Rhubarb Season

Rhubarb season is here, and this year I greeted it with a new recipe from 101 Cookbooks. Heidi Swanson's Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble isn't revolutionary, nor is it exciting. But man, is it good.

A big fan of multigrain flours, Swanson calls for spelt flour in this recipe, which, according to a new book I've been leafing through called Good to the Grain, is a good introduction to whole grain flours, since it is easy to bake with, and gives satisfying results. Spelt has a slightly tart aroma, and is also distinctly sweet--making it a great match for the classic sweet-tart combination of strawberries and rhubarb.

The crumble topping also includes oats, lightly toasted pine nuts, natural cane sugar, butter, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. You can add a splash of port wine to the fruit, if you have it, but I didn't, and it didn't seem to make this any less tasty. In fact, we ate the crumble at a picnic, along with a Sangiovese wine, and I will say it was one of the most enjoyable dessert experiences I have had in awhile. Watching the sailboats on the Hudson, sipping a delicious red wine, listening to our baby coo on the blanket alongside us, eating a strawberry rhubarb crumble: not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.--S

Mama's Little Baby Loves Rhubarb

My future mother-in-law has a serious vegetable garden. And while it's still too early for most of her crops to even start growing, one springtime fixture is already here: rhubarb. When Fork's parents came to visit last weekend, they brought a bag full of the stuff, grown from a bush that once belonged to Fork's grandfather. I was pretty excited to have such legendary produce and wanted to make sure I did right by it. I am proud to say I succeeded: this week I made Strawberry-Rhubarb Sorbet and Cinnamon Rhubarb Muffins, and both were superb.

The sorbet recipe, from The Perfect Scoop, was so simple. You stew some rhubarb in water and sugar until it's soft, let it cool, then puree it with strawberries and lemon juice. Chill it in the fridge, give it a spin in your ice cream maker, and you've got an icy, tangy, sweet and perfectly pink sorbet. I think I could've cooked the rhubarb for slightly less time, since its flavor was mellow, but the sorbet is still delicious. The muffins, too, were quite tasty. Here's the recipe, from last year's rhubarb season.

I can't wait for more ingredients from the Fork Family Farm to make their way down to the big city.--S

Strawberry-Rhubarb Sorbet

12 ounces rhubarb
2/3 c water
3/4 c sugar
10 ounces fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1/2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Wash the rhubarb stalks and trim the stem and leaf ends. Cut the rhubarb into 1/2-in. pieces.
2. Place the rhubarb, water and sugar in a medium, nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5 min., or until the rhubarb is tender and cooked through. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
3. Slice the strawberries and puree them with the cooked rhubarb mixture and lemon juice in a blender or food processor until smooth.
4. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Recipe courtesy of The Perfect Scoop

Rhubarb and Me

I may have grown up eating Jersey tomatoes and my grandfather's homegrown hot peppers, but one piece of produce my childhood in the Garden State deprived me of was rhubarb. I think I'd heard of it, but I put it in the same category as rutabega and collard greens--Vegetables I've Heard Of But Know Nothing About. Fork was the first person I met who actually knew what to do with rhubarb. Turns out the stuff used to grow wild in his upstate New York 'hood. His grandfather used to plant it, too, and his grandmother would make a rhubarb sauce to go over ice cream, and rhubarb pie. His mom makes strawberry rhubarb ice cream.

Six years later, I'm proud to say rhubarb and I are pals. I've made rhubarb pies, rhubarb crumbles, rhubarb muffins and rhubarb sauce. I've learned a little bit about the vegetable--yes, it is a veggie, though in his excellent On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee says it "often masquerades as a fruit." Rhubarb appears in early spring and lasts through mid-summer. Its leaves are toxic, but its celery-like stalks are edible, and quite tasty--once you cook them. Raw rhubarb is extremely tart; however, it mellows somewhat when you bake or cook it (it's often paired with strawberry in pies to create a lovely sweet-tart effect).

I picked up some of the season's first rhubarb crop today at the Greenmarket, along with a pint of tart little strawberries. We've been eating the strawberries out of the carton, they're so tasty. The rhubarb, meanwhile, has made its way into rhubarb muffins. They're delicious. The cinnamon sugar on their tops is a lovely contrast to the tart muffin below. And with ice cream season practically upon us, I'm sure I'll be attempting the rhubarb version soon.--S

Cinnamon Rhubarb Muffins
12 muffins

Muffins ingredients:
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c butter, softened
1 c sour cream
2 eggs
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 c sliced 1/4-inch fresh rhubarb

Topping ingredients:
1 T sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Combine brown sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until mixture is creamy. Add sour cream and eggs; continue beating until well mixed.
2. Stir together flour, baking soda and 1/2 t cinnamon in medium bowl. Stir flour mixture into sour cream mixture just until moistened. Gently stir in rhubarb. Spoon into greased or paper-lined 12-cup muffin pan.
3. Stir together 1 T sugar and 1/2 t cinnamon in small bowl. Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon mixture on top of each muffin.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes; remove from pans.

Recipe courtesy of Land O'Lakes