Roasted Rhubarb Streusel Muffins

Conversation at our house earlier this week...

Me: Look, I made you muffins.

David: Those muffins aren't for me.

Me: Why do you say that?

David: They don't have chocolate.

Me: Oh? Well, they could still be for you.

David: They are pretty. You made them for the blog.

Me: Guilty smile.

Yes, I was busted. These were definitely blog muffins. But, they didn't start out that way. I was just going to make some nice simple rhubarb streusel muffins.
I'm not sure what got into me the day I decided to make these muffins. Somehow I got it in my head to turn them into flowers. I thought that the almond petals would stay in place and the batter would rise up around them. It didn't quite turn out that way. Honestly, they didn't all turn out looking so great. Some were perfect like the one above, but others looked more like coneflowers. They were all a pain to get out of the muffin tin without breaking off the petals. I ended up discovering that they were pretty easy to replace, just stick the pointy end of the almond back into the warm muffin. If I was to do this again I would just toast the almonds ahead of time and then stick them in the muffins when they came out of the oven. I don't see myself having that much patience again for a while. The muffins were really tasty, so I will definitely be making them again. Next time I'm just going to mix the rhubarb in and sprinkle the streusel and almonds on top and maybe then David will believe that I made the muffins for him. I wonder how they would taste with chocolate?

Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Scones

I see you rolling your eyes. More Rhubarb? More Scones? Eleven scone recipes, and now today there will be twelve! That is a lot of scones. Plus, three Rhubarb recipes in one week. That is the thing about living in Fairbanks. I have lived other places where everyone talks about eating seasonally, but never has it been more of a reality than it is at this point in my life. We have such a limited time with fresh produce, that I try to consume a whole years worth in four three months.

David and I were discussing our pizza stone the other night, wondering how many calories have been cooked on that stone since it was purchased five years ago. I can't even venture a guess. If I had to pick one item that holds the record for calorie content on this blog it would have to be all the scones. My quest for the perfect scone is what drove this blog in the beginning. I eventually branched out to other breakfast items, but it seems both on the blog and in real life I keep coming back to the scone. It is my perfect breakfast food. I'm not sure why I never thought about it before, but rhubarb seems to be the perfect scone pairing.  I can't get enough Rhubarb, that is until the blueberries and raspberries arrive!

Rhubarb Mojitos

A little piece of advice, when experimenting with cocktail recipes start with the non-alcohol version if you still want to be able to take photos by the time you get it right. I learned this the hard way with a margarita post last year. This year I started this project without the rum and slowly added it in once I had perfected the other flavors. The good thing about this approach is that I can tell you this flavor combination makes a great non-alcohol version as well. My original thought in making this drink was that the rhubarb syrup would replace the lime altogether. I was afraid the lime would overpower the Rhubarb, which it did when I added the full amount. Without the lime it felt like there was something missing, so in the end I added just a bit, a squeeze. The Rhubarb added a whole new dimension to the Mojito. I wasn't really sure it would make a huge difference, so I was really amazed when I took the first sip. If you are a fan of sweet/tart combinations, this is going to be your favorite drink this summer. One thing I did notice is that after the drink sat for a while it started to lose the pink color, so it might not be the best drink to make ahead of time or in large batches if you want to keep the vibrant pink color of the rhubarb. There are a lot of recipes for Mojitos out there and a lot of methods for making and drinking them. Feel free to share your tips and tricks in the comments section. This is the way I like to do it.

Rhubarb Simple Syrup

This post today is a bit of a tease, a hint of what is coming tomorrow. I actually had something completely different planned for today. As I photographed another post last night I realized I needed to share this with you as soon as possible. This will change your whole summer beverage routine. Rhubarb simple syrup can be used in pretty much any cocktail in place of regular simple syrup. You can also just add it to soda water to make a refreshing rhubarb soda. I knew how much I liked rhubarb, but I was really shocked how tasty this simple syrup was. The perfect sweet / tart combination. To get this really wonderful bright red color I only used the red part of the stalks of rhubarb. You can use the green parts as well, but the color will be a little more muddied. I cut off the red and then chopped up the green part and put it in the freezer to use in baked goods for next winter. I can hardly believe I have already started to put things away for next winter. I still haven't finished everything off from last winter yet.
So, go ahead and get started on the simple syrup if your Rhubarb is ready. Tomorrow I have a cocktail, a variation on an original that Rhubarb Simple Syrup will send over the top.

