Ah… June in Manitoba!!
Time to be outdoors, live outdoors, eat outdoors!
Toss a salad, fire up the grill, make a great meal, call the gang over and have fun!
Time to celebrate - weddings, graduations, whatever.
And the family favourite - Father’s Day!
If your garden is anything like mine your rhubarb has gone into overdrive.
No problem! There are dozens, maybe even hundreds, of ways to enjoy rhubarb.
I’m posting a few more rhubarb recipes.
They’re easy and are perfect endings for a summer meal.
Hints:
About the Rhubarb Coconut Macaroon Tarts …
A few drops of almond extract add a nice touch.
Try strawberry-rhubarb or raspberry-rhubarb for a bit of variety.
The tarts freeze well. Just thaw and serve.
These tarts also travel well.
About the Rhubarb Crumble Breakfast Bars …
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
Sticky Rhubarb Rolls
Servings: 12
Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking pan.
Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Cup fresh rhubarb
Place in a large bowl
2 Cups flour
1/4 Cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
Place in a medium bowl
1 Cup whole milk, warmed
1/4 Cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
Whisk together, then gradually add to the flour mixture.
Stir until well combined.
Gradually add, while stirring, 1/2 cup at a time
2 Cups flour
Stir until a soft dough forms.
Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
While the dough is rising, place in a small saucepan
the prepared rhubarb
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup maple syrup or honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the rhubarb softens and the mixture thickens slightly.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Preheat oven to 350° F
When the dough has doubled, punch it down and roll it out into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
Leaving a 1/2 inch border, spread the rhubarb filling evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with
1/2 Cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Starting at the long end closest to you, roll the dough up tightly into a log.
Pinch the seam together at the top, then place the log seam side down.
Cut the dough into 12 pieces.
Place the cut rolls cut-side up in the baking dish.
Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Remove the pans from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before drizzling with additional maple syrup or honey, if desired.
Strawberry Rhubarb Rolls
Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Hull and thinly slice
1 Cup strawberries
Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Cups rhubarb
Place in a bowl and add
the sliced strawberries
1/4 Cup sugar
Stir together and set aside.
Place in a large bowl
2 Cups flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
Stir together. Add
1/2 Cup margarine or butter, or half of each
Cut in with a pastry cutter or fingers until the mix resembles coarse crumbs.
Place in a measuring cup
2/3 Cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
Whisk together, then add to the flour mixture.
Mix until just combined.
Lightly knead a few times until a soft dough forms.
Roll dough on a floured surface to about 1/3 inch thick.
Spread the berry mixture evenly across the surface, leaving space around the edges.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Starting at the long end closest to you, roll the dough up tightly into a log.
Pinch the seam together at the top, then place the log seam side down.
Cut the dough into 9 pieces.
Place the cut rolls cut-side up in the baking dish.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
Place pan on wire rack to cool.
Vanilla glaze (optional)
Combine in a small bowl
1 Cup confectioners’ sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Drizzle the glaze over the warm buns.
Rhubarb Custard Bars
Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, or line it with parchment paper.
Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Cups fresh rhubarb
Preheat oven to 350° F
Place in a large bowl
1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 Cup sugar
Cream together until light and fluffy.
Add
2 Cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix in until crumbly.
Press the mixture evenly in prepared pan.
Bake 15 minutes.
Place in a large bowl
4 large eggs
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1/2 Cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Cups heavy cream
Whisk together until smooth, then gently fold in the prepared rhubarb.
Pour the custard mixture over the baked crust.
Bake for 45 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is just barely golden.
Let it cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing into bars.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Rhubarb Crumble Shortbread Squares
Grease an 8 inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Cups fresh rhubarb
Place in a small bowl
1/2 Cup flour
1/2 Cup rolled oats
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 Cup unsalted butter, melted
Mix together until crumbly.
Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 Cup sugar
Cream together until light and fluffy.
Gradually add
2 Cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix until a soft dough forms.
Press two-thirds of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
Use a fork to poke holes in the dough to prevent buckling.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Place in another bowl
the chopped rhubarb
3/4 Cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix well until the rhubarb is coated.
