Roasted Strawberry-Rhubarb Buckwheat Biscuit Cake

Happy Memorial Day weekend, friends! I have this to die for strawberry-rhubarb biscuit cake. Ah-mazing.

Before we get to the food, I have to share how difficult it has been to get this post up. My cat has been a relentless snuggle bean. I can't sit down without her showing up and climbing into my lap.

I often complain how she doesn't give me enough loving, finding it very hard to kick her off my lap. When she was too slow to get on my lap before my computer, she still climbs on. Sprawled out, one leg on the keyboard, belly up. Cuteness.

As I write this she is sitting on my belly giving me the stink-eye. She has obviously claimed my lap as her own and has some computer jealousy.

It may be that she knows her mother, me, is about to leave her for two weeks and she wants all the snuggles she can get before that day arrives.

Now about this cake, cobbler, fruit and biscuit situation. It is maybe the most delicious thing I've ever made. I had frozen strawberries from last summer and rhubarb from the farmers market.

If you are using frozen berries, be sure to drain them. If you don't, you'll end up with way too much liquid. Which is bad. We don't want that. Set them in a strainer overnight on the counter or in the refrigerator.

Did I mention how easy this is to make? It took like 45 minutes all together, including dishes. The cake was gone in about the same amount of time. Remember, this is a judge free zone.

The biscuits come together really quickly, they are fairly doughy and dense, not so light and fluffy, but it worked for me. Using all white flour is totally acceptable.

I sort of just used what I had on hand. You could substitute creme fraiche or sour cream for the yogurt.

Roasting the fruit results in a super jammy and buttery consistency. I would have slathered it all over myself, if I had more of it. That is right, it is that good.

It is so good you want to sit down all alone, dim the lights and turn on your favorite cooking show and savor the moment.
xo
April

Ingredients:
for the fruit:
2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen, if frozen, defrost and drain first
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons butter
for the biscuits:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
8 tablespoons butter, cold, cut into quarter inch cubes
1/2 cup full fat greek yogurt or creme fraiche
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds removed and scraped
for the egg wash:
1 large egg
splash of water or milk
brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven, preheat the oven to 375F. 
2. In a medium bowl, combine the first six ingredients for the fruit, tossing to fully coat the fruit. Place the fruit mixture into an 8-inch oven proof skillet or metal baking dish, placing small pads of butter on top of the fruit. Place in the oven to roast for 12 to 15 minutes. While the fruit roasts, prepare the biscuit dough.
3. To make the biscuits, in a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the cold butter and vanilla bean seeds and use your fingers to quickly break the butter down into the flour and sugar mixture. Some of the butter pieces will be the size of oat flakes, others will be the size of small peas.
4. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the cold yogurt . Stir with a spoon. The mixture will be rather wet. Shape the dough into a rough disk, dividing the dough into 6 pieces. Brush the top of each biscuit with the egg wash (whisk together one egg with a splash of milk or water) and top with brown sugar.
5. Remove the strawberries from the oven and carefully place the biscuits over the hot strawberries. Return the skillet to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the biscuits are cooked through and the biscuits are golden.
6. Remove from the oven, allow to cool until the strawberries are no longer bubbling, and serve warm.

Strawberry and Mixed Greens Salad

A couple of months ago I shared by go-to lunch salad, a sweet potato and mixed greens salad.  Honestly, after eating it almost daily for a month straight, my love for that salad faded (don't worry, I'm sure I will become obsessed again in the future because it's too tasty not too!)

Recently I decided to revamp it a bit to make it a little less wintery, and a little more springy.  While it's nowhere near strawberry season in Wisconsin, it must be it other places because they're all over at the grocery store in a rich red color and at such great prices!  Fresh, sweet strawberries replace the cinnamon honey roasted sweet potatoes while a salty, light feta steps in for the tangy goat cheese crumbles.  This salad is also topped with a sprinkling of craisins and a small handful of pecans.  If you're looking for a little more protein to round out this salad, go ahead and throw on some grilled chicken or some quinoa.  Feel free to customize with whatever you have on hand!

