Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcakes

 

Apparently my current version of "nesting" in anticipation of baby #2 mostly involves baking. I think at least some of this is that as the mom of a toddler, anything I spend hours cleaning or organizing is going to quickly get undone or destroyed by my 3 ft tall whirling dervish in about two seconds. But baked goods? Those can be put in a tin and stored safely on top of the fridge, where he can longingly look up at them but not pull them down and demolish them. Yet.

It's finally rhubarb season again, one of my favorite fruit seasons! My husband has strict instructions to buy at least a pound of it every time he sees it at the store, no matter how much is already in said fridge or freezer. I want it ALL before it disappears!

This week, I decided to pair the delicate pink stalks with their classic BFF strawberries and English cream scones to make a shortcake-style dessert or snack. Sometimes the simplest things are the best, right?

I threw in a little whole wheat flour because I'm *that* kind of mom, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the little bit of whole grain actually made these even more tender than usual. Especially the re-rolled ones! I also followed Joy the Baker's advice to grate the butter instead of cutting it in with knives or a pastry cutter. So much easier and it works like a charm.

Oh, and apologies for the less-than-stellar photo. Toddler naptime can be very short some days (I blame a growth spurt) and the sky was cloudy and grey during the only window I had to snap this shot. I'm trying to let go of perfection all the time and just go with things.

Hints:

Rhubarb "Jam":

Wash 1 pound of rhubarb, cut into 1/2" or 1 cm pieces. Place in medium-sized pot, add a couple of splashes of water or the juice of 1/2 a lemon and cook over medium/medium-low heat until it starts to break down. Add sugar to taste (I like mine less sweet, so I use only about 1/4 c. or 50 g of sugar). Continue to cook, turning down to low if it starts to boil too hard or you're worried about it scorching on the bottom, until rhubarb is completely broken down and has thickened. Stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract if you're a fan. Any leftover rhubarb is excellent stirred into plain Greek yogurt or oatmeal.

Macerated Strawberries:

Wash and thinly slice ripe strawberries. Mix with a little lemon juice or vanilla extract and a sprinkle of sugar and stir well. Let sit while you make your scones.

Cream Scones (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (70 grams) whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking powder
3 tablespoons (40 grams) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea or table salt
5 tablespoons (70 grams) chilled, unsalted butter, grated
1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.

2. Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

3. Stir in grated butter until evenly distributed.

4. Stir in the heavy cream until a dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

5. Transfer the dough and all the leftover dry and flour-y bits at the bottom of the bowl to a clean countertop. Knead the dough by hand just until it comes together and forms a rough, sticky ball, about 5 to 10 seconds.

6. Pat the dough into a 3/4 thick square or rectangle on a lightly floured surface. For extra flaky layers, either fold into thirds (like a sheet of paper before you put it in a business envelope) or fold in half onto itself 2 - 3 times, patting the dough down into the correct thickness again after. Use a biscuit cutter to form scones, re-rolling scraps until dough is used up (although I only tend to re-roll twice).

6. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake until the tops are light brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Place on a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

To Assemble:

Slice scones/shortcakes in half, slather with butter and rhubarb mixture, top with macerated strawberries. Eat at once. I won't judge you if you don't share, promise.

Burns Night Cranachan (Scottish Berries and Cream!) Two Ways

Have you ever celebrated Burns Night? It's a Scottish holiday toasting the life of the famous poet Robert (also known as "Rabbie") Burns and always falling on his birthday, January 25th.

When we lived in Boston, my husband and I would go to The Haven in Jamaica Plain for the night. They always have a 3-course meal, Scottish beers, whiskey, bagpipes, traditional folk songs, and more. I highly recommend checking out this pub if you're in the area!

The piping in of the haggis is the centerpiece of the whole night. Haggis is definitely an acquired taste, consisting of oatmeal mixed with minced offal (usually lungs and kidneys, I believe) and spices, then boiled in a sheep's stomach. I promise you, it tastes much better than it sounds! Before the dish is served to the guests, someone recites the entirety of Burns' poem "Ode to a Haggis". The best line? "Gie her a haggis!"

Cranachan is often served for dessert. It usually consists of whipped or double cream, pureed raspberries (with whiskey, if you're so inclined), and toasted oatmeal. It's layered in glasses like you see here. Make sure you stick your spoon down a few layers to get a little bit of everything in each bite! I'd recommend pairing the raspberries with a toffee, butterscotch-y lowland Scotch, rather than a smoky, peaty Highland variety. (I prefer the latter for drinking on its own though!)

The next day, I really wanted more but didn't want an entire glass and didn't feel like taking the time to whip cream. So I poured a little cream and whole milk over raspberries, tossed some leftover oats on top, and found out that this makes a delicious, quick, fairly healthy snack. I think a lot of the appeal is that it reminds me of being a little kid and eating bowls of sun-warmed berries fresh from the backyard with milk and sugar in the summer. The simplest things are often the best, don't you think?

Homemade Apple Crisp

It's not officially fall to me until I've baked apple crisp! When the nights turned really chilly last week, it was finally the perfect weather for this warm, sweet, and crunchy dessert.

I usually use all Northern Spies or Macouns, but this time I went with half Spies and half Opalescents (another great baking apple). To make up for all the butter in this, I use whole wheat flour instead of white. That makes it healthy, right?...

