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Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Custard Pie

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Rhubarb Custard Pie (Recipe & Photo from Food Network Kitchen)

Rhubarb Custard Pie
As previously discussed I am not a huge cake fan. For most of my life I either had dairy queen ice cream cakes or cheesecake as my birthday cakes. It should come as no surprise that I decided to not bake a cake for my birthday. Instead I decided to bake a pie.
Specifically a rhubarb custard pie since I had exactly 4.5 cups of rhubarb left in my fridge to use up from my first harvest. I find that using rhubarb fresh is much easier than previously frozen as you don’t have to deal with draining excess fluid or adding more flour or corn starch to thicken it.
This pie is delish and super easy to make. I ended up eating 1/4 of the pie for my birthday.
 Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Fit the pie dough into a 9-inch pie plate, fluting the edges, and chill until set, about 15 minutes. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork, and then line the crust with aluminum foil.
  • Fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake until the edges of the crust are just golden, 20 minutes.
  • Remove the foil with the pie weights and continue to bake until the bottom of the crust is dry and lightly browned, another 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely.
  • Toss the rhubarb with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the lemon juice until well combined. Transfer to the crust and spread to form an even layer. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Whisk the eggs with the evaporated milk, flour and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar until smooth, and then pour over the rhubarb.
  • Line with edges of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent over browning.
  • Bake until the pie is lightly browned, puffed and no longer wet in the center, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Before serving, lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Pudding Cake

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I am very picky about cake. I will almost always pass on a store bought cake or even a cake baked by someone and brought into work. You’d think I would bake a lot of cakes but I don’t do that either. Most cakes are only good for a day or two (at most 4 days), so then I am stuck with a large amount of cake not eaten or I have to bring it to work.

With it being summer and my rhubarb in full swing, I decided to try a rhubarb pudding cake. I actually enjoyed it although I preferred the rhubarb blondies I made previously. I did end up bringing 1/2 the cake to work and it disappeared. Everyone loved it so give this recipe a try.

 

Rhubarb Pudding Cake (recipe from common sense home)

Ingredients
  • 2 cups chopped rhubarb
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
  • 3 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used evaporated milk)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup sifted flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2/3 cup boiling water

Instructions

  1. Cover the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch square pan with fruit. (I used a glass pie plate.)
  2. Mix 3/4 cup sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, extracts, milk and flour together (add a little more milk if it is too thick to pour); pour over fruit. Mix remaining sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over mixture in pan. Pour boiling water over the top.
  3. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes

 

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Blondies

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One thing you can always count on is your rhubarb coming to life in the summer. It’s a short window when everyone in Minnesota bakes their hearts out with this beloved vegetable. Most people call it a fruit due to the way it is used in desserts but it’s actually a vegetable.

It is one of my favorites in the summer season. I love being able to bake or cook with what is fresh during the seasons so harvesting and baking up my rhubarb is no exception. I try to make new dishes every year (as well as the classic ones we love), so I decided to give a blondie recipe a try. These bars are delicious. So buttery and caramel-like in flavor from all the brown sugar. I’ve already made two batches of these bars this year so it’s quickly become a new favorite rhubarb recipe of mine.

Rhubarb & White Chocolate Blondies (recipe from goodness gracious)

INGREDIENTS
  • 8 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups diced rhubarb
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray or grease with butter.
  2. Pour the melted butter into a large bowl.
  3. Whisk in brown sugar until smooth.
  4. Add the egg and vanilla extract, whisk again until combined.
  5. Add the flour and mix until no lumps are visible.
  6. Fold in the diced rhubarb and chocolate chips.
  7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread it out to make even.
  8. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
  9. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

50 States, 50 Cookies: Louisiana

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I’ve never had bananas foster dessert. I like bananas & banana bread. I even like banana cream pie if it’s been made recently. The longer a banana cream pie sits the more the banana flavor seeps into the crust & cream filling. I don’t like that. I know I’m weird. It tastes different though from the first day you make it and day 3 or 4. My guy actually prefers it after its sat a couple days. He like the banana flavor seepage. Anyhow, this dessert is yummy & super decadent. You really only need a small amount. I didn’t do so well with the brûlée part but it wasn’t terrible for my first time.