As you can see, after I photographed this beauty I threw it in a tupperware to take for my work lunch.  I suggest keeping the dressing separate if you're doing this as the balsamic vinaigrette can really eat away at the lettuce and by lunchtime it'll be really soggy.  If you don't have little dressing containers like I do, I'm intrigued with the mason jar salads as well.  If you're going to do that, I would suggest putting the dressing in first, then top with the pecans, craisins and feta, then throw in the strawberries and put the lettuce on top.  If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups spring mix lettuce (or other choice of greens)
• 1/4 cup strawberries, quartered
• 2 tablespoons craisins
• 2 tablespoons feta, crumbled
• 1/8 cup pecans (or other choice of nut)
• 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Spread spring mix lettuce over large plate or bowl.
2. Top with strawberries, craisins, feta and pecans.
3. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette.
4. Toss and enjoy!

If you like this salad, you may also like:

• Mixed Greens with Roasted Beets, Pomegranate Dressing and Goat Cheese
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Warm Tomato, Arugula and Bacon Panzanella Salad

Rye Rhubarb Raspberry Crisp

It is officially my summer! Not technically by the calendar, but my first semester of grad school is complete and I feel free! Not to mention the temperature has remained above freezing for awhile now, which counts as summer for most Wisconsinites. 

I've got a pretty easy next few months ahead of me too, with a light work schedule (it is my last official non-grown-up summer after all!). Hopefully it will continue to be full of bike rides, swimming, cooking and general adventures. 

Now about this here rhubarb crisp. I love a good fruit crisp/crumble, but especially this one. Rhubarb is incredibly easy to prepare. It is simply chopped up into pieces, which totally beats peeling and coring apples.  


I do make myself a little extra work by peeling off any tough strips on the rhubarb. You know what I'm talking about right? Like when you are chopping and all your 1-inch pieces are all being held together by the bottom strip. I peel that off. No stringy or chewy pieces in my crisps. Totally optional.

This crisp started out being only rhubarb, no raspberries. The first time I made it felt like the pan was sparsely filled. I had frozen raspberries in the freezer and here we are.

Using rye flour and rye oats is entirely optional in the topping. The first time around I didn't have rye oats and just used old fashioned oats. Whole wheat flour would be a great substitute for the rye flour, seeing as most of us have it in our pantry.

The rye flour adds a nice earthy sweetness to the topping and complements the tartness of the raspberries and rhubarb.  That being said it is delicious on its on, but I think you would be missing out if you didn't top this with some vanilla ice cream.

xo
April

Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 pound of rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ginger

For the topping:
1/3 cup rye flour or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rye oats or old fashioned rolled oats
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes 
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a 8 x 8-inch baking dish, mix together the rhubarb, brown sugar, white sugar, flour, vanilla extract and ginger. Set aside while you make the crumble.
2.  In a medium bowl, add all of the crumble toppings. Using your hands, break up the butter until it resembles pea-side bits or is well incorporated. Place the crumble topping atop the filling; transfer to the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream.

Linking up with Time to Sparkle.

Spring is in the air!

Happy first of the month friends! I feel like once April arrives, spring is really really here. Here in Madison the first farmers market starts in just a few weeks! We thought this would make a good time to share some of our best spring recipes from this here little blog.

Carrots scream spring, after all the Easter bunny seems to be a pretty big fan. There are also a really easy and simple way to jazz up your standard vegetable side.

Morel mushrooms were among some of the first things I got last spring at the first farmers market of the year!

Lemons are wonderful this time of year for their zesty flavor and color, especially for us in Wisconsin where winter is still lingering. Brittany's Poppy Seed Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream, would make a wonderful addition to your Easter table or any table at that. 

Rhubarb will be coming out of our ears before we know it and Kelsey's Starwberry Rhubarb Pie is a perfect way to use some of it up.

If you want something a bit lighter and simple, try this rhubarb tart. It is delicious and pretty. The best of both worlds.

We hope you can find something delicious to make with springs bounty and we will be coming at you with some new spring recipes very soon!

Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Buttercream

Awhile back my boyfriend's mom found a recipe in a Penzey's spices magazine she wanted to try. Knowing how much I like to be in the kitchen, she photocopied this recipe for a poppy seed cake and gave it to me. So, when my boyfriend and I decided to visit his parents this past weekend, I had to make this cake for them!