Rhubarb Simple Syrup
2 cups chopped Rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently to melt sugar. Once the boiling point is reached, turn down to a low simmer until Rhubarb loses its color. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl or large(4 cup) measuring cup. Allow syrup to drain through the strainer for 30 minutes or until liquid is no longer dripping. Do not press down on the whole pieces of Rhubarb as you will get fine particles in your syrup. Place syrup in a covered jar. Syrup will keep refrigerated for at least one month.

Rustic Rhubarb and Rose Petal Tarts

Yes these look challenging, Yes they have a lot of steps, Yes they are delicious! Really, they are not that hard to make. The whole time I was making them I called them my Supermodels. Really, they are beautiful, they didn't need much make-up, and they photograph so well (no bad sides). As challenging as they look you really can't screw them up. They are supposed to be rustic, so really the more screwed up the more beautiful they are (no offense to Supermodels).
The best part is that you can make them ahead of time and then just take them out of the freezer as you need them, a couple for dessert, and then some more for breakfast...
The original recipe calls for dried hibiscus flowers, which believe it or not I actually have in my kitchen (I won them in some giveaway a year ago). Because I could not resist taking advantage of the bounty of the season I used fresh rose petals instead. If you decide to go with hibiscus flowers they will need to be removed after cooking as they will not cook down like the rose petals. If you do decide to go with rose petals, make sure to use organic(or wild ones from your yard like I did), or those specifically made for culinary purposes as the regular flower shop ones are full of nasty chemicals.

Rhubarb Bars

When life gives you rhubarb...you guessed it...another rhubarb recipe. I'll warn you, this is not the last of it by any means. Look at this stuff...These Rhubarb bars are an adaptation of my favorite lemon bar. I was hoping they would be more pink since the rhubarb puree was such a beautiful color. You could cheat and add a little red food coloring if you felt the need. I have doubled the recipe this time so you can take them to a party this weekend.

Rhubarb Bars

Crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Filling:
4 large eggs
2 cup superfine or bakers' sugar
4 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup rhubarb puree (see below)

3 tbsp powder sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for dusting

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and line an 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.

To make crust:
Combine flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and pulse until the mixture is pebbly. Press evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 18-20 minutes. Set aside crust.

To make filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in rhubarb puree until well combined. Pour over crust (it's okay if crust is still hot). Bake until filling is just set, about 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely before serving. Dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon mixture if desired.To make rhubarb puree combine six cups of 1/2 inch diced rhubarb in a pot with 1/2 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Cover with lid and let simmer over medium heat until rhubarb becomes soft, about 20 minutes. Using a blender, or food processor (I used my immersion blender), blend mixture until smooth. If you end up with strings or chunky pieces simmer a bit longer. I could eat this stuff straight like applesauce, but I am strange like that! You will end up with about a quart of puree which can be used in a variety of recipes including ice cream or as a substitute for other fruit purees in recipes like this one

Rhubarb Muffins

One thing I find challenging in cooking is deciding what to make. Why is it that the person who cooks also always ends up deciding what to eat? I definately have those days when I know exactly what I want, but other days it really doesn't matter and I would rather have someone else make the decision. Last Saturday's breakfast fell into the latter category. So, I asked David to pick a general category as in egg, pancake, pastry, or cereal... Once I narrowed it down he chose the muffin category! As soon as he said muffin I knew what I would make. The rhubarb is taking over our garden and I have had this recipe saved since March. These are perfect Saturday morning muffins, simple to make, good with a cup of coffee. Would be perfect for relaxing morning out on the deck, and reading the paper if we weren't in Alaska at the height of mosquito season.

Cinnamon Rhubarb Muffins
adapted from Fine Cooking
Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup whole milk yogurt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups diced rhubarb
Topping:
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil baking cups.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and whisk to blend.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Lightly stir the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until the batter just comes together; do not overmix. Gently stir in the diced rhubarb. The batter will be thick.
Divide the batter equally among the muffin cups, using the back of a spoon or a small spatula to settle the batter into the cups (I find slamming the pan on the counter helps). The batter should mound a bit higher than the tops of the cups.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Sprinkle a generous 1/2 tsp. of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over each muffin.

Bake the muffins until they’re golden brown, and a pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully lift the muffins out of the pan—if necessary, loosen them with the tip of a paring knife—and let them cool somewhat before serving or they will stick to the papers. Serve slightly warm.

Bebopareebop Rhubarb Pie

*This advertisement has been plagiarized in its entirety from

A Prairie Home Companion*

Wouldn't this be a good time for a piece of Rhubarb pie?

