rhubarb custard pie

Being rhubarb season means that I'm always on the hunt for new recipes to try. I know we have our favorites, but we don't want to "get sick of it", so to speak. This weekend I made a rhubarb custard pie - making a variation on a recipe I found in Saveur and using my old stand by flaky crust recipe. It is SO GOOD. Mild, tangy, not too sweet, not too tart, crispy crust with soft custard and bits of rhubarb. Just great. I have a feeling I'll be making this a few more times this season!


::Rhubarb Custard Filling::

2 cups thinly chopped fresh rhubarb
1 1/4 cups turbinado sugar
seeds from 1/2 a scraped vanilla bean (or 1 tsp good vanilla extract)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp cream

Make your pastry crust (see below).

Toss the chopped rhubarb into bowl with 1 cup of the sugar. Let it sit until the rhubarb releases its juices - an hour or so will be about right. Strain the rhubarb - save the juice/liquid too.

For the custard beat the eggs with the cream and 1/4 cup remaining sugar, stir in the vanilla and dried spices.

Stir in the rhubarb juice that you strained.

Sprinkle the rhubarb slices into the pie crust, pour over the custard mixture.

Bake at 350ºF until it is set but not overcooked - about 30-40 minutes. Let cool & slice!

++

::Pâte Brisée - AKA flaky pie crust::

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tsp sugar (for sweet dish, omit for savory like quiche)
4 oz. COLD unsalted butter

3 to 6 tsp of ice water

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.

Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter (or pulse in food processor) until it resembles course meal.

Add the ice water a bit at a time, mixing as you go until the mixture just starts to come together.

Gently roll into a ball (don't knead).

Wrap it up, flatten into 1" thick disc and put into the fridge for 20+ minutes to chill.
Roll the dough out gently and then press into your lightly buttered pie plate, crimping edges.

This does not need to be pre-baked, just add your filling and bake. This works for any recipe that needs a flaky crust. Makes one 9" pie crust.

++

This is really good with some freshly whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream. YUM.

rhubarb syrup :: rhubarb soda

It is that time of year...rhubarb time! I try to make a bit of everything with it so that it can last us through the year. Frozen, jam, compote, chutney, syrup...combined with some of the decadent freshness that is the seasonal treat like rhubarb ice cream or granita or baked honey glazed rhubarb. The house has the constant rhubarb and honey smell this time of year and it is a good thing.


We have a lot of cold and wet this week (frost tomorrow night?) so it is for home and kitchen puttering. Yesterday I made one of my favorite things. Rhubarb syrup, this year with ginger and cardamom. SO GOOD.


::Rhubarb Ginger Syrup::

8 C chopped rhubarb
1.5 cups honey
sliced fresh ginger (2" knob)
2 cardamom pods, cracked - seeds only into pan (optional, but it is good!)
1/2 vanilla pod scraped (or 1 tsp good vanilla extract)
2 cups water
(If you want it to look pink, add a slice of fresh beet)

Combine everything in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently until the fruit is soft and the liquid has thickened slightly, about 30-40 minutes.

Run the mixture through a fine strainer (or cheesecloth) that has been placed over a large bowl. Strain until most of the liquid is in the bowl. Give a little press on the solids with a spoon to extract more syrup.

Pour the syrup into a clean bottle, cap or cork the bottle and refrigerate. It will store for quite a long time in the fridge.

The solids make a nice rough jam or are fantastic added to baked goodies (just remove ginger slices), so if you want you can put them in a clean jar and keep them in your refrigerator and use as needed! I'm making muffins this morning with it.

What to do with it? I love using it to make rhubarb soda. Or add a little to lemonade (my boys love this) or iced tea. Drizzle over vanilla ice cream. Or ... vodka and a sprig of basil would be good!

Of course the first thing we did with the syrup was make rhubarb soda. We don't drink store bought carbonated beverages/sodas, but having a rhubarb ginger soda is a real treat - and sweetened with only honey.

::Rhubarb Soda::

Ice
Syrup (for a pint canning jar glass I fill to about 1/4)
Club Soda
sprig of fresh basil (optional)

Put the syrup in over the ice and then gently pour the club soda over. Lightly crush the basil and stir in. It is so so so so so so good!

More rain and cold this week, and more rhubarb in my kitchen!

::good stuff::

I like adding ginger to just about everything. It has so many beneficial properties and also has fantastic flavor. Ginger is known to help with stomach issues - stomach aches, gas, nausea, even motion and sea sickness! Ginger has anti-oxidant properties and fantastic anti-inflammatory effects. It is a good immune system booster as well. Ginger is so concentrated with active substances, you don't have to use very much to receive its beneficial effects!

.

strawberry rhubarb bread pudding.

It has been a long, long time! I took a break from this blog after a busy garden/CSA/canning season to just step away from it for the winter, and come back when growing season was in swing again. I have a lot of ideas and recipes this year - and I'm excited about trying some new things, stretching my food preservation muscles even more, and exploring all the goodness around me.

This week has been the beginning of strawberry season. The garden has been giving us spring greens for awhile, but it really seems like summer is starting when the strawberries are ripe. As we all know, strawberries and rhubarb are quite the duo. I love the preserves and crisps and pies that I always make, but I wanted to combine the flavors of the two with a more comfy cozy dessert - bread pudding. It turned out so good!

I based it on my favorite basic bread pudding recipe, with some tweaks for flavor and ingredients!


::strawberry rhubarb bread pudding::

1 cup chopped rhubarb
2 cups sliced strawberries
4 cups sliced or cubed bread
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch nutmeg
zest of one lemon

1/4 cup grated unsweetened coconut
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350º.

Place your bread into your baking dish. Add the rhubarb & strawberries making sure it is all mixed in between the bread pieces.

In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, honey, vanilla, milk and spices (room temp eggs work best to help mix honey).


Pour the mixture over your bread/fruit mix. Add the zest over the top. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Add the coconut & brown sugar to the top. We don't like things too sweet, so we add only enough brown sugar to mix well with the coconut for a nice topping - if you like sweet you can add a bit more.

Put back into the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let sit a few before serving.


I'm ready for summer!