BFB Favorites

bhf11pp logo

On to another week of things I love. Sorry it has been a few weeks since the last one. I have finally settled in to my new home for the summer, started working, and (of course) did some baking. I also want to give a shout out to The Peche and Snappy Service Cafe for awarding me with this awesome towel for BHF11PP!

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for some new recipes coming soon!

blood orange BFB Favorites

But for now, enjoy some of my most recent favorites.

1. Mini Rhubarb Upside Down Cakes from Teenie Cakes – Upside down cakes are perfect for summer because they don’t need any topping and allow you to use whatever fruit is in season. I recently made a pineapple upside down cake, but these rhubarb cakes are calling my name!

2. Rhubarb Tart with Strawberry Whipped Cream from I (heart) Baking! — This one hit home for me. I recently made something similar, but this sounds so amazing. And the photos are beautiful. I want to try and make this tart with the rhubarb sliced long ways instead of little chunks. So cute!

3. Mini Gooey Chocolate Cakes from Bread and Milk and Blackberries — Who doesn’t love a good chocolate recipe? Nothing is more like home then a good chocolate cake. This one is Swedish. It is partially baked and more brownie like according to her post. Also, in her pictures she topped them with some frosting and berries making this a must try dessert.

4. Thai Banana Fritters from Tes at Home – Have you ever had something that was crunchy, sweet, hot, and fruity? I don’t have anything that immediatly comes to mind but that is essentially what you get from a banana fritter. Tes also mentioned pairing these wonderful treats with some vanilla ice cream. Doesn’t that sound amazing?

5. Strawberry Raspberry Rhubarb Pie from The Baker Chick — Another rhubarb recipe that caught my eye. I love that she made her pie a little different with the addition of raspberries. The tartness of the rhubarb and raspberries must pair perfectly with the sweetness of the strawberries. And her pie was bright and beautiful, great for a summer party!

Rhubarb Bars… “Rhubars”

huge crumb

Lately, I have been all about rhubarb. It is so bright, and colorful. It’s nice to have some new colors around the kitchen.

To switch things up (and save my BF from eating a whole pie) I decided to make rhubarb bars.

My original plan was to make something reminiscent of lemon bars. A thin shortbread crust, with a thick layer of fruity curd, and a simple powder sugar topping.

But after chopping up a bunch of rhubarb I realized it wouldn’t be so easy to get the thick smooth filling that lemon bars have.

And thus, the rhubars were born.

[Read more...]

Strawberry Rhubarb Crostata

crostata on the white plate

As many of you know, spring and summer are ideal times for finding rhubarb. Rhubarb is a beautiful, celery-like stalky thing that has a wonderfully tart flavor and bright red color.

Rhubarb is commonly found in desserts such as strawberry rhubarb pie, rhubarb jam, and rhubarb tarts but this “pie plant” goes beyond the plate. In fact, it was originally used for many medicinal reasons.

If you are looking for a good way to “self medicate” with some rhubarb, try this personal sized strawberry rhubarb crostata. It is extremely simple.

  1. Chop up some fruit, mix with sugar and spice.
  2. Make a pie crust.
  3. Fill crust with fruit, and bake.
  4. Enjoy.

Very pie-like with out the need for massive amounts of filling, multiple people to share with, and a fork. What could be better?

unwhip creamed crostata 1024x682 Strawberry Rhubarb Crostata

…Maybe a dollop of stawberry whipped cream on top?