Spread the rhubarb mixture evenly over the shortbread base in the baking pan.
Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the rhubarb layer.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden brown.
Place pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Lift out using the parchment paper overhang.
Slice into squares and serve.
Rhubarb Crumble Breakfast Bars
Line an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.
Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Cups fresh rhubarb
Preheat oven to 350° F
Place in a medium bowl
The prepared rhubarb
3 Tablespoons honey or maple syrup
Toss until well coated.
Place in a medium bowl
1 1/2 Cups rolled oats
1/2 Cup flour
2 Tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1/4 Cup margarine, melted
Mix well until crumbly but holds together a bit when pressed.
Press about two-thirds of the oat mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Spread the prepared rhubarb evenly over this base.
Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the rhubarb layer.
Bake for 35 minutes, until the top is golden.
Place pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Lift out using the parchment paper overhang.
Cut into bars.
Rhubarb Bars
Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking pan.
Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Cups fresh rhubarb
Preheat oven to 350° F
Place in medium bowl
1 Cup flour
1/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup cold butter
Mix until crumbly.
Press into prepared pan.
Bake 15 minutes.
Place in medium bowl
2 large eggs
1 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup flour
Stir to combine, then gently fold in the prepared rhubarb.
Pour over crust.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes until set.
Cool before slicing.
Rhubarb Coconut Macaroon Tarts
Grease the 12 cups of a muffin tin.
Cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 1/2 Cups fresh rhubarb
Place in a saucepan
Prepared rhubarb
1 to 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until soft and slightly thickened.
Let cool slightly.
Place in a medium bowl
2 large egg whites
Whisk until frothy.
Stir in
1/2 Cup sugar
1 1/2 Cups shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
Place in a medium mixer bowl
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 Cup sugar
Cream together until light and fluffy.
Place in a measuring cup
1 Cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Stir together and add to butter mixture.
Mix in until crumbly.
Press into the bottom of each greased muffin cup in tin.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Spoon a teaspoon of rhubarb filling over the crust in each cup.
Top with a scoop of the coconut mixture, pressing gently so that it holds together.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Let tarts cool completely before removing to avoid crumbling.
Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie
Have on hand
1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust
Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 Cups fresh rhubarb
Place in a large bowl
the chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1/3 Cup flour
1 Cup sour cream
1 large egg
Mix together until well combined.
Pour mixture into the unbaked pie crust.
Preheat oven to 450° F
Place in a medium bowl
1/2 Cup flour
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup melted butter
Mix together until crumbly.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over the rhubarb mixture in the pie crust.
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350° F and bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool completely before slicing.
Rhubarb Cloud Pie
Preheat oven to 425° F
Place pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Remove from oven and set aside.
Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Cups fresh rhubarb
Place in a medium saucepan
the chopped rhubarb
1 Cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Cook until the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove the rhubarb filling from heat and pour into the baked pie crust.
Place in a large mixing bowl
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Beat until soft peaks form.
While continuing to beat gradually add
1/3 Cup confectioner’s sugar
Beat until stiff glossy peaks form.
Spread the meringue topping over the rhubarb filling, making sure to seal the edges to prevent the meringue from shrinking.
Return pie to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the meringue is lightly browned.
Place pie on rack and allow to cool for at least an hour before serving.
Rhubarb Meringue Pie
Preheat oven to 425° F
Place pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Remove from oven and set aside.
Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 1/2 to 4 Cups fresh rhubarb
Place in a medium saucepan
3/4 Cup sugar
1 Tablespoon orange zest
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
Let sit for 15 minutes.
Over low heat, stir and gradually add
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
While stirring occasionally, cook until tender.
Place in small bowl
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 Cup sugar
Whisk together.
Place in small pot
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 Cup cold water
Heat until bubbly, then set aside.
Place in a large mixing bowl
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Beat until frothy.
Gradually add sugar mixture.
Beat until stiff glossy peaks form.
Pour hot rhubarb mixture into crust.
Top with meringue, making sure to seal the edges to prevent the meringue from shrinking.
Return pie to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the meringue is lightly browned.
Place pie on rack and allow to cool for at least an hour before serving.
