Whole Cauliflower with Pesto

Click here to view recipe.

Cauliflower with Pesto

Our family has adopted this recipe for gatherings.  The first time I tasted or saw this preparation was a year ago when my daughter-in-law made it and brought it for a family “break the fast” meal.  I think she wanted something keto-friendly and vegetarian, and she made several heads of cauliflower, which disappeared rather quickly. This Thanksgiving, this was one of our side dishes and was loved by almost everyone.

The pesto coating can be made ahead and the roasting of the cauliflower heads is easy.  For Thanksgiving, we sprinkled the final dish with pomegranate seeds. Red and green? SO festive.  This would be an amazing Christmas dish, too.  

The original recipe, which is a little changed here, came from the New York Times Cooking section and was written by Susan Spungen.  I always read the comments for their recipes and agreed with the reviewers that you can swap out the kind of nuts, or the herbs if you are cilantro averse.

Whole Cauliflower with Pesto


Serves 4-6 (easily doubled or tripled for additional servings)

pf-icon2

 

Cauliflower Ingredients
  • 1 head cauliflower (about 1½ pounds)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 small yellow onions, sliced ¼ inch thick lengthwise
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
  • Pinch of black pepper
Pesto Ingredients
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • ½ cup lightly packed cilantro and flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup raw shelled pistachios
  • 1 garlic clove, sliced
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Pinch of black pepper
Garnish Ingredients (optional but recommended)
  • Pomegranate seeds
  • Fresh parsley and/or cilantro
Instructions

Make the cauliflower: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 400 degrees. Trim the cauliflower, ensuring the stem is cut flush with the head so it sits flat. Heat a 10-inch cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add one tablespoon oil, the onions, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until translucent and turning golden on the edges, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in ¾ cup water and remove from the heat.

Rub the cauliflower with the remaining tablespoon oil, then with the pepper and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Clear the center of the skillet and place the cauliflower in it. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the center of the oven. Bake until a paring knife meets no resistance when inserted into the cauliflower, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pesto: Reserve a bit of lemon zest for garnish. Place the rest in a food processor, along with the herbs, oil, pistachios, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pulse until well combined. (This can be done a day ahead of time.)

Turn the oven to up to 450 degrees on the regular setting or, if you have a convection option, 425 degrees. Uncover the cauliflower and baste with some of the pan juices. Cook, basting occasionally and adding ¼ cup of water to the pan if it threatens to dry out, until nicely browned, 20 to 30 minutes more. Spoon the pesto over top, sprinkle with reserved lemon zest and more herbs, and serve.

Note: for Thanksgiving, we made four heads of cauliflower and did all the roasting on a parchment lined, rimmed sheet pan.

 

Share
Posted in Side Dish, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cinnamon Steamed Plantains

Click here to view recipe.

Steamed Plantains

Plantains are grown in Central America and the Caribbean and are part of the diet throughout the regions.  You may have seen these in the tropical fruit section of your grocery store in the USA. Plantains resemble bananas, but they are bigger, thicker-skinned, starchier, and firmer.  They don’t peel like a banana and have to be cooked to be consumed. 

I have eaten many fried plantains in my life.  This November, I was visiting a friend in a small village near Antigua, Guatemala.  We went out for breakfast and I was served boiled plantains that were so good -I asked the mesero (waiter) how they were prepared.  Naturally, I went home and made them right away!  From now on, I’ll use this method because I adore sweet plantains but am not a huge fan of fried foods.  Central Americans serve plantains fried as part of a breakfast plate but for me, it screams dessert.

Plantains

Peeling plantains is tricky, so I refer you here (scroll to the part about how to peel a plantain). Buen provecho!

Cinnamon Steamed Plantains


Serves 2-3

pf-icon2

 

Ingredients
  • 2 plantains, somewhat ripe (speckled with some black –  like bananas.  Keep the skin on but cut into 2-inch segments)
  • 2 tsp of sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick 
  • Water to reach 2 inches in a 3-quart saucepan
Instructions

In a 3-4 quart saucepan, boil water with sugar and the cinnamon stick until the sugar dissolves.  Add plantain segments and cover the pot, simmer for 15-30 minutes until the plantains are soft.  I test mine with a toothpick, which should slide into the center of a chunk of plantain easily. 