Ingredients

  • Everything necessary for a pie crust. Which isn’t very much!
  • 1 cup quartered strawberries
  • 1 1/2 cups thinnly sliced rhubarb
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp milk (optional)

To Make the Crostata

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF, and line a cookie sheet.
  2. Roll out the pie crust to 9-10 inches in diameter, and place on the cookie sheet.
  3. Combine the chopped strawberries and rhubarb.
  4. In a separate small bowl combine the sugar, flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  5. Toss the fruit in the sugar mixture, and allow to sit for 10 minutes while the oven preheats.
  6. Once the fruit is slightly macerated, pile into the middle of the rolled out crust, leaving about 1 1/2 inches around the border of the crust. Then carefully (try not to rip the crust) fold the edges up around the pile of fruit.
  7. If you want, brush the milk over the folded edges of the crust. Then bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly.
  8. Allow to set for about 10 minutes before consumption. Once you are ready to enjoy the crostata, you can either top with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of strawberry whipped cream*.

crostata with whipped cream and mint 1024x682 Strawberry Rhubarb Crostata

*To make the strawberry whipped cream: I made about 2 cups of softly whipped cream, and then stirred in 1/4 cup – 1/3 cup homemade strawberry sauce.

 

 

Secret Recipe Club 5/16 – Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

finished

I am so happy to announce that this is my first post for the Secret Recipe Club! This is a fabulous idea that I am so happy to be apart of. Basically, each member is assigned another participating blogger, and you are to choose a recipe from their blog to make for yourself. You can choose any recipe you want. Just make it, and blog about it on the previously specified date. Simple, no? Interested in joining? Click here for more details!

And now onto my assigned blogger…

This month I was assigned Ewa from the amazing delishhh.com. Upon looking through her recipe index I found many, many things I wanted to make. She had so many beautiful recipes, but I ultimately went with her strawberry rhubarb pie. This is a baking blog, and I wanted to keep things on the sweet side.

I chose this recipe for a few reasons…

  1. I have never made a strawberry rhubarb pie before, and this was the perfect chance to have one at my disposal.
  2. Rhubarb is in season right now.
  3. My bf had never had a strawberry rhubarb pie before, and I had to change this IMMEDIATELY.

nom nom 2 Secret Recipe Club 5/16   Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

If you are new to rhubarb you should know a few things.

You can not eat the leaves! Grocery stores typically do not sell the stalks with the leaves so this shouldn’t be an issue…it’s just something to keep in mind.  And it is very, very tart. Hence the reason why it pairs perfectly with sweet strawberries.

If you like things on the sweet side, stick with the strawberries in your pie. If you like things tart, try only using rhubarb for a fun spring pie.

I decided to switch things up a little with Ewa’s recipe. I added a little ginger into the filling, and instead of the traditional 2 crust pie I went with a crumble topping. Either way, the pie is fantastic.

the filling 300x199 Secret Recipe Club 5/16   Strawberry Rhubarb Pie the filled pie 300x199 Secret Recipe Club 5/16   Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

You can use my pie crust recipe that I recently perfected. If you haven’t made your own crust before I encourage you to try! The results are much better then anything you can buy pre-made from the store.

Filling

  • 1 1/4 cups
  • 1/3 cup organic flour
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 cups quartered organic strawberries
  • 2 cups sliced rhubarb (I just estimated, and used about 3 stalks worth)
  • 2 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

Crumble

  • 1/2 cup cold organic unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 cup organic flour
  • 1/4 cup organic white sugar
  • 1/4 cup organic brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats

To Make the Pie

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400º F and make the crust.
  2. Roll out the crust to about 9 inches, and lay in your pie pan. Bake for about 10 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl combine the 1 1/4 cups sugar, flour, and spices. Cut up the fruit and mix into the dry stuff, coat evenly.
  4. To make the crumble topping: simply  mix together the flour, sugars, and oats and cut in the butter. It should form large crumbles that stick together.
  5. Pour the filling into the baked crust, and dot with the 2 tbsp butter. Top with the crumbles and bake for about an hour, or until the filling is bubbly and the top is nicely browned.
  6. Allow the pie to set (and cool) for at least an hour before serving.

finished Secret Recipe Club 5/16   Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

The day after I made the pie I went home for the night. When I got back to my apartment the next day, I found the pie destroyed. My BF couldn’t even wait to dig in, and completely devoured the pie. I knew this would be an addicting pie…



Click HERE to Enter the Latest BigFatBaker Giveaway!