One little thing can revive a guy

And that is a piece of rhubarb pie.

Serve it up, nice and hot,

Maybe things aren't as bad as you thought.

David caught me singing in the kitchen again this weekend. That always brings on much teasing, especially when I sing Kate Nash songs in my fake english accent. This is usually followed by David and the dog finding something productive to do in the garden. In any case this weekend David interrupted me during the chorus of...

Mama's little baby loves rhubarb, rhubarb,
Beebopareebop Rhubarb Pie.
Mama's little baby loves rhubarb, rhubarb,
Beebopareebop Rhubarb Pie.

and then as though on queue he said, "You should make a Rhubarb pie". To which I responded, "You can't make a pie with just rhubarb". Well apparently you can according to The Joy of Cooking, and so I did. I'm really glad I did because this Rhubarb Pie was even better than my singing. If any pie was to be the Bebopareebop Rhubarb Pie, this would be it. True Rhubarb flavor and nothing else standing in its way. The Rhubarb is out there center stage singing its heart out.

Bebopareebop Rhubarb Pie

adapted from The Joy of Cooking
SERVES 8
1 pastry for double-crust pie, sufficient for top and bottom 9 inch crust
5 cups of rhubarb cut into 3/4 inch lengths
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
Combine dry ingredients with rhubarb and let sit for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour rhubarb into bottom crust, dot with butter.

Brush overhang with water, cover with top crust, seal edge and crimp or flute edges.

Cut steam vents into top crust.

Bake for 30 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 degrees and slide a baking sheet under pie, bake 25-35 minutes longer, until crust is browned and juices bubble through the vents. Let cool 15-20 minutes before serving or as long as you can stand to wait!

*Bebopareebop Rhubarb Pie is a product of Prarie Home Companion and I apologize if this post makes absolutely no sense to some of you reading, or maybe you just assumed I have finally gone off the deep end. In any case, a friend recently pointed out, there is no NPR in Canada, and well the rest of the world. To learn more about Bebopareebop Rhubarb pie go here.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

This coffee cake was originally call the "Big Crumb" coffee cake. I renamed it the "Big Mess" coffee cake. I swear I used every mixing bowl and measuring cup in my kitchen making this one. I found this recipe late last fall after Rhubarb season had ended. Unlike most good Alaskans I had not put any away in my freezer, I had no space left after I put away the raspberries and cranberries. So, I waited a long time and it was totally worth the wait. This is a really tasty coffee cake that keeps the integrity of the Rhubarb by not drowning it in sugar. I prefer my Rhubarb to taste like Rhubarb, which can be pretty tart. The cake batter actually popped through the crumb layer on top. Next time I will make sure and keep the crumbs more tightly packed together.
Once I finish washing all the dishes from this one, I'll be making another one soon...

Rhubarb Coffee Cake
from Smitten Kitchen
Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling
Butter for greasing pan
FOR THE RHUBARB FILLING:
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
FOR THE CRUMBS:
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 3/4 cups cake flour
FOR THE CAKE:
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, slice rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Set aside.
2. To make crumbs, in a large bowl, whisk together sugars, spices, salt and butter until smooth. Stir in flour with a spatula. It will look like a solid dough.
3. To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about 1/2 cup batter and set aside.
4. Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.
5. Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. They do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter (it might be moist from rhubarb), 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Rhubarb

Last summer the Rhubarb in our garden completely overwhelmed me. It was already full size before I even started thinking what I should do with it. I brought in to work in grocery bags and begged folks to take it off my hands. I searched for recipes and even purchased a Rhubarb cookbook. I decided that nobody must actually like the taste of Rhubarb as all the recipes had incredible amounts of sugar. So, in the end I was defeated by the Rhubarb. Soon after the Rhubarb was gone I started finding recipes for Rhubarb everywhere. This year I am armed and ready to tackle that Rhubarb. I'm keeping an eye on it and those stalks will eventually find their way to my kitchen to become one of these...

Smitten Kitchen

Big Crumb Coffee Cake

Nordjus
Rhubarb and Custard Rose Scented Rhubarb Jelly with Pistachio Mousse

Fine Cooking

Rhubarb Muffins

Jenny Bakes
Rhubarb Pecan Muffins

Food and Wine
Rice Pudding with Poached Rhubarb

Simply Recipes
Rhubarb Sorbet

Sugar Laws
Rhubarb Ice Cream

(Click to Enlarge the photo to find out who else has been checking on the progress in our garden)