~~~
Father’s Day has changed a bit over the years.
In 2006 I wrote a piece for the CKUW radio show ‘2000 & Counting - Older & Wiser’.
The story got a chuckle from the other hosts and the staff.
Enjoy the day, everyone!
I hope all you Dads will have a great Father's Day.
People talk about how Christmas has changed over the years. Well, I think Father's Day has changed even more than Christmas has.
In the fifties, Father's Day was pretty simple. It was a snap to shop for Dads. Moms were hard. There were so many different toilet waters. Lipstick colours changed every year. One year Lucille Ball Red was popular. The next year every lady was wearing Flaming Fuschia. I mean, how was an elementary school kid supposed to know what to get?
Dads were easy. They always needed a pair of socks or another tie. There WAS something about an Aqua Velva man. The bottles of blue water came in a variety of sizes and they were all cheap. If you had to soften Dad up for the report card that was coming, you could splurge on Old Spice or English Leather for a few pennies more.
If you'd blown all your money for Mother's Day - an easy thing to do - you could get another tube of Brylcreme. Those little dabs went fast and Dad always needed another tube so he could look debonaire and Mom could run her fingers through his hair.
Keeping the family car spiffy has always been a Dad's job. Remember when they were unwrapping their presents in the movie A Christmas Story? Dad Darren McGavin was thrilled to get a tin of Simonize for his car. It was big. It was heavy. It was cheap.
That was the Golden Age for Dads gifts. But now? Let's just say that Dads are getting to be as big a problem as Moms are, gift-wise.
I always thought of men as being rough and ready in their grooming needs. I raised a son. He once took a bath, answered nature's call, then went straight to drying everything - and I mean everything - with the bath towel. He thought cutting out a small step would save some time. At least that was his explanation when I asked him about the skid marks on the yellow towel.
Now men have discovered their inner Alan Alda. They know about brands like Nivea. Soap on a rope has lost its oomph. Blades and a can of Barbasol just won't cut it anymore. Guys have discovered grooming sets: shower gels, body washes, face scrubs, after shave balms and a post shave soother that the nice sales clerk swore will control his beard's growth. You know, the same crap and sales pitches they've been throwing at women for years.
And for the guy who's really into his feminine side, there are events like the Papa-razzi Package at the Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver. The 36 hour getaway includes an hour-long massage, a facial, foot care, a souvenir shaving kit and a round of golf. The package costs $2,165 plus taxes and airfare if you don't happen to live in Vancouver. Hey, femininity never came cheap.
Tools have always been popular gifts. Something is always getting lost or broken, right? Time was when, after being showered with a 32 piece wrench set, a 14 piece clamp set and a 65 piece screwdriver set, every Dad was ready, willing and eager to wrench, clamp and screw any and everything in the house.
Fellows, I was wondering… if a man receives a 205 piece drill and screw driving set (consisting of screw driving bits, nut driving bits, spade bits, high speed drill bits, hole saws, masonry drill bits, sanding drums and a countersink which, I've been told, are ideal to use on wood, metal, plastic, brick, mortar and concrete) would he really use them all or just stick to a half dozen favourite pieces? You know, the way we women use the same favourite spoons and pans in the kitchen. Sometimes wretched excess is just, well, excessive.
Speaking of the kitchen, a Dad's cooking used to be basic. Raw meat plus fire equaled hard small hockey pucks served with ketchup and relish in a bun. Raw onion slices were added for the July first weekend. Up to now the most exciting thing I'd ever seen a man do at the barbecue was to stick a can of beer up a chicken's butt so it could stand and roast. It looked almost patriotic.
Dads made simple basic food. And healthy. No E coli bacteria could ever survive a Dad's barbecue.
Now folks are dropping like flies because Dads have discovered cuisine. Ketchup and mustard have disappeared. Guys who flunked Geography and can't find their way to their in-laws across town without a CAA trip-tik are now into Japanese, Mexican and Thai recipes.
While at the Liquor Commission, I picked up the freebie Flavours magazine. On the cover it said Sassy sauces for your grilled goodies. Uh, huh. I don't know what my Dad would've thought of things like sorrel-spinach sauce. On salmon, yet.
