Al Dente

Pretty in Pink: Tasty Rhubarb Hits the Tastebuds

  Spring has sprung and summer is on its way! Vibrant stalks of rhubarb have begun to poke their heads out of the ground and are starting to make their first appearances at local markets. This fruit pie favorite, which is actually a vegetable, ranges in color from pale green with pink speckles to fully pink as well as rich, dark red. The color is a result of the variety of plant and is not an indicator of quality or sourness – popular myth at work! Hothouse rhubarb is first to hit grocery stores, but its flavor pales in comparison to our local farmers’ crop or those grown in backyards. Never fear – those delicious specimens will be ready to grace your favorite dish soon, with rhubarb’s peak season upon us! 

Rhubarb is almost always sweetened and cooked in some form, as it is tart tart tart!  It bears the nickname “pie plant” because of its most common use in desserts.

Every spring and early summer, my grandmother had a pan of tart-and-sweet rhubarb stewing. We used to have it for breakfast to top our oatmeal or spoon up on our toast. My recipe inspired by Grandma Mimi is a heavenly Roasted Rhubarb Honey Mousse! Sliced rhubarb is tossed with sugar and then slow-roasted to a syrupy goodness. Then it's chilled and folded with honey-sweetened whipped cream. (You can roast the rhubarb the day ahead and finish off the mousse the day of serving.)

But rhubarb isn’t just for dessert it makes a wonderful addition to cocktails, too!  Why not try my Rhubarb Collins (as seen to the right), the perfect refreshing crowd-pleaser for your next backyard party! (Make the Rhubarb syrup up to 4-days in advance). You can also leave out the vodka and add more soda water for a tasty DIY soda and non-alcoholic sipper.

So invite over some friend this holiday weekend – plan a potluck so everyone can share in the work, or grill up something local and easy.

While the sun goes down—spoon dreamy Roasted Rhubarb Honey Mousse slowly on to your tongue, or sip a cool snazzy Rhubarb Collins —and you may just think you live in the best place on earth. - Kathy

Roasted Rhubarb Honey Mousse
Makes 6 servings 

1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)
1 cup sugar
1 small package (3 ounces) cream cheese
5 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Garnishes: Whipped cream, edible flowers

Preheat an oven to 375°F.

Toss the rhubarb and sugar together in a large bowl, then spread in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Roast, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft and the syrup is slightly caramelized. Stir thoroughly and carefully after the first 20 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled. (You can do this up to one day ahead- just keep refrigerated.)

Whip the cream cheese with 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of the honey in a mixer until very fluffy. Transfer to a large bowl and fold in the chilled rhubarb mixture. Whip the cream with the remaining 1 tablespoon of honey until firmly peaked. Stir about one third of the whipped cream into the rhubarb mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Dish up into 6 pretty glasses. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then top, if desired, with a little plain whipped cream and an edible spring flower, such as a pansy, or petals of apple, pear, or plum blossoms.

Chef’s Note: If selecting edible flowers from your yard, be sure that they are edible and have not been sprayed with pesticide or other chemicals. Rinse all blossoms thoroughly.

Recipe ©Kathy Casey Food Studios^®

 

Rhubarb Collins
Makes 1 cocktail 

For a non-alcoholic cooler delete the vodka and just add more soda water.

This drink is also delicious with a dash of fresh strawberry puree. I also like to garnish it with a small sprig of thyme and a lemon wedge.

1 1/2 ounces Organic Vodka, such as Moon Mountain
1 1/2 ounce Rhubarb Syrup (recipe follows)
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 ounces soda water, chilled

Measure the vodka, Rhubarb Syrup and lemon into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake vigorously.

Pour into a tall Collins glass. Add soda water and stir. Garnish with a lemon wedge and thyme if desired.

Rhubarb Syrup
Makes 2 1/2 cups - or about 12 servings

2 cups sliced rhubarb
2 cups water
--------------------------
2 cups sugar

Combine rhubarb and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Then add sugar and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Then strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing all juices out well. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

Recipe ©Kathy Casey Food Studios^®

 

The Great Tableware Debate: Snazzy vs. Sedate

My husband and I recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, a milestone marked by an amazing dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Cafe Juanita.

