the arugula files

In Season: Rhubarb

I've been waiting for this week to end since....well, since it began.  Hey everybody, it's time for the weekend!  I don't know what you all have planned, but I'm taking Josie to her first art show. Bonus, it's her Aunty Noel's show.  Whip out the black clothes, beret, and paint on a mustache.  We are visionary artists!

After enjoying the show, we will head to the farmers market, where I hope to find some rhubarb.  I heard a rumor that there was asparagus at the market last week, but I didn't get there in time.  Selling out asparagus: crazy!  I don't think rhubarb is as popular, but I'm not quite sure if it has made its seasonal debut.  I will likely make my annual rhubarb pie.  Maybe I'll make these minis?  Or some rhubarb poptarts? Or, even better, rhubarb hooch.

Have you seen any rhubarb?

 

"I do" Menu: Hooch (Strawberry and Rhubarb Infused Vodka)

"I blame the hooch," said my friend, Dave, who slept until 4:00 pm the day after my wedding.  The hooch he was talking about was a special concoction I learned from my sister: infusing vodka with strawberries and rhubarb.  It goes down fast and smooth (either shaken with ice or with a splash of club soda over ice), making it the perfect signature cocktail for our wedding. It's also seasonal.

Making hooch is not a task for the instant gratification crowd (i.e., me).  It takes a minimum of two weeks, feeding the vodka oodles of strawberries and rhubarb, but it's worth it: you end up with a sweet, pink drink that tastes more like strawberry juice than strawberry vodka. That's an endorsement as much as a warning.  Remember that this sweet nectar is actually vodka, so don't drink it all at once, or else you'll end up like my friend Dave: sleeping the day away.

Fresh Rhubarb Pie Every Night of the Week

I usually make at least one rhubarb pie each spring.  This year, I made five.  Five mini-pies, that is.  Making mini-rhubarb pies was something born out of necessity (I couldn't find my pie pan) that turned into a brilliant experiment: a perfect portion of fresh, rhubarb pie, any time you want.  Just pluck one out of your freezer, pop it in the oven, and serve piping hot.  Having friends over for dinner?  Dessert is already made. 

Goat Cheesecake with a Ginger Snap Crust

My favorite dessert is cheesecake, no contest.  Creamy, light, and not too sweet, it's everything I want in dessert, if I want one at all.  My lack of a sweet tooth is odd considering that every day, all the way through middle school, I ate a ginormous, chocolate chip cookie, washed down with two chocolate milks.  I can still remember the warm, gooey chips seeping out as I broke off pieces of the cookie.  Those lunch ladies sure knew their stuff. 

Today I resist most desserts, mostly as a strategy to allocate more calories in the direction of something savory.  Cheesecake, though, is tough to say no to.

Most cheesecakes rely heavily on cream cheese.  Not this one.  Substituting goat cheese for some amount of cream cheese gives this cake a lighter, slightly tangy taste.

The crust?  Instead of graham crackers, which is traditionally used in cheesecakes, and what the original recipe called for, I used ginger snaps, which gave the cake a spicy, crunchy crust.  Why the substitution?  It wasn't because I'm a culinary genius; the store didn't have any graham crackers, well, except for Teddy Grahams. I wisely said no to those and settled for ginger snaps.  It was the best decision I made all week. 

Orange-Coriander Ice Cream and Rhubarb Pop-Tarts

Update:  The arugula files was awarded runner up in battle #2 of foodie fights.  Congratulations to the winner, Brake for Bread.  Make sure to check out BFB's entry: a pulled pork sandwich with rhubarb coriander sauce.  Hey you standing on the sidelines, sign up for the next foodiefight.

Food fight!  This week, I'm a blogtestant at foodiefights, the brainchild of Macheesmo and TFIMB.  The battle is between six bloggers who have to prepare one course using two secret ingredients.  Basically, it's Iron Chef for food bloggers.  You won't get to taste the food, but you can look at it, read the blog posts, and, if you want, lick your computer screen.  Oh,  and after you check out all of the dishes, you should vote for your fave dish (pick me, me, me!).  Scroll to the end for the "voting booth."  You can also visit the foodie fights website.

The secret ingredients for this battle?  Rhubarb and coriander.

When I found out I was selected to participate in this week's foodie fight, and that the ingredients were rhubarb and coriander, my work productivity level dropped to zero.  I couldn't think about anything except what to make: chutney, rhubarb gumbo, rhubarb sorbet, cheesecake with rhubarb and coriander compote... The obvious choices were chutney or pie.  Both are delicious, but I wanted to make something I've never made.   I  sent an email to my foodie friends for feedback, and was surprised by the response.  It went something like this, "Rhubarb? Bleh! " or "What the heck does coriander taste like?"

Really?  I looooove rhubarb.  Admittedly, it's tart, but let me introduce you to rhubarb's little helper: sugar. And, coriander?  Well, coriander taste like pepper with a citrus snap.

I really wanted to make a savory item, but I kept coming back to something sweet.  And I'm not sure if you noticed, but the internets has a GIANT sweet tooth.  And what the internets want, the internets get.

I present to you: orange-coriander ice cream and rhubarb pop-tarts. 

Dupont Farmers Market: Rhubarb!

Today I picked up some rhubarb at the farmers market.  At $4 a pound it was a little expensive, but I couldn't resist.  I made a rhubarb pie.  Rhubarb pie is so easy, especially when you buy pie crust.  Yes, I bought the pie crust.  Some day when I have a bigger kitchen with ample counter space I will make pie crust from scratch.  Until then, I avoid catastrophe by buying Pillsbury. 

Looks like celery doesn't it?  The sign at the farmer's market said that the color of Rhubarb does not affect the taste.  I was a little doubtful, but since I peel the outside anyway I thought I would give it a whirl. 

Here's my rhubarb pie.  Turns out the farmers were telling the truth.  The rhubarb was perfectly tart.
I used 1 1/2 cups of sugar, five pats of butter, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and two cups of rhubarb. 

THAT. IS. IT.