There was also an article about the joys of salt water. According to the folks at Flavours, soaking food in brine is the key to a killer barbecue. I don't know. I remember one picnic forty years ago when the boat tipped over, everyone and everything fell out and everything got doused with good old salty Atlantic Ocean water. No one thought that was anything worth repeating ever again.
Shish kebabs used to be simple. Meat, onion, green pepper… meat, onion, green pepper… meat, onion, green pepper… until you ran out of everything. Well, now bamboo skewers aren't good enough anymore. Oh, no. One recipe in Flavours should earn a cook a Boy Scout badge. Get this: Peel fresh ginger and cut into several four inch long skewers. Then carve the ginger on one end into a sharp point. If your local grocer is out of long chunks of ginger, don't panic. You can also do the same thing to lemongrass stalks.
Oh, pull-lease!! If God meant us to spend our short summers carving little sticks He never would've made those nice clean bags of bamboo skewers. Life - and a Manitoba summer - is way too short for that kind of nonsense.
There was a time when a bag of coal big enough to burn down a house could warm the cockles of a Dad's heart. It could keep a fellow busy for a whole summer's worth of Sundays. Now charcoal has some competition. Have you been exposed to Mesquite-Flavoured wood chips? Our neighbour, Lou, really loves mesquite. He chopped some chips up and sprinkled them on the salad. Okay. Lou isn't quite right in the head. Last week he served up what he called grilled pizza. Uh, huh. Like we didn't notice the take out boxes stacked next to his recycling.
We have an old gas barbecue that chugs along with 11,000 BTUs. It has been doing a dandy job of turning meat into blackened briquets for quite a few happy family gatherings. Have you seen the new barbecues? When did guys start pimping their grills? The big selling feature for these monsters is how many BTUs are under the hood.
I checked the dictionary. BTU means British Thermal Units. Well, that was a big help. I needed to get BTU into terms I could understand. I looked around my house and found that my gas water heater has 30,000 BTUs. The heater is plastered with little notes from Furnaceman. Cheery messages like: Third degree burns can occur in six seconds when the water is 60º C. Death is also possible.
Hmmm… My water heater has 30,000 BTUs and it can get water hot enough to kill somebody.
A Kalamazoo Bread Breaker Two Dual-Fuel grill with an infrared rotisserie cradle system and a side burner has a 154,000 BTU capacity. It has a temperature gauge that reaches 1000º F. It also has nighttime grilling lights. Why? Would a middle-aged hubby, after his 3 a.m. pee, get an uncontrollable urge to wander out to the Kalamazoo and grill a couple of turkeys?
According to the manufacturer, it's geared to the Man cook with fire market segment.
Middle-aged men, who normally think it's a hassle to reheat leftovers in a microwave, are gathering around these monster barbecues and acting like a bunch of teenage boys. They're checking under the hood, twisting dials and rattling off phrases like "Mounted smoker box… warming rack… hi-dome cooking lid… porcelain coated cooking grid… heat plates" with the same slobbering enthusiasm most had for their first car.
There are also barbecue accessories. I'm not talking long handled forks and aprons that tell folks to kiss the cook.
The Centro food prep station is a buffet, cooler and more. It can be connected to the barbecue to create a complete outdoor kitchen. Hey, fellas! There's a room that has all this stuff. You're welcome to come and flex your cooking muscles all year round. Sorry the oven only goes to 500º F, but, we girls have been able to crank out complete holiday dinners in it. it's called the kitchen.
Maybe the Discovery Channel was trying to do a public service. They recently had a special on the 1883 Krakatoa catastrophe. When Krakatoa went Kabooie, it produced an ash cloud. The ashes and gases reached 1000º F. Most of the people in a 30 mile radius were killed by the extremely hot air which liquified their lungs.
Dads, if some fool gave you the Bread Breaker, think of Al Gore and take it back.
The ozone layer will thank you.
The environment will thank you!
The lungs of everyone within 30 miles will thank you!!
And, most important, the family's burgers and wieners will thank you!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments are moderated. Spam will not be posted.