Rhubarb Crisp

I have to admit, it came as a huge surprise to me that rhubarb is loved the world over. In my sheltered existence, I always imagined that this unusual harbinger of spring was an Eastern Long Island thing. Or a Polish farmer thing. Or a provincial thing.

So imagine my surprise when I was served rhubarb crisp for the first time in Sweden. The Swedes call it "rabarber paj" and often eat it with (unwhipped) heavy cream poured directly on it. 30 years later, it is still a perennial spring favorite in Sweden: it took me literally 2 seconds to find this recipe for rabarber paj med havre ( rhubarb crisp with oatmeal) in Dagens Nyheter, a large daily paper in Stockholm. As a matter of fact, 27 rhubarb recipes popped up when I did a search for rhubarb. Yup, the Swedes like their rhubarb -- but truth be told, so do I. 

Rhubarb season finally arrived in New York about 2 weeks ago. My first purchase was on Eastern LI. Andlast weekend, I purchased some in Manhattan -- for a king's random.  No matter. The growing session is short and one has to get it while it's still available.

Many recipes for fruit tarts, pies and crumbles call for flour or corn starch as a thickening agent. I prefer to use tapioca, which produces a silky filling, without clumps or a pasty after taste. The amount of sugar to add is really a matter of personal taste.  Rhubarb is very tart, so I would recommend a ratio of at least 3/4 cup sugar to every 4 cups of rhubarb. The crumb topping is a combination of oatmeal, brown sugar, flour and butter.

I love this dessert warm or cold. Sometimes I serve it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, but it is also delicious plain.  One thing is for sure, if you have never baked with rhubarb before, this recipe will definitely make you a true disciple.

The printable recipe is here.

Banana Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

After tackling the post Easter chaos in my refrigerator, I turned my attention to a bunch of very ripe bananas in my fruit basket. My first impulse was to make banana bread. But given that I was expecting company, I decided to be more adventurous and make a cake. And wow, what a cake I made.

I found this recipe on the Epicurious website.  It was originally published in 1997 and hales from the now shuttered Gabrielle Restaurant in New Orleans.

I made the cake as directed, except I used 4 ripe bananas, not two.  (They must have mighty big bananas in New Orleans.) This recipe makes two, perfectly level 8" layers.  If you want three layers, I would recommend using 6" pans, or doubling the recipe. 

I iced the cake with (my own recipe for) cream cheese frosting, and sprinkled chopped walnuts on top. The original recipe recommends placing slices of fresh banana in between the cake layers.  I elected not to do this, as I assumed that the slices would quickly become brown and mushy.  I wanted to solve a problem. Not create one.

My company subsequently cancelled, so I gave the cake to the staff in my building.  They were very pleased, and I was relieved to have it out of the house.  It would have been too hard to resist.

The recipe for the cake is here.

Quick Bite: Asparagus with (Meyer) Lemon Juice, Olive Oil and Shaved Pecorino Romano Cheese

Salt and Pepper.  Need I say more?  

A Trip to the Farmer's Market [May 14, 2011]

After an uncharacteristically long and bitter winter, spring (and a bounty of fresh produce) have finally arrived in New York City. Here is a "snap shot" of the goodies that I purchased at the Tribeca Greenmarket this morning.

 A mixed bouquet of lilacs.  They smell amazing!

Homemade apple cider donuts, with cinnamon and sugar, from the Prospect Hill Orchards in Milton, NY.  A lovely bunch of 'French Breakfast' radishes.

 Spinach and rhubarb

Asparagus and several varieties of swiss chard

The farmers also had baby lettuce and other greens (kale, dandelion, etc), but this was a good start. Now it is time to get cooking!