Remove the cinnamon stick and rinse and dry so it can be used again and again.

Remove the flavored water with the unpeeled plantain chunks and let them cool.  The plantain chunks need to be peeled before eating, but I serve them with a little of the liquid.

As a dessert, I drizzle a little honey on top or  add some coconut cream and chopped peanuts.  However, they are great AS IS. 

 

Share
Posted in Odds & Ends | Tagged | Leave a comment

Crunchy Chickpeas

Click here to view recipe.

Crunchy Chickpeas

Thanksgiving is probably the most hectic time for me in Seattle. I don’t mind –  it is my favorite American holiday and involves gathering with lots of family near and far.  Early during Thanksgiving week, I drove to my brother’s home nearby to bring the “Nancy’s Yams.” I often arrive at his cabin too close to our Thanksgiving dinner with time to bake the yams, and we just can’t have that.  

He shleps hundreds of pounds of food to the cabin ahead of time. So, I always bring him a little treat, something I have recently made.  This year I arrived with a container of my seeded crackers, which he loves.  His house smelled so good, the aroma of oil and cumin nearly floated out the front door.  He was making baked chickpeas and gave me some to take home.  Of course I asked for his recipe, which he promptly sent (the original is from Good Housekeeping Magazine).  

Be careful when making these so that they don’t burn.  I used my Breville toaster oven and they were delish.  If you want something fairly healthful and different, MAKE THESE!

Crunchy Chickpeas

Serves 5

pf-icon2

 

Ingredients
  • 1 can chickpeas (I used my freshly cooked chickpeas, about 2 cups)
  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 t salt
  • ½ t ground black pepper
  • 1 t coriander
  • 1 t cumin
Instructions

Drain the can of chickpeas and dry them with paper towels as much as possible.  Then mix the dry ingredients with the olive oil and toss with the chickpeas.  Roast on a parchment- or foil-lined cookie sheet in a preheated 425 degre3e oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until they look crispy.  Remove from oven and let cool.   I must admit, I almost burned them to get them to a crunchy stage for eating.



Share
Posted in Odds & Ends | Tagged | Leave a comment

Nancy’s Yams

Every single Thanksgiving, I cook this recipe for Nancy’s Yams.  Nancy was my sister-in-law who died 23 years ago of colon cancer.  She was just 51 years old at the time, but it seems like yesterday and yet an eternity.  

Including this dish that she always made evokes memories of times spent together, family gatherings, and special occasions.  For me, it honors her memory and keeps her spirit alive every single Thanksgiving.  

We all miss Nancy.  She was one of a kind:  fearless, fun, a great athlete, a good sister and a wonderful aunt.  And she loved family get togethers as much as I do!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Originally published November 21, 2012

Click here to view recipe.

Sweet & Savory Sweet Potatoes

Sweet & Savory Sweet Potatoes

As I wrote last year, Thanksgivings are major celebrations in our family. So much so that I wrote down copious notes after last year’s extravaganza so I could adequately describe the day’s events. That said, it’s difficult to bring to life last year’s Thanksgiving…but I shall try…

In attendance last year we added my East Coast sister, her husband, their three grown boys, one girlfriend and two new babies. This clan joined my brother Kal, my brother Tim and his kids, my husband and our children, their spouses, a significant other, and four grandchildren – for a total of 23. That’s a lot of mouths to feed. Not to mention the nursing babies … we brought six gallons of milk and came home with zero, folks.

The Entire Clan

Knowing how much food we needed to prepare, my brother Kal’s twin sister Katie came out the Monday of Thanksgiving week to help cook while my brother Kal was working. Operating on East Coast time, she was up at the crack of dawn at his house here in Seattle baking, chopping and organizing for the big day. We both decided it was best to have lots of side dishes for Thanksgiving – even more than in years past so that there would be lots of leftover food to have the following two days. Braised fennel with olives, two squash dishes, sweet potatoes, mashed new potatoes, coleslaw, two kinds of cranberries, two kinds of stuffing, Pan Asian green beans…so much food it wasn’t even funny.