Bananas Foster Cookie Bars

Ingredients

Pecan Sugar Cookie

  • 1 cup Butter softened
  • 1 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 1-1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tsp Almond Extract
  • 3 cups Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped Pecans

Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 oz Cream Cheese softened
  • 6 cups Powdered Sugar sifted
  • 1-1/2 oz Spiced Rum
  • 1-2 Tbsp Milk (likely not needed, see instructions in step 7)

Banana Topping

  • 4 – 5 in small Bananas cuthalf across the middle and then cuthalf lengthwise (reference photos above)
  • 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil melted
  • 1 oz Spiced Rum
  • 1/2 cup Sanding Sugar or even “raw” sugar would work

 

Instructions
  1. Position a rack in the center position of your oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13″ baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the edges as your handles (important for removal of cookie bar – see photos above) and set aside.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a mixing bowl with a hand-held mixer), cream together butter and sugar until slightly fluffy, about one minute.
  4. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and beat on medium-high speed for an additional minute. Turn the speed to low and add in the dry mix 1/2 cup at a time, waiting until each addition is fully incorporated before adding in the next – you may want a rubber spatula handy for this to help scrape down the bowl as necessary.
  5. Once all of the dry mix has been added and is incorporated, turn the dough onto your prepared baking sheet and press it into an even layer in the pan (see photos above for reference).
  6. Spread the chopped pecans in an even layer on top of the dough and gently press the pecans into the dough using your hands. Place the cookies into the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until the edges are slightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 1 hour, until the cookie is room temperature (you don’t want to frost the cookie until it is completely cooled down).
  7. Prepare your frosting by creaming the cream cheese (in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand-held mixer) until slightly fluffy, about 1 minute. Scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary, add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, waiting for each cup to be incorporated before adding in the next addition. Once the frosting begins to appear super thick (around the 4th addition of powdered sugar, most likely) add in the rum and then continue with the remaining two additions of powder sugar. You want the frosting to be sturdy, as in slightly thicker than traditional cake frosting. If it is too thick, add a 1/2 tablespoon of milk at a time, mixing between each addition, until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
  8. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag (or a zip-top bag) fitted with a piping tip (we used a #195 tip) or simply skip the piping tip and snip off the edge of your bag to begin piping. Pipe in swirls on top of the cooled cookie, ensuring you cover the entire base of the cookie.
  9. Combine the coconut oil and rum in a mixing bowl and toss in bananas to coat evenly.
  10. Place your bananas, cut side up, on top of the frosting in two even rows (see photos above). Sprinkle with a very generous amount of sanding sugar and use your brûlée torch to brûlée each banana individually, taking care not to flame the frosting as it will melt (which is also no big deal, it just looks prettier when the frosting is kept in tact).
  11. Once the bananas have all been torched, place the entire pan into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour to let firm up. This step can be skipped if you are in a rush, but it makes cutting them way easier and will yield a prettier product.
  12. Use your parchment “handles” to remove the cookie from the pan and place onto a cutting board. Use a super sharp knife to cut the cookies into desired shapes. We did four rows down and seven across to yield 28 cookies. Serve just as they are or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!

50 States, 50 Cookies: Iowa

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Review & Recipe Only:

These cookies were not that great. They were more like muffin bites & didn’t really have a cookie feel. That being said, they are great for breakfast on the go.