While we reminisced about good times and memorable trips, there was also an acknowledgment that -- like many couples -- we have a tendency to return to the same disagreements. Many partners bicker about money or parenting styles or who should get control of the remote, yet one of our long standing debates is about the napkins that make nightly appearances at our dinner table.

I know this sounds silly, but I'm dead serious. I'm crazy about napkins that come in crazy colors and bold patterns while my better half would much rather keep it simple. As in classic neutral colors. (As in boring, I contend.)

Now, I have to admit there's a certain charm to white linen serviettes. Hundreds of thousands of restaurants can't be wrong. (That's the traditional choice in most upscale eateries.) So, after years and years of setting tables my way, I'm going to give this new old-fashioned approach a shot. I'm not going to even bother tying it up in a pretty bow and calling it a Father's Day gift, though I am planning to spring the new look on him on June 19.

At the same time, I'm thinking it might be time to switch our my set of white plates for something a bit more flashy. Suggestions?

-- Leslie Kelly

Sweet Treats in Small Bites

One of the sweeter trends, it seems, is the growing interest in miniature desserts. Have you noticed?

I first came across this trend in France, where it was not at all uncommon to see a Cafe Gourmand on the menu, an espresso served with several bite-sized treats, maybe a tiny tart, a mini macaron and a spoon-sized serving of creme brulee. 

The wedding market, I'm told, has been enjoying this trend for awhile. Dessert buffets, which can feature any number of miniature sweets, seems almost as necessary these days as the wedding cake itself. Have you been to a wedding reception with a dessert buffet?

Just a few months ago, Starbucks introduced Starbucks Petites, which includes cake pops and miniature cupcakes. No doubt other coffee shops and restaurants will be following suit.

I'm a big fan of the little dessert trend. In fact, for a spur-of-the-moment barbecue we threw this week, I decided to hop on the bandwagon and serve some tiny treats myself.

I pulled out some tiny French macarons, a few homemade marshmallows, some chocolate-covered caramels, a handful of sugared hazelnuts, and stylishly served them when it was time for dessert. They were a sweet sensation.

What sweet treats will you be serving this summer?

--Tracy Schneider

Four-Tier
Dessert Tower

Salmon Two Ways

In lieu of Hebrew National hot dogs and Lay's Classic potato chips, I opted to pick up some Copper River salmon from Whole Foods to enjoy for dinner today along with some locally grown white corn and artichokes. When I brought it home, my chef-brother unwrapped it and asked me to point out the four things that were wrong with it. (Don't you just love brothers?)

Here's what we settled on:

1. The fishmonger wrapped up two different fillets, which were clearly two different types of salmon: one Copper River, one not.

2. The pin bones were left in one of the fillets, so we ended up have to tweeze them out ourselves.

3. The flesh had been damaged on one of the fillets when the fishmonger piled one on top of the other before wrapping it.

4. The belly flesh should have been trimmed off of both the fillets.

For more info on how to fillet a salmon watch this, and for info on how to portion the salmon, click here.

All was not lost, though.  Antanas managed to create a nice meal centered around two different preparations of salmon: salmon tartare, and pan-seared smoked salmon.

For the salmon tartare, he cubed the  excess salmon he'd trimmed off when creating uniform portions. (Not unlike Melissa's scrapcooking method.) He tossed the salmon with some diced green apple, mint, lemon juice, salt, ponzu, and a dash of hot sauce. This yielded a clean, refreshing and tasty appetizer--said the gal who's a bit squeamish when it comes to raw fish.

For the second preparation, he seared the salted fillets in oil and finished them in the oven. Then placed the salmon in a mixing bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap, whipped out his smoking gun and piped in a minute's worth of mesquite smoke, resealed the plastic, and let it sit for minute. And voila' smoked salmon. (For a tutorial on how to fix pan-seared salmon, watch my friend Ivy Manning do it on TV!)

Both of the fillets turned out beautifully, though we couldn't agree on which one was the Copper River salmon. Next time I'll be keeping a closer eye on the fish and the fishmonger.

What did you eat this Memorial Day weekend? Something good, I hope.