As always, we had the best time ever. Kal made two fried turkeys, and this year he had the peanut oil ratio for the deep fryer down to a fine science. I used a lot of leftover carcass and meat for a tremendous pot of turkey soup as always, and that was our lunch on Friday. In addition we lay out and consumed a smorgasbord each morning for breakfast, and 15 pounds of salmon for Friday night. Thankfully my son Jake and his uncle Tim took over dinner that night, concocting a soy/ginger/garlic topping for the fish that was fantastic. Marinated asparagus and a spinach/apple/walnut salad with pomegranate dressing rounded out the meal. Of course we ended with our unbeatable Black Bottom pies, a family tradition. Layers of bittersweet chocolate, pillowy soft custard and whipping cream in a flaky pie crust…what’s not to love?

A plate FULL of food

Each Thanksgiving I include a sweet potato dish topped with a brown sugar/butter/pecan crust in memory of my late sister-in-law Nancy. This was always the item she brought to Thanksgiving and I would not dream of eliminating it from our list of foods. I do all the prep at home and just bring it ready to pop into the oven for an hour. The sweetness of the dish is a nice accompaniment to the many savory dishes on Thanksgiving, and there is never so much as a crumb left.

Nancy’s Candied Yams

Serves 12-15

pf-icon2

Ingredients for the yams:
  • 4 lb garnet yams, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces, steamed until soft and mashed
  • ½ cup fresh orange juice
  • 1 T grated orange rind
  • 2 T brandy (use more Orange Juice if you don’t want to use brandy)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 4 T melted butter
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
Ingredients for the topping
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 stick melted butter
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:

Mix first list of ingredients and place into casserole (9 x 12 dish). Mix second list of ingredients and spread over yam mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Share
Posted in Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Minestrone Soup (Take Two)

Click here to view recipe.

Delicious Minestrone

I first posted this over 12 years ago! It’s still a favorite, especially during these cooler months. Enjoy!

Minestrone Soup

Serves 8

pf-icon2

 

Ingredients
  • ½ medium yellow onion, peeled and diced ½ inch
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small yellow zucchini, diced ½ inch
  • 2 large carrot, peeled and sliced ¼ inch
  • 1 small parsnip, peeled and sliced ¼ inch
  • 2 celery, sliced ½ inch
  • 1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup fennel root, diced ¼ inch
  • 1 medium yukon gold potato, peeled and cubed ½ inch pieces
  • 1 ear corn, kernels cut from the cob
  • 8 cups chicken broth (or water)
  • 2 cups fresh spinach, chiffonaded
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ cup frozen or fresh shelled peas
  • ½ cup orzo pasta uncooked
  • ½ cup cooked fresh beans if available, or canned beans (I often use garbanzo beans or white beans)
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions

In a large, heavy pot, sauté onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables (except spinach, peas and beans) and sauté an additional 5 minutes.

Add broth or water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 15 minutes.

Add spinach, tomato pasta, peas, pasta and beans.

Cook briefly until orzo is done. Serve with fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top and some slivers of fresh basil (if it is summer).

A couple of cook’s notes:
  • I often add a bit of tomato paste to soups to deepen the flavor and so I buy a tube of tomato paste at the supermarket in lieu of a can. Napoleon makes a fairly generic version.
  • Sautéing the vegetables rather than just simmering them raw imparts a deep, sweet flavor.
  • Feel free to add vegetables such as green beans or parsnips when they are in season.
Share
Posted in Soups | Tagged | 2 Comments

Toffee Bars

Click here to view recipe.

Timeless Toffee Bars

Growing up, my mom always baked a lot of great cookies and pies and other desserts.  Usually, these were simple but so so good.  We were allowed to eat this stuff any old time, morning, noon, or night.  

Some of her pastry concoctions were complicated but others were easy as can be.  Toffee bars were one of her very easy but always amazing cookies.  I’ve had lots of toffee bars in my life, but this recipe is the best. I only changed the type of chocolate chips (bittersweet, please).  Honestly, I don’t think dark chocolate was a “thing” back in my mom’s era, but I always always I opt for dark chocolate.  You can use semisweet chocolate if you aren’t in my dark chocolate camp.