Glazed Apple Fritter Cookie Bites from United States of Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour’
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup diced apple
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tsp coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup raw (or granulated) sugar

For the Glaze…

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp butter melted
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp raw sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2-4 tbsp milk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F & spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray
  • mix flour, spices, apples, baking powder, salt in a large mixing bowl
  • in another bowl combine applesauce, coconut oil, sugar, milk, & vanilla
  • make a well in the dry ingredients & add the wet ingredients stirring until just combined
  • spoon batter balls into muffin tin & bake for 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool for 5-10 minutes & remove from pan
  • while the cookies are baking mix all the glaze ingredients together. Spoon over the cookies & enjoy

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Drop Scones

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The summer of rhubarb has begun! Rhubarb screams summer and Minnesota cooking to me. I have grown up with rhubarb & have always loved it (no berry mixing required). These drop scones are not like your traditional scone in texture but are perfect for breakfast or with a coffee or tea.

 

Rhubarb Drop Scones

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
1 egg yolk

1 cup sour milk ( 1 tbsp lemon juice with 1 cup milk & let stand for 5 min)
raw sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter pieces and, using a pastry blender & your hands, mash it all up until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the butter is worked throughout. Add the rhubarb.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk and sour milk. Add this to the flour-fruit mixture. Stir until combined.

Drop large spoonfuls of the dough onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pat them down slightly until they are a uniform thickness (about 1/2 – 3/4 inch). Sprinkle the tops with raw sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes (a little less if you opt for smaller scones) or until the scones are golden and the edges beginning to brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

 

50 States, 50 Cookies: Florida

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When I was younger I was never a fan of key lime pie. It wasn’t until I started baking regularly that I liked it. Of course I didn’t make real key lime pie. I used regular limes because it’s almost impossible to get key limes where I live & to get ripe key limes is even harder.  I was always told by my parents & grandparents that you had to have real key lime pie from Florida.

A few years ago I went to Florida with my family. We went to a restaurant known for their key lime pie & it was there that I finally understood the appeal of it.

These cookies are a nice twist if you are a fan of key lime pie but they are nowhere near as tasty. Of course…I had to use regular limes but I still stand by that the pie version is way better than the cookie version.

Key Lime Cookies from Bob Reds Mill United States of Cookies

6 oz unsalted butter softened (1-1/2 sticks)
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1-1/2 tsp Key Lime Zest
2 Tbsp Key Lime Juice
1-1/2 cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
3/4 cup Pecans toasted and chopped fine
Powdered Sugar for topping
Instructions
In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Stir in Key Lime zest and juice.
In a separate bowl, stir flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Stir in pecans. Fold dry mixture into butter mixture and beat until combined. Bring the mixture together with your hands and form into two logs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut into ¼ inch thick rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. (Make sure you leave ample space between the cookies because they will spread.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a baking rack. Dust with confectioners sugar and allow to cool on the rack.

 

50 States, 50 Cookies: DC

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I don’t normally make cookies with fruit in them & this cookie is a reminder of why I don’t. I thought they would be really good. I mean maraschino cherries?! Love them. Love the maraschino juice too! Unfortunately it would have been better if I would have just eaten the cherries plain or in a manhattan. The cookies were a bit on the bland side. I didn’t have quality white chocolate so I used white baking chips & honestly that was the best part of these cookies. They just didn’t have that wow factor & I doubt it would have been better with the drizzle.

 

Cherry Chocolate Stars
Ingredients
1 cup Sweet Cream Butter softened
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Bourbon Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp Maraschino Cherry Juice
2-1/2 cups Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
25 Maraschino Cherries finely chopped
1 cup Pecans finely chopped
1 cup Walnuts finely chopped
8 ounces quality White Chocolate
Instructions
In a large bowl, whip soft butter until fluffy, then cream sugar and vanilla. Dribble in cherry juice and blend in well until mixture looks bright pink.
Sift all the flour over the pink mix and blend gently until dough begins to clump.
Stir in chopped cherries and nuts and continue to mix until evenly distributed.
Divide and gently pack the dough into two balls, seal with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
Preheat oven to 350º F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll out dough on a well-floured surface until 1/3” thick. (Dough will be stiff at first, so give it a few minutes for to warm and soften before rolling.)
Using 2- or 3-inch cookie cutter, punch out stars, gently lifting with knife or spatula onto the parchment. Make sure stars are not touching.
Bake for 10-11 minutes, depending on desired softness. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire racks.
Melt white chocolate in a double boiler, stirring regularly until the chocolate is liquid and glossy.
With a soup spoon, drizzle the small stripes of chocolate across the cookies. Let chocolate harden before serving

