FIZZY RHUBARB SHRUB

I don't know about you, but I take immense pleasure in a good drink. Coffee is a daily necessity for me. I try to be diligent about my water intake. But really I find nothing more refreshing than a fruity, homemade beverage.

I'm guessing most of you are hip to the shrub thang, but if shrubs are new to you, you're in for a treat. If you're solidly in the ultra sweet soda-y camp, you might find the vinegar hit of a shrub to be odd, but if you're like me and dig a drink that's sweet, tart, and bubbly all at the same time, shrubs will treat you right.

Rhubarb - always a good player in the tangy-sweet world - seems a perfect springtime star for a homemade shrub.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound rhubarb, sliced into into 1/4 inch semicircles
• 2 cups light agave nectar
• 1/2 cup good quality apple cider vinegar 
• sparking water
• optional for serving: sprigs of fresh thyme, kumquat slices, or an orange twist would be nice here

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sliced rhubarb and agave. Cover and let sit at room temp for 48-72 hours. Strain, reserving syrup. Add good apple cider vinegar to the liquid and you’ve got your shrub. (Feel free to add more vinegar if that suits you, adjusting the tang to your liking.) Transfer syrup to a lidded container - and keep in the refrigerator.

( You can discard the rhubarb slices, or I save them in a separate lidded container and add them to my morning bowl of granola and Greek yogurt.)

I'd suggest combining 3-4 portions sparkling water to 1 portion of shrub, but feel free to make a more concentrated or diluted shrub depending on your taste. Serve over ice. Add a little citrus or fresh thyme if you please. You can also add a splash of rhubarb shrub to your cocktails.

PRESERVED RHUBARB

This deliciously simple rhubarb recipe is from Diane Roupe's new book Blue Ribbon Country Canning. Diane is a preserving legend, having won numerous blue and red ribbons and the Iowa State Fair - the real deal in American canning country!

Last year, I was lucky enough to shoot all the photographs for Diane's book. Working on Blue Ribbon Country Canning was an amazing creative endeavor, and so different from my own book project - I loved the challenge of honoring another author's vision through photography. After 12 months, it feels fantastic to finally touch the pages and see all the work that went into the book become a reality.

When shooting Diane's book, I fell in love with her rhubarb and knew I had to share this recipe with all of you. Diane's rhubarb maintains a wonderful tart bite while being just sweetened enough by a bit of sugar. Imagine nestling little bits of puckery ruby-hued rhubarb onto a bowl of vanilla ice cream... yum!


INGREDIENTS adapted from Diane Roupe's Blue Ribbon Country Canning from Egg + Dart Press
{printable recipe}

• 2 1/4 pounds rhubarb
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Trim ends from rhubarb and slice stalks into 2 inch x 1/4 inch batons. Place cut rhubarb in a large stainless stockpot or dutch oven. Toss rhubarb with sugar. Cover and let rhubarb macerate for 4 hours to release its liquid. ( I occasionally stirred the rhubarb during this maceration phase.)

After 4 hours, place pot holding the rhubarb (and all of its released liquid) onto the stove top. Turn the flame to medium-high. Stir regularly while bringing the pot to a boil. Once boiling, count to 10 and remove the pan from the heat. (If you cook the rhubarb any longer, the fibers really break down and the consistency gets soft and mushy like stewed rhubarb. The flavor and texture are still delish, just not as firm as Diane's intention.)

Using a slotting spoon, immediately place rhubarb into jars and pour liquid over the top. Seal jars. For more information on this important phase of canning, please consult Diane's book, or your favorite canning guide. Keep in mind: you can also make this recipe and store the rhubarb in clean lidded containers in the fridge. Unsealed rhubarb should be eaten within 2 weeks.

Let jars cool to room temp and rest for 12 hours.

Serve rhubarb on something sweet and creamy like vanilla ice cream...






I thought you might enjoy a peek at some shots from the book...

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb. Strawberries. Hazelnuts.

I am seeing a theme in my recent dessert cravings: first, Rhubarb Compote; then, Hazelnut Cake with strawberries; and now Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble with hazelnuts in the topping. Eating seasonally means you figure out endless ways to work with certain ingredients that are abundant at the moment. We indulge in these just-ripe treasures until we can eat no more.

Lucero Strawberries are such a treat to see at the farmer's market after the long rainy months. P went wild and bought a flat for brunch with our friends Shana, Tony, Cleo, and Judah. After the eight of us stuffed our faces with the sweet berries, we had enough left over to make this crumble and some tasty strawberry preserves with thyme and lemon. (I'll share that recipe with you next week.)

When it comes to crisps and crumbles, I am usually a purist. I stay away from oats and nuts in the topping. However, the strawberry rhubarb crumble recipe from this month's Bon Appetit drew me in. The unexpected crunch of hazelnut is delectable. I'm a convert.


INGREDIENTS 
 adapted from Tamsen Day Lewis's recipe in Bon Appetit, May 2010

• 3/4 cups flour (GF Folks, I suggest Pamela's Bread and Flour Blend)
• 2/3 cup vanilla sugar (see notes)
• large pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup light agave nectar
• 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 chunks
• 1/2 cup oats ( GF folks, try Bob's Red Mill)
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• 4 cups strawberries
• 12 ounces rhubarb
• vanilla ice cream or heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet in hot oven for about 10 minutes until nuts are lightly toasted and the skins are blistered. Remove from oven and put nuts in a dish towel. Rub to remove skins. Then coarsely chop and set aside.

Turn oven down to 375. Lightly butter 11x7 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, vanilla sugar, and salt. Add butter and use your fingertips to integrate the ingredients. When the mixture is sticking together in clumps, add the oats and chopped hazelnuts. Cover and chill.

Trim and slice rhubarb. Cut strawberries in half. Place in the baking dish. Pour agave over the top of strawberries and rhubarb. Gently toss together.

Distribute topping over the strawberries and rhubarb. Bake for 45 minutes until fruit is bubbling and top is a golden brown.

Let cool for 15 minutes and the fruit juices will thicken.  You can't go wrong with a warm serving of crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you have leftovers, eat some for breakfast with heavy cream poured over the top. Go ahead, it's good.

Rhubarb and Kumquat Compote

Making this compote deeply appeals to the kid in me: the vibrant crimson of the rhubarb stalks cut into building-block forms; the almost-gaudy orange of the kumquats, sliced thin to look like wheels;  and sparkly sugar crystals. Geometric shapes in brilliant colors all tossed together - cooking should be playful and here it really is.

David Tanis's Platter of Figs cookbook is endlessly inspiring to me: the recipes, the photos, the simple seasonality and poetry of everything he cooks. I love both rhubarb and kumquats for their quirky tangy flavors, and Tanis combines the two in a delicious compote. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, creme fraiche, or vanilla ice cream for an unexpected Spring dessert.


INGREDIENTS
from David Tanis's Platter of Figs

• 2 pounds rhubarb
• 12 kumquats
• 1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Using a paring knife, peel the rough strands from the rhubarb stalks and cut them into 4 inch batons. (Next time, I think I might also chop the batons to make for a less fibrous texture).

  beauty can even be found in the rhubarb strings destined for our compost pile

Slice kumquats. Toss rhubarb and kumquats in sugar and place everything in a low baking dish.

 

Bake for about 45 minutes until everything is tender. Let cool and serve at room temperature.