In all honesty, I mostly use whole wheat flour for the extra nuttiness it gives the crisp. Try it for yourself, I think you'll like it better this way as well!

I also use more spice than you see in most crisp recipes. I just can't get enough of fall and winter flavors like ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom in my baked goods! I increase the amount of apples as well - the recipe originally called for only 4 cups, but I use 6 to 8 cups instead since I like a thicker apple layer. Use whatever you like, this recipe is very flexible!

Amy's Homemade Apple Crisp

(Adapted from Betty Crocker. Serves 6.)

6 - 8 cups sliced apples (I get about 6 from four large apples)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup rolled (not quick) oats

1/3 cup butter, softened

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Grease an 8 inch pan if using 6 cups of apples, or a 9 x 13 inch pan if using 8 cups, and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, oats, spices, and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixtures resembles medium-sized peas.

3. Spread your sliced apples in the greased baking dish. Evenly spread the topping over them.

4. Bake for 30 minutes if you like your apples to still be firm, or 40 - 45 minutes if you like them softer. (I usually go with 40 minutes, it seems to be just right!) Serve warm.

The Best Cranberry Orange Muffins

I'm not exaggerating when I say that these are the *best* cranberry orange muffins, and so easy to make! My husband surprised me with them one weekend morning, and they've become one of our go-to "special breakfast" items. I'm usually not a muffin person as I find most to be too sugary and too dry, but these are worlds away from your standard ho-hum recipe. (Excuse the less-than-lovely picture, it came with the recipe and our batches disappear too quickly to get any beauty shots!)

The tart real cranberries keep the muffins from tasting too sweet, while the orange juice keeps them extremely moist. And they come together quickly! Seriously, if my husband can make them without becoming flustered, then you can as well. This was the recipe that turned him from someone who thought they couldn't bake to someone who will now make me 3-tiered birthday cakes. That's the kind of confidence they will give you in the kitchen.

Find the instructions from Food.com here!

Roasted Sugar Pumpkin and Apple Soup

I made this soup earlier this week with sugar pumpkins from a farmers' market. The recipe is simple and can be easily tailored to your own flavor preferences!

2 small sugar pumpkins (about 2 lbs. each), stems removed, cut in half, and pulp removed
1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 clove of fresh garlic
1 medium apple (I used a Macoun, you could use a Granny Smith if you want more of a tart flavor), cored and diced
6 c. low-sodium chicken stock
few dashes of nutmeg
few dashes of ginger
salt and pepper to taste
plain yogurt or sour cream (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Toss the pumpkin halves with the olive oil and place the pumpkin halves in a pan (you may need two, depending on their size). I like to place them cut side down. Roast until they can be easily pierced with a knife (about 45 mins). Remove them from the oven, turn the oven off, and let them cool.

2. While the pumpkins are cooling, heat the 2 Tbsp. oil in a large pot. Add the onions, and saute them until they are translucent.

3. While the onions are cooking, if the pumpkins are cool enough, remove their skins and dice them.

4. Add the diced pumpkin, garlic, and apple to the pot. Add in the spices. You may use cinnamon in addition to (or instead of) the nutmeg and ginger if you would like. Allspice, mace, cloves, or curry powder would also be great additions!

5. Pour in the chicken stock, and bring the mixture to a boil.

6. Once it's boiling, turn down the heat. Let the soup simmer for 45 mins. to an hour to let the flavors meld together.

7. Remove the pan from the heat, and use an immersion blender to turn the chunky mixture into a lovely, velvety one! Your pot should be less than halfway full, so that you don't splash yourself with the very hot soup. If your pot is not big enough, pour the soup into a larger vessel. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a masher instead. You can also use a blender, but you will have to do it in batches. Do not fill your blender more than halfway! Hot liquids will expand too much, and the top will fly off. You don't want to get burned!

8. Put the blended soup back on the stove, and bring it back up to temperature. Add salt and pepper to taste.

9. Ladle into bowls. For a fancier presentation, swirl in a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream. Serve and enjoy!

Ming Makes Cupcakes

These delicious-sounding cupcake recipes and beautiful, good-enough-to-eat photos to match are from Ming Makes Cupcakes.

See over 30 recipes for cupcakes, cookies, & savory bites as well as more lovely photos here!

Saint Patrick's Day Recipe

Check out the recipe for these Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes from one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen.

I've made her Chocolate Stout Cake for a beer-loving guy friend before, and it came out great. It was so moist and not sugary-sweet. The alcohol cooks out, leaving behind only the layers of spices and flavors from the beer. I'm hoping these will come out just as good (if not better!).

For the recipe, click here.

Winter Warmers

Although art and design are my first loves, I can spend hours futzing around in the kitchen. It's a great de-stresser for me, a peaceful escape from projects and plans.

In the winter, I cook a lot of soups and stews. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of casserole experience (other than the tuna noodle kind). Since spring is just around the corner - well, hopefully! - I plan on making as many stews and slow-cooked dishes as I can in the next few weeks.

This Indian Spiced Casserole from Real Simple is full of chicken, ginger, cinnamon, raisins, and almonds under a phyllo dough topping. It's definitely on my "to bake" list!