 

Summer of Rhubarb: Vanilla Pudding with Rhubarb Sauce

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My guy asked me the other day if I quit blogging. It’s not so much that I quit it’s just that it’s been hard to try and actually write. I made this dish earlier in the summer when my rhubarb was fresh and never got around to posting it. Now all I can think about is the fact that my cat Oedipus loved this dish and he is no longer with us. Which brings me to my point of why it’s hard to write.

I started a post a few weeks after his death and have not been able to bring myself to finish it. It’s called Saddle Thrombus. Enough said. Now every time I try to blog I get teary eyed. In fact I’m crying a bit right now.

It’s been over 2 months and yes I am doing better but every now and then I still get incredibly sad. I have quit reliving that terrible day in my head and have started to just think of all the good things he brought to my life and the fond memories I have of him, but I still get sad here and there.

Most people out there are thinking…’what the hell? He was just a cat’. Well you people are wrong. He wasn’t just a cat. I’ve had other pets before and still have other pets but it’s not the same. He was special. I’ve had other pets pass before and yes I was sad but it wasn’t a debilitating sadness that consumed me when my honeybun passed.

He was the most personable animal I ever knew. Some cats are stupid and ditzy

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& others are more wise and exhibit more human traits.

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The blank page ones or ones that aren’t as aware aren’t any less lovable but I loved Oedipus the most. He was my baby boy. I know he wasn’t a real child but he acted like one. I treated him more like one. That’s why his death has been so hard. He was the closest thing I will ever have to an actual child as children are not in the cards for me.

There will never be another one like him. One of his favorite things was dairy products. He loved all things dairy…cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, milk (he especially loved it when you ate cereal so he could get a few laps of the leftover milk in your bowl), ice cream, etc. He loved it all.

I made this vanilla pudding and he could smell the dairy in it. He’d sit right beside you begging for some. Obviously he wanted nothing to do with the rhubarb sauce but he liked the pudding part.

Vanilla Pudding with Rhubarb Sauce

Rhubarb Sauce

  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 1/2 cups rhubarb (if using frozen make sure it is thawed & drain out excess liquid)
  • lemon juice to taste

In a small saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil. Add the rhubarb. Cook and stir for 5-10 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in lemon juice to taste.

Vanila Pudding

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 tbsp corn starch
  • 3 cups milk (I used 2%)
  • 3 beaten egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

In a medium heavy saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Add milk. Cook and gently stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Gradually stir 1 cup of the milk mixture into egg yolks.
Slowly whisk egg yolk mixture back into milk mixture in saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in butter & vanilla. Pour pudding into 4 individual serving bowls. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap. Chill in fridge for 1 hour or up to 24 hrs before serving.

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Top with rhubarb sauce if desired.

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Rhubarb Muffins

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It took me years to be able to eat breakfast in the morning. In junior high and high school I lived off of slimfasts for breakfast because I just couldn’t bring myself to eat food. I didn’t have an appetite until I had been up for a few hours. Slowly over the years I have trained myself to eat actual food. Not a lot, but enough to get me going and last until lunch. My guy however, is still unable to eat in the morning. He likes to wait. The only problem with this is that he waits and then has no food to eat because he is at work. Consequently he ends up waiting until lunch. This is simply unacceptable in my opinion.  When he told me he wasn’t eating I decided to make muffins. They are perfect for a grab-n-go breakfast. And what a great way to use up more of my rhubarb.

Rhubarb Muffins (makes 12)

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cups sugar (I did half granulated sugar & half brown sugar)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup chopped rhubarb
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients, mixing only until moist. Fold in rhubarb and walnuts. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

 

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