This recipe is a compilation of my mom, my sisters, with  my own touches.

Toffee Bars 

Makes 30

pf-icon2

 

Ingredients
  • ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, room temperature
  • ½  cup packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ of an egg yolk
  • 1 c of all-purpose flour
  • ½  tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (6 oz) bittersweet) chocolate chips
  • ½ cup toasted chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans, depending on what you love)
Instructions

Preheat to 350.  Spray a 9 x 9 pan with Pam. Mix the dough ingredients (all the ingredients but the chocolate chips and nuts) and press evenly into the pan, evening it out the top with an offset spatula. 

Bake for 25 minutes., Remove and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.  Bake for another four minutes.  Spread the now-melted chocolate chips with an offset spatula and sprinkle with nuts.  Cut while it’s still a tad bit warm.

Share
Posted in Cookies | Tagged | Leave a comment

One Skillet Turkey Snap Peas

Click here to view recipe.

One Skillet Turkey Snap Peas

My Seattle family is always searching for new, easy, minimal-time-to-prep dinner ideas.  We all peruse food blogs, read newspaper columns, and send links to each other with recipes or ideas that sound good.  I first looked at this turkey snap pea one skillet dish in the New York Times, and got ready to send it to both my Seattle adult kids when VOILA!  Said recipe arrived via text message with a note from Jake that he tried it and loved it. 

I trust him 100% when he says something is good, so the next day I made this, had enough leftovers for several lunches, and then sent the link to Rachel who made a double batch for her family of five, who ate every single bite.  That’s what happens when you have two teenage boys and a girl , all great eater in the house.  

This preparation has a lot of Thai flavors with fish sauce, lime juice and red pepper flakes.  I toned down the spice for the two of us.  I have also used this formula with ground chicken since I often have a pound of it in my freezer.  I particularly loved this since the snap peas were fresh from the farmer’s market, and I had fresh herbs growing like crazy.   I served this over rice noodles because I was sick of plain rice.

One Skillet Turkey Snap Peas*

Yield: 4 servings

pf-icon2

 

Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced into half-moons
  • 1 pound ground turkey or ground chicken
  • Salt, as needed (taste first, I think this is plenty salty without adding salt)
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes), more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce, more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½  cup fresh torn mint leaves, more for topping
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or basil, more for topping
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced white and light green parts.
  • 1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons chopped roasted cashews or peanuts (optional but highly suggested)
Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the oil and red onion slices to the skillet and cook until soft and deeply brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Crumble in the ground turkey, breaking up the meat. Cook until crisp and dark brown, about 8 minutes.

While the turkey is cooking, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, red pepper flakes, torn mint leaves, cilantro, and scallion whites, and light green parts. Pour the sauce into the skillet and toss until combined. Cover, turn off the heat and let the snap peas steam until tender and cooked through but still bright green, about 3 minutes. 

Taste and add more fish sauce, salt, and lime juice as needed to make everything bright and savory.  Top with more torn mint leaves, chopped cilantro and nuts.

*Adapted from Melissa Clark’s New York Times recipe

Share
Posted in Poultry | Tagged | Leave a comment

Lemon Bars

Click here to view recipe.

Luscious Lemon Bars

I didn’t think I was a lemon bar fan.  I used to make lemon bars at times for dessert trays when I had my catering business and they definitely were not my favorite cookie.

Then my son-in-law, who started cooking when he married my daughter, made these while Rachel was away for a few days with the kids.  He gave me a few to take home and I have to admit, I was shocked and awed and ate most of what he gave me without sharing! They are very very lemony and the crisp crust plus the acidy lemon filling and lemon zest in the crust  “spoke” to me.

Since there were quantities in cups and in weight, I translated everything into grams (of course – my preference).

