 0% Greek Yoghurt, (about 2:1 ratio) with a tablespoon of icing sugar to sweeten.  Served with shortbread thins (recipe follows) this is a delicious dessert to have in early summer - a perfect blend of tart/sweet fruit, creaminess and crisp biscuitiness. 

Rhubarb Frangipane Tart

Frangipane is very adaptable - it can be spread in a shortcrust pastry base, as here, or in a galette or jalousie of puff pastry.  Most fruits go well with it, and I have made variations with plum, apple, apricots, figs, and more.  Today's version has the shortcrust pastry case spread with rhubarb jam and chunks of rhubarb baked in orange zest and sugar, then topped with the frangipane mixture, which is simplicity itself to make: 100g each of soft unsalted butter, ground almonds and caster sugar, 2 eggs and the zest of an orange.  Mix for a minute or two in an electric mixer until creamy and well combined.  If it is very loose, add up to 25g of flour, but no more - you want it to be moist and almondy rather than too 'cakey'.  Carefully dollop and spread over the jam and rhubarb, sprinkle with flaked almonds, and bake at 170C (fan) or the equivalent for 40 mins until golden brown and the pastry is golden and crisp.  Serve just warm with cream or, in our case, custard.  Enjoy!

Apple and Rhubarb Crumble

It has been snowing here in Oxford, so a crumble and custard is definitely called for!  I discovered this lovely recipe from Tom Parker-Bowles, and it is a winning combo.  I added a spoonful of flour to the fruit, as the rhubarb makes a lot of sauce, which the flour thickened nicely.  I used Calvados, which is apple brandy, after all, and just a tablespoon of it over the fruit has filled the flat with the most incredible smell as it cooks.  Perfect.

Poached Rhubarb with Ginger Yoghurt and Pistachios

This was pretty as a picture and delicious after a rich meal of roast duck.  Now, you COULD spend all day chopping crystallised ginger into tiny chunks and adding to Greek Yoghurt and honey, or you could just go buy a tub of Rachel's Greek Yoghurt with Ginger.  Guess the option I took.  The forced rhubarb was gently roasted with the zest and juice of a blood orange and some sugar, then chilled.  Come pudding-time, the rhubarb and yoghurt are gently swirled together and topped off with some chopped pistachios.  So simple, so utterly divine, so try some.  This would also be perfect after a spicy Middle Eastern or Indian meal.

Rhubarb Pie

A pie stands or falls (literally) on its pastry crust, and this, if I may say so, is a very good one.  Actually, it is a Nigel Slater recipe, and I first used it in his Apple Shortcrust Pie.  For a 7inch pie dish, you need 100g each of butter and caster sugar, 175g plain flour and an egg yolk mixed with a couple of teaspoons cold water - keep the egg white.  I blitz the sugar and butter in a food processor, then add the flour.  Pulse until crumbly (you might need to scrape down the sides of the processor) and add the egg yolk and water.  Pulse again to mix, tip out onto a sheet of cling film and knead LIGHTLY and briefly into a dough.  Flatten, cover and rest in the fridge for at least an hour.  Cut in half, roll out one piece into a disc between sheets of clingfilm and line the pie dish.  Fill generously with your chosen fruit - in this case, lots of finely sliced rhubarb mixed with sugar and a tablespoon of cornflour - and then top with the remaining pastry, rolled out.  Brush the edges with lightly beaten egg white first to seal the two edges.  Now brush the surface with more egg white, sprinkle with a teaspoon of granulated sugar, and bake at 170C (fan) for 40 minutes.  If it browns too much cover loosely with foil.  Simple, crumbly and delicious.

Rhubarb and Strawberry Crostata

English strawberries are in the shops now - I worry about the environmental impact of all that heated polytunnel growing, and then - hypocritically - go and buy them.  I am always a little disappointed, as the flavour is never going to be as good as the ones in May and June grown in the sunshine and open air.  But, they are fine for cooking, and go so well with rhubarb.  I love crostatas which is just a posh way of saying tart!  They are so easy to make and look so pretty.  I chopped the rhubarb and cooked it with sugar.  Make sure it goes into a puree.  When cool, mix with sliced strawberries and a couple of teaspoons of cornflour, then pile in the middle of a round of shortcrust pastry and bring the edges up around the filling.  Bake in a medium oven (on baking parchment) for 35 minutes or so until the pastry is crisp and the filling has cooked into a delicious sweet jamminess.  Serve with clotted cream for a real Easter treat.

Rhubarb and Custard Fool

This is scarcely a recipe really, but sometimes the simple things in life are the best.  We had a bunch of rhubarb (about 500g) delivered in the Riverford box, so it was chopped, sprinkled with orange sugar and baked.  To make this, you grate the zest of an orange into a bowl containing 3 tablespoons of caster sugar, and mix it all so the orange oil impregnates the sugar to produce a damp, orangey sandy texture.  Bake the rhubarb for 40 minutes until really tender and juicy.  When cold, fold into a carton of good-quality, fresh custard - usually about a pint.  Spoon into nice glasses and allow to chill in the fridge.  Serve with a crisp biscuit or piece of shortbread.  Yummy!

Baked Rhubarb and Blueberries

Simplicity itself, and a super combination.  This Nigel Slater recipe gave me an opportunity to use up a punnet of blueberries that had been lurking in the freezer, alongside some lovely fresh garden rhubarb that arrived in the Riverford box.  All you do is combine equal quantities of the fruit - I used 250g each of chopped rhubarb and blueberries and tip into a shallow baking dish.  Top with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar, mixed with a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon OR the grated zest of an orange, whichever floats your boat.  Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of water (or orange juice if you used the zest) and bake at 160C for about 25 minutes.  Tip into a pretty bowl and chill.  We will eat this for breakfast over the next couple of mornings, spooned over thick Greek yoghurt with honey.  As the strawberry season approaches, I shall substitute the blueberries at the end of the baking time, stirring them through the cooked rhubarb - they go so well together too.

