Rhubarb Galette

a few years ago, i created perfect little rows of rhubarb in my galette, with the red skin showing. 

adapted from Alice Waters' Rhubarb Galette 

with the arrival of this spring daniel (my leading man) exclaimed his belief that there is no one in the world who loves rhubarb more than i do. and to be honest, it might be true! last year, i spent many of my days in an educational garden with an oversized rhubarb patch. it was rare i left without at least a small handful of stalks... and sometimes it was an overflowing bagful! i was so concerned as this spring approached that i wouldn't have my own rhubarb patch... but lo and behold a few volunteer rhubarb plants have appeared perfectly situated on the edge of our newly cleared garden. it just may be a rhubarb miracle! 

there have been rhubarb pies, chutneys, cocktails, popsicles, grilled rhubarb and more to come out of my kitchen - but this galette never misses a spring. you see, the galette is a favorite of mine for it's simplicity and rustic charm - be it filled with rhubarb, pears, cherries, or butternut squash and caramelized onions. just try this one, and i'm fairly confident you too will be hooked! 

this year we served this galette with a hearty scoop of homemade strawberry sorbet (100% last year's local strawberries, nothing more!), but it's also wonderful with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. 

this year, i just piled the rhubarb on 

ingredients: 

for the crust: 

1/2 cup all purpose flour 

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour 

1/2 tsp sugar 

pinch salt 

2 Tbsp flour 

6 tbsp butter (i use shetler dairy local butter, the higher quality your butter, the better your crust) 

3 1/2 tbsp ice water 

for the filling: 

1 1/2 pounds rhubarb 

1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp cane sugar 

1/4 cup almonds or almond flour (see note) 

1 tbsp butter, melted 

optional jasmine glaze: 

1/2 cup cane sugar 

1/2 cup water 

2 bags of jasmine tea 

instructions: 

first, prepare your crust. this can be done by hand or gently pulsed in a food processor. i've always made my crusts by hand, for while the allure of the food processor is strong, you'll never overwork a dough by hand.

whisk together the flours, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.  i prefer a shallow and wide bowl for ease of working the dough. add 2 tbsp of the butter (be sure it is cold, and cut into cubes before adding). use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour until it the pieces of butter are well-combined with the flour. add the remaining butter and cut it into the mixture until the butter pieces are about the size of peas. sprinkle in the water and use your fingers to toss it into the dough. once the water is fully integrated, gently press the dough together into one ball. flatten it into a disk, wrap in plastic, and place in the fridge for at least half an hour. 

next, create the base for your filling. use whole almonds if you have a high powered blender that can turn them into flour (i do this with the dry blade on our vitamix which is made for making flours). to do so, blend almonds, flour, and 2 tbsp sugar together until uniform. if you don't have this tool, just stir together almond flour, flour, and 2 tbsp sugar. 

when the dough is about ready to come out of the fridge, wash your rhubarb and slice it into matchsticks that are about 3 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. toss in a bowl with 1/2 cup sugar and let sit until you're ready for it. 

now, flour your countertop generously, remove dough from fridge and roll out into the best circle you can create (it isn't a big deal how round it is, we're going for a rustic look here!). when you're finished, it should be about a 14 inch circle and about 1/8 inch thick. brush off any excess flour and transfer dough to a sheet pan lined with a silpat or parchment paper. 

to assemble, sprinkle your almond mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-2 inch boarder clean. evenly spread your rhubarb over this area, leaving any excess sugar and moisture in the bowl. you can make perfect little lines, a spiral, or just pile them on - it's up to you! fold the clean edges up and over the rhubarb, working your way around the circle and being careful to avoid tears in your dough. brush the edges with melted butter, and sprinkle with a little sugar if you wish. 

bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes, rotating every 15 minutes so it cooks evenly, until crust is golden brown. 

glaze

if you want to use the optional glaze, you'll just need to make an infused simple syrup (a handy skill to have!). in a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. cook over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. add tea bags (or loose leaf tea, which you can strain off once it's steeped) and let steep for 10-20 minutes, turning the heat off after about 5 as the water will evaporate quickly. the syrup should smell strongly of jasmine when you're finished. 

brush a thin coat of glaze lightly over the galette while it cools. you'll have some extra left over which can be mixed with club soda over ice for a refreshing drink!

blueberry crisp with ginger and lime for midwinter joy

the town where i live, traverse city, is surrounded by an incredible amount of farmland, much of it orchards and other fruit farms. so while we have a wonderful supply of veggies at market, there is also an abundance of fruit -- particularly stone fruits and of course plenty of berries. last summer, daniel and i purchased our first ever chest freezer and started putting away the bounty, thinking joyfully about having local fruit through the entire winter. i would leave the market twice a week with both panniers (bike bags) loaded with what we needed for meals plus whatever fruit would fit. 