Lemon Bars*

Makes 12

pf-icon2

 

Crust Ingredients
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 10 tbsp /140 grams unsalted butter), melted and cooled
  • 45 grams granulated sugar (less than ¼ cup)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 to 4 lemons (I zested 3 for the crust)
  • 1½ cups / 200 grams all-purpose flour
Lemon Layer Ingredients
  • 1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup / 33 grams all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • ⅔ cup fresh lemon juice (from the lemons above) I measured and used 3 ½ lemons which yielded over ⅔ cup juice
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional-I did not use this)
Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square metal pan with foil. Lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Finely grate in the zest of three lemons (reserving the zested lemons for the lemon layer), then mix until well combined. While stirring, gradually add the flour and stir just until the dough comes together into a mass. It is a very soft dough.  Scrape into the prepared pan and gently press the dough into an even layer. I used a bench scraper to do this and pricked the crust with a fork all over.  

Bake until the center is dry, and the edges are golden, ~15 minutes. I watch the crust and if it starts to bubble up, I open the oven door and prick it again in the places it has bubbled so it is flat. 

While the crust bakes, make the lemon layer. Squeeze ⅔+ cup juice from the zested lemons and more fruit if needed. In the same bowl used for the crust, whisk the sugar and flour. Whisk in the eggs until smooth, then whisk in the lemon juice just until incorporated.

When the crust comes out of the oven, immediately turn the oven down to 300 degrees.  I took my plastic bench scraper and shimmied the crust down the four sides to release the crust from the edges.  

Whisk the lemon mixture again and gently pour it over the hot crust. Put the pan back into the oven right away.  

Bake until the lemon layer is set around the edges and jiggles a tiny bit in the center, about 20 minutes.

Cool completely in the pan, then refrigerate uncovered until cold and fully set, at least three hours. Carefully cut the bars into 12 pieces (personally I would cut them in half again – they are buttery and rich) and put them on a serving platter.  Serve cold or at room temperature. The bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to five days.  I generally serve these with some raspberries for color!

*Adapted from Genevieve Ko, New York Times

Share
Posted in Cookies | Tagged | Leave a comment

Broccoli, Bean, and Cheddar Soup

Click here to view recipe.

Broccoli, Bean, & Cheddar Soup

I love broccoli.  I love beans of any kind.  I love cheese.  So, when these three things are all in one recipe, I’m in.  I found a version of this soup published by Ellie Kreiger several years ago, and I made a few tweaks and changes to suit my taste.

I think this soup is seasonless since fresh broccoli is easy to find year-round.  Beans, whether canned or packaged in my freezer, and cheese?  I always have these things in My Global Kitchen.  I also must say this soup works super well with my trusty immersion blender. If you do not have one of these in your kitchen, please consider adding this small, not-very-expensive appliance.  You can thank me later.

Such Simple Ingredients!

I served this soup with fresh homemade flour tortillas topped with a crumble of goat cheese and diced vegetables, and a grapefruit-orange-avocado salad on the side.  Yum yum.  Although I didn’t do this in the photo, when we had this for dinner, I drizzled amazing Italian olive oil on top and squeezed a slice of fresh lemon in the soup as well.  Garlic croutons, homemade of course, would be so good sprinkled on top.

My husband just had a colonoscopy and requested this soup be in the fridge for his first post-procedure meal.

Broccoli, Bean, & Cheddar Soup

Makes 4 servings (makes about 6 cups in total)

pf-icon2

 

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium brown onion, diced
  • 1 large head of broccoli, florets, and tender part of stems, chopped (about 6 cups)
  • 3 cups chicken broth (I often opt for Better than Bouillion)
  • 1 cup canned, no-salt-added Great Northern or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup whole milk or lower fat if that is your milk of choice.
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (3 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon powdered mustard
  • Salt to taste
Instructions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, stir in the onions and cook for about four minutes, until tender but not browned.

Add the broccoli, broth, and beans; increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Let the soup cool for 15 minutes, then puree it right in the soup pot with an immersion blender.  

Put the soup back on medium heat and when it is bubbling at the edges, reduce the heat to low. 

Stir in the milk, ¾ cups of the cheese, the powdered mustard, and ½ teaspoons of salt. Cook until just warmed through.

Taste and add more salt as needed. Divide among individual bowls or deep mugs, and garnish with portions using the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. Serve hot.

Share
Posted in Soups | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Rhubarb or Plumb Snacking Cake

Click here to view recipe.

Rhubarb Snacking Cake

As I mentioned in my previous post about Rhubarb Galette, I planted two rhubarb plants this spring in my smallish garden, imagining that it might take a couple of years to have them produce a lot of rhubarb.  Lo and behold I got very, very lucky and have been harvesting rhubarb for over a month now. 