Cardamom Rice Pudding with Roast Rhubard

One of the joys of growing up in the 1960s and 70s was being given Ambrosia Rice Pudding for dessert - do they still make it?  I shall have to have a look.  With tinned mandarin oranges, it were a real treat!  I love rice pudding of any sort, although I am not a fan of the skin on a baked pudding.  This version came to me via Fiona Beckett's 'Frugal Cook' blog, and she bakes arborio rice in evaporated milk with sugar and cardamom pods.  I used full cream fresh milk instead.  By covering the dish with foil and stirring regularly, you keep away the dreaded skin.  It is amazing how little rice - about 65g - is needed for a pint of milk and a couple of tablespoons of sugar.  A long, slow bake, covered with foil, yields a lovely creamy pud, that I prefer served cold.  You can vary the flavourings with classic vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon.  I sometimes use some coconut milk to replace ordinary milk for a lovely twist, nice after a light Asian meal.  I followed Fiona's lead and served roast rhubarb, done my usual way with orange zest and juice.   But fresh pineapple or pureed mango are nice at this time of year. 

Rhubarb and Orange Ice Cream

I love home-made ice cream, but as I only have one of the machines that need to be pre-frozen, it is sometimes a bit of a palavar.  So, this 'cheat's version is a great alternative, as you simply add the ingredients to a tub of slightly-softened, good quality bought vanilla ice cream.  I used a litre tub of Yeo Valley vanilla but go for your favourite.  I started by roasting a pack of Yorkshire forced rhubarb, which is bang in season now.  Please don't succumb to the Dutch stuff, support an old, traditional industry.  Check out Oldroyd's website for a fascinating history of this product.

Anyway, cut a pack, about 4 long, slender, shocking pink sticks, into chunks and put in a single layer if possible in a baking dish.  Now, zest an orange, and stir into 3 tablespoons of caster sugar, and sprinkle over the rhubarb.  Juice the orange and pour over the sugary chunks.  Bake at 160C for 20-25 minutes until the rhubarb is tender and the whole thing is lovely and juicy.  Allow to cool.  Take out your ice cream from the freezer and allow to soften for 10 minutes.  Now, either tip into a food processor with the cold cooked rhubarb and juices and blitz in short sharp buzzes until rippled through, or roughly blend the rhubarb until still a bit chunky, tip the ice cream into a bowl and fold the blended rhubarb through.  Either way, Pour the ice cream into a lidded plastic container and return to the freezer sharpish so it can all settle and freeze again.  Serve with more roasted rhubarb and some crisp little biscuits - shortbread, perhaps, or I like Bonne Maman Butter Galettes for a complete cheat's dessert!

Vanilla Pannacotta with Rhubarb Compote

More lovely rhubarb in the Riverford veg box this week, which was baked with sugar and a little rosewater to make a lovely counterpoint to a creamy, delicate pannacotta. Deliciously cool after the lamb navarin. I made the pannacotta with half milk and half cream, so it isn't quite so sinful, and set it with as little gelatine leaf as I could get away with - makes turning out a wee bit of a gamble but worth it!

Rhubarb and Cinnamon Cobbler [#244]

I HAD planned to make a rhubarb cinnamon cake, but couldn't be bothered. You know how it is? So, instead I made Rachel's cobbler, with a few tweaks. A cobbler is basically a scone topping, made light and fluffy with buttermilk or yoghurt (which I used) and quite a wet mix that spreads out, to resemble cobbled streets. I had some wonderful outdoor rhubarb in the veg box, so instead of the usual ginger or orange, I mixed a little cinnamon into the light brown sugar that sweetened the fruit, and was rewarded with a deep, dark fruit layer to accompany the sweet scone topping. Yum! So, the blog is back on! Thanks for sticking with me

Rhubarb Crumble [#243]

I know, this is hardly a challenge, but I do love a good crumble and the rhubard is so fab at the moment. I also wanted to share Rachel Allan's topping, which ALWAYS works. Why should something as simple as a crumble topping cause problems? Well, in the past, I've found that various recipes disappoint, primarily because they don't get the proportions of ingredients right and end up doughy and clarty on cooking. Rachel uses 75g each of butter and soft brown sugar, and 150g of plain flour - and that's it. Nothing else, no fancy schmamcy sugars, ground nuts etc and certainly no baking powder. These proportions produce - for me anyway - the perfect crumble topping, short, crisp all the way through, and a delicious accompaniment to the slightly tart rhubarb with orange, and a proper custard. Lovely job!

Fruit and Almond Crumble [#86]

In the book, Nigel uses greengages, but these won't be in season for several months (around July/August) so I substituted rhubarb and strawberries, which are a lovely combination. We have been spoiled this year by fantastic outdoor rhubarb (Raspberry Red variety) from the Rectory Farm Pick-your-own, who also do brilliant asparagus, sprouting broccoli etc. Will re-visit this recipe in the greengage/plum season. Good crumbly topping with ground almonds adding richness to the recipe.

Baked Rhubarb

Lovely forced Yorkshire rhubarb, baked for 20 minutes or so with the juice and zest of a blood orange and some sugar, turns into a juicy compote that will accompany the frozen yoghurt for dinner tonight. I used to hate rhubarb, but love it now - I think it is one of those things that you grow to like the older you get, like dark, green iodinish Spring Greens, or Campari (to which I am probably addicted). I must say, this idea of Nigel's, of pairing the yoghurt and rhubarb, promises to be inspired!