after a summer of markets, we had over 50 pounds of blueberries, maybe 20 quarts of sweet black cherries, a flat plus some of strawberries, two gallons of raspberries, 4 or so gallons of peach slices, and some other little surprises (like pesto!). plus of course the canned goods. i couldn't help but think we had a serious food hoarding problem. 

but now, it's april - the outdoor farmers market starts again in just a few weeks, and we've had an incredible winter of smoothies, crisps, and other fruit treats. AND, we only have a few gallon bags of fruit left - i guess we didn't go totally over the top after all! 

first of all, if i've learned anything about freezing fruit in northern michigan -- it would be to always always always freeze pitted sweet cherries. it's worth the splatter of black cherry juice all over your kitchen from an afternoon of pitting when you take your first sip of an almond cherry vanilla smoothie (or with chocolate!). Recipes for those coming soon, I promise! 

but for now, one of my favorite reminders of summer during the depths of winter - blueberry crisp. this dessert is delicious and easy to throw together with things around the house (so long as you have a freezer full of blueberries). 

ingredients: 

3/4 cup cane sugar 

3 Tbsp white flour 

7 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen) 

3 Tbsp lime juice 

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour 

3/4 cup brown sugar 

1/2 cup (4oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1in cubes 

1 1/2 cups thick rolled oats 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp ground ginger 

pinch of sea salt 

directions: 

in a small bowl, mix together the cane sugar and white flour. 

place blueberries in a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle sugar mixture and lime juice over top. stir until well combined, then spread evenly in dish. 

combine whole wheat pastry flour, brown sugar, oats, and spices in medium mixing bowl (i like to do this with a whisk). add butter cubes and work into flour mixture with hands until it is well combined and resembles a course meal. this is most easily done by rubbing the ingredients between your thumb and fingers. 

sprinkle this mixture evenly over the berries. 

bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until topping has turned golden brown and blueberries are bubbling up through the topping in places. 

let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. this dish is great warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. it's also great on it's own at room temperature (for dessert or breakfast...). 

traditional irish coffee

this recipe is a long time family favorite and is usually made around the holidays at my parents house each year, with family and friends all together. you see, my mother came to the states (actually to santa monica, california) from ireland when she was 11 years old. she's always had plenty of family in ireland, so there were many trips to visit as children. when we got old enough, my brother and i even applied for dual citizenship. i love and cherish my irish heritage to say the least. 

so i can say for sure, this is the real deal irish coffee (please note, there is no bailey's). i've changed the measurement for the sake of clarity, but irish coffee is made at my parents' home with "just a thimbleful" of irish whiskey. an old silver shot-glass sized thimble that is, which we take out of it's little leather case each time we make this drink. 

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i know i'm a little late on the season for special irish drinks (and honestly, a good irish coffee is best in the depths of winter)... that said, i couldn't help but share this family favorite. make yourself one on a cold rainy spring afternoon then remember the joy for next winter. 

ingredients (for each serving): 

 about 6oz coffee (i could write a whole blog about my feelings towards different types of coffee, but just be sure to use a decent quality coffee bean and make it fresh and strong) 

1oz good irish whiskey (or a little more, if you like!) 

1 Tbsp brown sugar (use a little less if you aren't into sweet coffee) 

a few tablespoons of heavy whipping cream 

directions: 

first, a note on the glasses to be used. while you can make your irish coffee in a mug, i highly recommend making it in wine glasses. it look like a fancy guinness and makes the whole experience much more fun! 

start by making the coffee you'll need for the number of servings you're making 

meanwhile, you'll want to lightly whip the cream with a whisk or electric mixer. be careful though, you don't want to over-whip it! the cream is ready when it starts to thicken and will form peaks that fall immediately. most importantly, you should still be able to pour it. (a little trick: if you over-whip it, just add a little cream and stir it in!) 

now, you just have to put the drinks together! start by placing a small metal spoon in each glass (really, this isn't a joke. it'll absorb the heat of the coffee and prevent your glasses from breaking). 

pour the coffee and sugar into the glasses and stir gently until the sugar dissolves. be sure you leave room for the whiskey and cream! 

add about one shot of whiskey to each glass (i'll be honest, i don't measure at my house) and give it a quick stir. 

finally, the cream! to make it easy, you'll want it in something you can easily pour from -- a bowl with a spout or a liquid measuring cup. you can also use a larger spoon to slowly pour the cream. hold the small spoon from each cup upside down over the coffee and pour the cream so it falls gently over the spoon and rests on top of the coffee. create a half inch or thicker layer of cream. 

enjoy!