Rhubarb – Even Green It’s Delicious!

After the rhubarb galette, I made a lot of rhubarb crisps, rhubarb salad dressing, and stewed rhubarb.  Then about a month ago I happened upon a recipe for a small (9” x 9”) cake.  I initially made it mostly as written, proceeded to make it with lots of changes, and after at least six attempts, I got it like I wanted it. More rhubarb, sparkling sugar on top, and less sugar overall. You know me, you know I like big flavor and don’t like overly sweet stuff. This should all make sense, right?  

Last month, I was about to leave town for a few weeks, and I had half of a cake left over.  At the last moment, I wrapped it in heavy-duty foil and froze it.  When I came back to my house almost three weeks later, I defrosted the cake.  Guess what?  That freezing process made this cake better than ever – almost like a dense pudding cake.  From now on, the freezing and defrosting steps will be my “go-to” method.  

If you have access to rhubarb, this recipe makes a terrific dessert, mid-afternoon nibble, or even a breakfast pastry. Everyone who has tasted it – from neighbors to friends to relatives – has gone bonkers over the flavor and texture. My husband even told me it’s the best cake I make. 

I call it a “snack cake” because it is a simple baked cake without frosting or embellishment.  It is easy to make and a little different from other fruity cakes.  I still have a lot of rhubarb, so I picked it, chopped it finely, flash-froze it, and put it into a ziplock bag.  Each recipe takes about 2 ½ cups of chopped rhubarb, and I have at least five cakes worth of rhubarb in my freezer.  The rhubarb I planted produces mostly green stalks with just a little reddish color. I would have preferred red rhubarb, but the taste is the same! If you are using frozen rhubarb, just measure what you need and go from there.  Do not defrost it ahead of time!  Trust me, this works

Rhubarb Snacking Cake

Makes 12 servings

pf-icon2

 

Ingredients 
  • 1/2 cup  buttermilk (kefir is good if you have that too)  
  • 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • ½ cup  (equals one stick) salted butter at room temperature
  • 3/4  cup granulated sugar 
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (remove approximately 1 Tbsp to toss with rhubarb or plumbs)
  • 2 tsp double-acting baking powder
  • 2 ½ cups (pack the cups tightly) thinly  sliced rhubarb or diced 1/2 inch plumbs
  • Sparkling coarse sugar for the top (I use about 1 Tbsp, and this gives it a nice crunch)
Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.  I use my toaster oven.  Line the 9”x9” pan with parchment paper with overhanging ends so I can easily lift out the cooled cake for cutting. Oil or spray the parchement paper along the bottom and sides of the pan.

Stir the egg, and vanilla into the buttermilk and set aside.

Cream the soft butter and sugar with electric beaters, until it is pale yellow. Take 1 Tbsp of the flour to mix with the diced fruit and toss well. This prevents the fruit from clumping

In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining flour and baking powder

Add half of the liquids to the bowl and blend in. Add all of the flour mixture and mix well.  Next, add the rest of the flour mixture and blend just until combined, don’t over-mix. Fold or barely mix in the fruit

Spread the very thick batter into the prepared pan and even it out with a bench scraper or knife.  

Sprinkle the top evenly with sparkling sugar.  Bake for about 40 minutes or until the cake is turning golden and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan, remove it to a rack with the parchment, and let it cool completely. Cut and eat it when it is slightly warm or let it totally cool and freeze for up to two months.  When you are ready to eat it, remove it from the freezer, wrap it well, and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.  I prefer this cake when it is kept refrigerated, and it lasts an entire week this way!

Notes

Because I have a very enthusiastic plum tree that produced over 100 pounds of plumbs this summer, I made the cake with plums.  I actually prefer this to rhubarb although both are good and satisfying.

FYI the top of this cake is a little craggy and cracked and sometimes bits of rhubarb or plums poke through.  Once it is cut and presented with either a dollop of whipping cream or berries, it looks appealing.

 

Share
Posted in Breads, Breakfast, Cakes & Pies, Dessert | Tagged | Leave a comment