Photo credit (salmon): Twin Cities Restaurant Blog

--StellaCadente*

Follow me on Twitter @pomodorista

The Coolest New Summer Dessert

We all know popsicles, but how about paletas? The Mexican ice pops have been (no pun intended) popping up in new places lately, in enticing fresh flavors. Now Fany Gerson has devoted an entire book to the treats, featuring flavors from simple strawberry to tomato-tequila to Mexican eggnog. The award-winning cookbook author, who sells paletas through her own New York business, wrote in the book that there are a few things that make paletas noteworthy: First, she wrote, they're found everywhere in Mexico, boasting an incredible array of flavors. She's impressed with how many paleterias are family businesses, making the treats in an artisanal way. Then, she's struck by how the popsicle flavors have been adapted to modern palates, embracing sweet, salty, spicy, and sour flavors. "There are paletas studded with chunks of fruit and chile peppers, other made with chamoy (a pickled plum or apricot sauce), and some are so completely covered with ground pequin chiles that you can't even see the color of the paleta."

Whew. The thought of that last one makes me so thirsty I want to mix up a tart tamarind agua fresca -- one of the many delightful drinks also covered in Gerson's book. If you're looking for a fresh take on popsicles, here's her recipe for avocado paletas, one of several colorful standouts in her lovely palette of paletas:

Avocado Ice Pops

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 small ripe avocados
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions:

1. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, unti the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.

2. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise. Remove the pit and scoop the flesh into a blender, along with the cooled syrup and salt. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed. Add the lime juice and blend just until combined.

3. If using conventional molds, divide the mixture among the molds, snap on the lid, and freeze until solid, around 3 hours. If using glasses or other unconventional molds, freeze until the pops are beginning to set (1 1/2 to 2 hours), then insert the ice sticks and freeze until solid, 4 to 5 hours. If using an instant ice pop maker, follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes 8-10 pops

From "Paletas" by Fany Gerson

-- Rebekah Denn 

Healthy Desirable Belly Fat!

 
Yesterday on my own blog, I wrote about the benefits of buying a whole headed and gutted fresh Copper River sockeye salmon. I purchased one at Costco on Friday for $7.99 a pound.  

Yesterday afternoon, we filleted the incredibly fresh and beautiful fish into two impressive whole fillets. While doing that, we also took the time to scrape excess flesh off the fish carcass. These scraps will be tossed into pasta this evening  or they will be turned into salmon cakes.

We also took the time to remove the belly flap from the outer edge of each ultra rich salmon fillet. The belly is where much of the desirable fat in this wild fish naturally accumulates. The belly, therefore, is a very rich part of the fish. We didn't want the belly attached to our fillets because the fillets were already too wide for the cedar planks we were using on the grill.  Hence, my husband simply sliced the belly segment off each fillet and saved them for another use.  The big fat bellies were so beautiful that we took a few minutes to admire their color and richness. I couldn't resist snapping this photo, which clearly shows the striations!

If you would like to learn more about Alaska salmon and healthy fats,then read this.

Photo by Melissa A. Trainer

--Melissa A. Trainer

Crowd Control With A Rice Cooker

 
A few years ago, I was charged with the task of cooking a three-course sit down graduation dinner for one hundred people at my daughter's elementary school.

Admittedly, this was a daunting task because I had to craft a nice dinner with a slim budget of about $5 per person. It was also challenging because I was relying on fellow parents to act as my sous chefs and assistants. To add to the excitement of the whole thing, the seventh grade students were the ones who were serving the graduates and their parents!  We managed to pull that dinner off, but the whole thing involved a lot of thought, preparation, and planning.

When I planned the menu, I immediately decided to make a rice salad because I knew my Zojirushi rice cooker would simplify the task of cooking large quantities of rice. I also knew that I could rely on that little appliance to crank out cup after cup of perfectly cooked rice. I also sensed that it would be an easy task to delegate to one of my sous chefs who might not like to cook. Afterall, how hard is it to measure some basmati rice, rinse it, add water,  and then push the button?  (I splurged and purchased a high-quality basmati at my favorite Indian grocer because the rice is naturally aromatic and cooks pretty quickly.)

We made the rice the day before the dinner and then stored it in the school's industrial refrigerator. On the day of the dinner, we mixed the chilled rice in a massive bowl with lots of other ingredients and a homemade vinaigrette. At that  point, I breathed a sigh of relief and was impressed with the rice cooker's dependability and performance!

So, if you are facing the daunting task of cooking a graduation dinner this spring, seriously consider the rice cooker. Pull it out, load it up, and put it to use. It's a fabulous dependable sous chef!