 I always get nervous baking for anyone. There is so much pressure I put on myself to make it perfect! But I didn't just have the cake to make right. I had an hour and a half drive that the cake had to outlast. First obstacle was the 90 degree weather with humidity on Friday. I made the cake Thursday night and then I was going to frost it Friday right before we left town. We didn't have our air conditioning on at the apartment so I was super nervous the frosting was just going to melt off. Luckily, it lasted. I packed ice to go over my new glass cake set (I found it at Target!) for the car ride. This seemed to work well. However, there was one more obstacle, being in a bumpy car. I actually had the cake at my feet (where the air conditioning could blow at it). My feet straddled it and they cramped up a few times to say the least...

Unfortunately, the cake still ended up bumping around and frosting seemed to be everywhere! Fortunately, my boyfriend's parents are forgiving and were still pleasantly surprised! Well, and I fixed it up quickly when no one was in the kitchen. 

Everyone enjoyed the cake! It was moist and light. The poppy seed flavor was perfect and of course the famous complement of lemon was not hidden nor too overpowering. This is a perfect spring or summer treat, especially in hot weather. I think it would be perfect for a brunch dessert but it would make a great ending to any meal of course. 

Poppy Seed Cake
adapted from Penzeys

Ingredients
1/2 c. whole poppy seeds
1 c. milk
3/4 c. butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
4 egg whites

Instructions
1. Soak the poppy seeds in the milk for at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 375.
3. Cream the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix.
4. Add the poppy seeds/milk mixture.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder).
6. Beat in a separate bowl the egg whites and add to the other ingredients once frothy.
7. Pour batter into 2 greased 9-inch cake pans, trying to add the same amount to each. Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes.
8. Let the pans cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring the cakes to wire racks to finish cooling.
9. Completely cool before frosting. Try the lemon buttercream recipe below or use a filling and frosting of your own!
10. Enjoy!

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
1 c. butter, room temperature
3 3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 medium lemon, zest and juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
*milk may be needed

Instructions
1. Cream butter, vanilla extract and salt.
2. Add the lemon zest and juice (don't let the seeds fall in).
3. Gradually add the powdered sugar to create a consistency that allows peaks to form when a spatula or fork leaves the frosting. You may not need to add all the powdered sugar. If the frosting becomes too firm, add a small amount of milk (a tablespoon or two) to thin it out.
4. Frost on the poppy seed cake from above (or this frosting would taste great on lemon or vanilla cakes).

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

For Mother's Day this year I volunteered to make dessert for our family dinner and asked my Mom what she wanted me to make.  She said anything with rhubarb.  Ironically, I had just been telling my roommates about how I was going to buy rhubarb the next time I went to the farmer's market and make a strawberry-rhubarb pie.  I borrowed Brittany's pie pan and off I was making my first ever pie!  The family gave it rave reviews.  Unfortunately, the lattice top did not permit for attractive pictures after the pie was cut.

Recipe from Epicurious.

Ingredients

• 2 9-inch pie crusts (I used store bought crusts)
• 3 1/2 cups 1/2 inch thick slices trimmed rhubarb (about 1 1/2 lbs untrimmed)
• 1 16-ounce container of strawberries, cut in half with green leaves removed (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg yolk beaten to blend, mixed with 1 teaspoon water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.  Gently toss.
3. Place one pie crust in a 9-inch pie dish.  Depending on your pie dish there should be some overhang.  Trim overhang to about 3/4 of an inch.
4. Spoon filling into crust.
5. Lay the other pie crust out on the counter and cut into 14 strips about 1/2-3/4 inch wide.
6. Now make the lattice top.  Lay every other strip evenly spaced across the pie.  Fold back every other strip and lay a new strip down in the opposite direction.  Fold strips back.  Fold back the other strips and place a new one down.  Repeat until the remaining seven strips have been woven in.  Trim excess dough from strips. (Watch a video on how to make a lattice top here.)
7. Tuck any excess crust or strips under and seal crust.  Crimp decoratively as desired.
8. Brush egg and water mixture over top of pie.
9. Place pie pan on a baking pan in case pie filling overflows.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 25 minutes.  Let cool.

Rhubarb Tart with Orange Glaze

It is rhubarb season! There are so many things you can do with rhubarb and I adore the tartness of it in deserts or savory dishes. This tart is simple, easy and elegant. It looks like you put a lot of work into it but didn't, making it perfect for guests.

