My recipe column has not appeared for several weeks. Recent family happenings have left me feeling like I jumped into a time capsule and lost a whole bunch of time. It was quite the journey with life lessons learned along the way. The passing of a family member prompted one our children to send me this article to read. I am passing it on, because I think everyone should read it and reflect!
Preparing food is a great stress reliever that I rely on- so here we go.
Rhubarb, that much-loved sour/can be sweet fruit, is in season. Try the following recipes.
Strawberry Rhubarb Slump
This is what I call an heirloom dessert. It reminds me of the elderberry soup with the big doughy dumplings that we used to eat when we were kids. Switch the flour to spelt or whole wheat and the sugar to maple syrup.
- 1 pint strawberries, green tops removed,
- cut into large pieces
- 2 cups cut-up rhubarb
- 1/2 cup sugar your choice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk or your choice
- Whipped cream
In a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and 1/2 cup water. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the milk and quickly combine. Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto the surface of the slightly simmering fruit. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered, then place a lid on and cook for another 10 minutes.
Serve in shallow bowls, topped with whipped cream.
Rhubarb Cookies
The first time in a long time I did not make any substitutions in this recipe! The recipe calls for rhubarb which is different enough and knowing that rhubarb has a lot of moisture I just left well enough alone. What I did notice is that the cookies became softer and more cake like the longer they sat. It is very important to make sure you chill the batter. Overnight is the best.
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 10 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup walnut pieces
- 1 1/2 stalks rhubarb (about 4 ounces)
- roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp flaky sea salt (optional)
Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a large bowl.
Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and yolk, then the vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts then the rhubarb. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour or up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a 1-ounce ice cream scoop to scoop the dough onto the baking sheet. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart and you should have about 10 cookies. Optional: sprinkle the sea salt on top of the dough balls.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back until the cookies are golden around the edges about 14 to 16 minutes. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.
Store the cookies in a sealed container for up to five days only if they last that long!