--Melissa A. Trainer

'Tis The Season For My White Mountain Ice Cream Freezer!

 
Back in January,  I scored a secondhand White Mountain Ice Cream Freezer  for about $10 at the thrift store.

Admittedly, January was a bit chilly to be experimenting with ice cream,  but I didn't care. I had wanted one of these ice cream freezers for a long time, so I was happy to brave the elements in order to crank out some awesome vanilla ice cream. This project, of course, involved multiple trips outside because that's where this authentic and rather noisy ice cream maker seems to work best.

Now that Memorial Day weekend is here, I'm gearing up for the summer. Admittedly, I haven't packed away my fleece and turtlenecks just yet because things are still chilly here. Nonetheless, I have retrieved my treasured American-made ice cream freezer from the basement and assembled the vanilla ice cream mixture, which is now chilling in the fridge. I will crank out this batch of pure luscious vanilla ice cream at some point tomorrow because we are having some friends over for a casual family-style dinner tomorrow night.

Any thoughts on how I should gild the lily? Caramel sauce? Hot fudge sauce? Candied pecans?

Photo by Melissa A. Trainer

--Melissa A. Trainer

Killing Your Own Dinner: Where's That "Dislike" Button Already?

PC World put it pretty well: "Mark Zuckerberg has conquered the world and made half a billion friends along the way, and now he wants to conquer his own dinner." The Facebook founder has decided to only eat meat from animals that he has killed himself. It's part of a laudable self-improvement goal to be thankful for the food he has.

This year's goal came to light, reported Fortune magazine, when Zuckerberg posted on his personal Facebook page that he had just killed a pig and a goat. "This drew a stream of emotional comments, which were a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and outright disgust," according to Fortune. (Just how many personal Facebook friends does he have? Glad you asked. Apparently he has 847.)

Zuckerberg told the mag the idea stemmed from a pig roast he held last year.  "A bunch of people told me that even though they loved eating pork, they really didn't want to think about the fact that the pig used to be alive. That just seemed irresponsible to me. I don't have an issue with anything people choose to eat, but I do think they should take responsibility and be thankful for what they eat rather than trying to ignore where it came from."

The follow-up's been interesting. Sounds like Zuckerberg's been eating nose-to-tail, making stock from the feet of the chicken he killed and dining on the heart and liver. But for the most part, he said, he's gone vegetarian. 

I was joking about the "dislike" button. I do think Zuckerberg is on to something, though not something your average consumer would replicate. Personally, outside of work, I haven't eaten lobster since the first one I cooked at home. (Consider The Lobster!) But in general, hearing about all the hunger in our country and world, I should already feel thankful for every bite, whether animal, vegetable, or chocolate bar. Northwest Harvest and Share Our Strength are among my charities of choice.

For someone with my reach, trying to help others who are hungry does more than pushing at moral boundaries. But I'm glad to see high-profile people like Zuckerberg exploring this issue. Trying to do the right thing, at his level, might at the least spark conversations, and at the most make the world a little bit of a better place.

What do you think?

-- Rebekah Denn 

Keep An Eye on The Dirty Dozen and The Clean 15

If you keep an eye on organic produce, you probably already know the "Dirty Dozen" -- the fruits and vegetables deemed highest in pesticides by the Environmental Working Group, based on USDA and FDA tests. There's also a flip-side list, "The Clean 15", those judged lowest in pesticides.

I came across the lists again when flipping through a new cookbook, "Vegan Family Meals," and thought they looked different than I remembered. Sure enough, looking online, the lists have changed even since the book's version. Broccoli, tomatoes, and papaya fell off the "Clean" list in the update last year, replaced by cantaloupe, grapefruit, and honeydew. I was disappointed to see broccoli's fall. I've relied on conventionally farmed broccoli as an inexpensive staple when others on the "Dirty" list are too pricey in organic form. I was also surprised to see that the lists were so changeable. I'd always assumed there weren't dramatic variations in the pesticides used on specific crops; that some plants were just by nature more prone to disease or rot or bugs (and therefore subjected to more chemicals).

Here's a pocket guide to both the latest Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15. More useful, I think, is this detailed data list, showing just how many pesticides were found on the 50 crops tested, and how clean that broccoli, for instance, might be compared with those further down the list.

How do you pick and choose when it comes to buying organics?

-- Rebekah Denn