The hardest part of this dish is cutting the stalks on a large enough angle to make them big beautiful slices. It could have been that my stalks of rhubarb were on the smaller size in the thickness department or I just don't get how to cut diagonally. The diagonal cutting is for appearance more than anything. If you decided to throw appearance out the window, just spread the rhubarb evenly over the tart. Taste is what really matters anyways and this is a perfect dish for people who may be skeptical about rhubarb. The rhubarb is not overwhelming and the orange juice mellows it out at the same time. Serve it up with some vanilla ice cream and enjoy!!

xo

April

Adapted from Gourmet
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh orange juice (about 2-3 large oranges)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about half a lime)
1/2 cup sugar
1 pound rhubarb stalks (6-8 medium stalks), thinly sliced diagonally (1/8 inch)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Stir together orange juice, lime juice, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add rhubarb and let stand, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, while rolling out the puff pastry.
3. Cut the pastry in half lengthwise, then roll out each piece into a 11-by 7-inch rectangle, on a lightly floured surface. Arrange the pastry rectangles side by side on a large ungreased baking sheet. Score a 1/2-inch border around each pastry rectangle (do not cut all the way through). Prick the pastry inside the border all over with a fork.
4. Strain rhubarb mixture, reserving the liquid. Top 1 pastry rectangle (inside the border) with half the rhubarb, overlapping slices slightly. Repeat with the other pastry rectangle.
5. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden on the top and underside, about 25-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, boil the reserved rhubarb liquid in a small saucepan, skimming foam off the top, until it has reduced to about a 1/4 cup, 15-20 minutes. 
6. Transfer tarts to a rack, brushing the rhubarb and pastry with the glaze.

Morel Mushroom Fettuccine

I have been counting down the days to the first Madison Farmers Market all month and it finally came!! My roommate and I are going big this year, and we got a wagon for all our market goodies! Go big or go home right? I got rhubarb, asparagus, spinach, pumpkin butter, green onions, cheese curds and my weight in pastries. It was a wagon full of success. The BEST thing I got though was morel mushrooms. On the first lap around the square I was eyeing up the morel mushrooms for sale. On the second lap, I had $13 left and decided to go for it and buy some. Best decision ever, not only because the man selling them was super good looking (I will be visiting him next weekend), but the mushrooms cook up to be delicious bite size morsels (this was my first time cooking with them). Try them, they are worth the money.

I used homemade fettuccine noodles, but if you buy store bought this dish is finished in a flash. The homemade noodles just make this simple dish, extra special. I used only a 1/4 pound of morels, but I would recommend using more or adding in some less expensive mushrooms. Do not be afraid to salt the mushrooms generously, they like it. You won't regret making this, enjoy!

xo

April

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1/2 pound fettuccine noodles
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 pound morel mushrooms, sliced in half or quarters and cleaned with a damp or dry cloth
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper, freshly ground
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
Zest of 1 lemon
Parsley, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and then adding the noodles. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the morels, salt and pepper and saute for 3 minutes. Then add the green onion and garlic, sauteing for 1 minute and then add the white wine, cooking off all the alcohol. Add the lemon zest and remove from heat.
2. Toss the noodles with the morels, over low heat for a few minutes. Add water as needed for the desired consistency.

Daring Cooks: Olive Oil Braised Carrots

The March 2012 Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Carol aka Poisonive--and she challenged us all to learn the art of braising! Carol focused on Michael Ruhlman's Technique and shared with us some of his expertise from his book "Ruhlman's Twenty".

This is my first Daring Cooks Challenge! I was very excited to see that the challenge was braising. In the January/February fine cooking magazine, they featured olive oil braised vegetables. I had been wanting to try some out and this presented the perfect opportunity. Braising is very simple and fast. Most of the time spent is inactive. The flavor is amazing for such minimal effort. The same is true of meat dishes. I made braised short ribs, but failed to take any pictures. The short ribs were assembled and put into the oven for 4 hours, in under 20 minutes.

These carrots are a great way to add variety to your average vegetable side dish. They are such little work, for huge flavor. Try slicing them and drizzling them with red wine vinegar, it adds a nice tang. Enjoy them!

Recipe courtesy of Fine Cooking
Ingredients:
1 pound carrots (about 4-5 medium carrots), peeled and halved lengthwise
2 medium cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 scant teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt to taste
Mint, roughly chopped or torn

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Fit the carrots in a single layer in 9 x 13 baking pan. Sprinkle the garlic slices over the carrots.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the broth, olive oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt and drizzle over the carrots. cover the baking pan with aluminum foil.
3. Braise the carrots in the oven until fork tender, about 30-40 minutes. Garnish with mint.