SMS: Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves

After more than two years of baking with the Sweet Melissa Sundays group, we are approaching the end of our time together.  At our current pace of two recipes per month and with just 8 recipes left, we'll be finishing up in August.  Crazy to think we'll have made every recipe in the book!  So, with that said, I'm thrilled to be hosting for what will probably be the last time today.  Even though we're down to just a few recipes remaining, there were several that caught my eye.





I ended up choosing these strawberry rhubarb preserves because they were somewhat seasonal and because I'm obsessed with the combination of strawberries and rhubarb lately.  I think it wound up being just a tad too early for good, juicy strawberries except in a few lucky areas of the country.  Mine were decent, but definitely not on par with the ones that'll be available in a month or two.  Fresh rhubarb also proved tricky to find.  I thought I remembered it appearing in stores in April last year but perhaps it was May.  I did find some at Whole Foods, but I only bought a little because it was pretty expensive.  Luckily, they also had frozen rhubarb so I used that in combination with the fresh for this recipe.



We've made the master preserve recipe from this book a few times now and I just love its simplicity.  You just throw everything in a pot and cook until it breaks down and thickens.  There's no need to worry about buying pectin (which is basically a thickener); instead apples are used as they are a natural source of pectin.  The recipe calls for a candy thermometer, but I honestly think you could make it without one - just use the tip in the recipe below to stick a spoonful in the freezer and check the consistency once cool.  Mine took about 45 minutes to an hour to thicken up.  You won't hear me say this very often because I have a major sweet tooth, but I think I may cut back on the sugar in this recipe next time.  Even for me it seemed a little overly sweet.  Otherwise, it was great, and so versatile - spread it on toast, scones or muffins or even bake with it.  I've already put a little stash aside so I can adapt this awesome recipe for raspberry squares.

Many thanks to everyone who participated this week!  You can see the other members' results here.

Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves
from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
4 cups sliced rhubarb
2 cups peeled and cubed Granny Smith apples (about 2-3 apples cut into 1/4 - 1/2-inch pieces)
2 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons orange zest

Combine all of the ingredients in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Set the pan over medium heat and cook the mixture until it registers 212 F on a candy thermometer, stirring frequently.  The fruit will break down as it cooks; you can also mash it slightly if desired.  After the preserves reach 212 F, continue to cook for about 30 minutes more, or until they are thick.  To verify you have the correct consistency, you can place a spoonful of the preserves on a small plate and pop in the freezer until cool.  The preserves should be quite thick - if they're runny, you need to cook them a little longer.

Cool the preserves to room temperature then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.

Makes about 4 cups 

TWD: Strawberry-Rhubarb Double Crisp

Fruit crisps have always been one of my favorite desserts.  I love their rustic simplicity - a layer of fruit topped with a brown sugar/oat mixture all baked until hot and bubbling.  It's kind of like pie, only better, because I don't have to make pie crust and fuss with rolling it out :)  I usually gravitate toward apple crisp but I was pretty excited about our recipe for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie, which featured strawberries and rhubarb.  Last spring I tried rhubarb for the first time and while it's a bit too tart for me on its own, it's beyond delicious when paired with strawberries.  Leave it to Dorie to find a way to improve the simple crisp without complicating it - this recipe calls for pressing half of the brown sugar/oat mixture into the bottom of the pan before adding the fruit and sprinkling the rest on top - genius!    



I quartered the recipe (well, mostly - I eyeballed more than one ingredient for the fruit layer) and in addition to the ramekin pictured, I had enough filling for a second smaller ramekin.  There wasn't quite enough of the crust/topping mixture for both ramekins - the smaller one got a sprinkling on top only.  As usual, I also skipped the nuts.  The full recipe had a baking time of about 60 minutes, but my minis only needed 20.  Fruit crisps absolutely have to be served with ice cream in my opinion and I went with a scoop of vanilla bean on these. 



These crisps were perfect in my book; I wouldn't change a thing.  They're equally great for dessert or breakfast.  I only wish I'd made the full recipe and stashed a bit in my freezer for another time.  Many thanks to Sarah of Teapots and Cakestands who hosted this week.  You can find the recipe for the crisp on her blog, or on pages 420-421 of Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Rhubarb Tart with Brown Butter Streusel

I'm still working to find ways to use the huge stash of rhubarb I received a few weeks ago.  I hadn't previously eaten rhubarb, much less cooked or baked with it, so a whole new world opened up to me.  First, I made rhubarb jam, which I used in a bread pudding for Tuesdays with Dorie and subsequently to fill some homemade pop tarts.  But what to do next?  I've got my eye on a sorbet but until I clear some space in the freezer, that recipe is on hold.  I found a mini tart shell hiding in my freezer, something I'd tucked away after scaling back a recent TWD recipe, and decided to search for a recipe to fill it.  My only requirement: I didn't want another fruit competing with the rhubarb.  I've combined rhubarb with strawberries - classic and delicious - but this time I really wanted to let the rhubarb shine on its own.



The minute I saw this recipe my search was over.  I love all things streusel!  This one is even more fun than your typical streusel since it uses brown butter, which lends a wonderful nuttiness.  I modified the streusel to include oats instead of almonds since that's what I like but if you're an almond fan I think they'd be perfect here.  I quartered the recipe to fill my 4" tart shell and wound up with extra filling and streusel so I tossed them in a ramekin and baked it along with the tart.  Both were really, really good!  Surprisingly, I think I actually preferred the ramekin with just the rhubarb filling and the streusel topping over the tart with the crust.  The sweetness of the streusel was a fantastic complement to the tartness of the rhubarb.  I'd probably decrease the sugar in the filling by 1/4-1/2 cup next time because while the tartness of the rhubarb came through, I think the filling was a touch too sweet.  The tart is easy to throw together, especially if you prep the crust ahead of time and I can definitely see myself making this one again. 



I've included the crust portion of the tart from the recipe below but since I didn't use it, I can't really comment on it (for what it's worth, the reviews over at Epicurious are positive).  As I mentioned, my tart shell came from my freezer and was made using Dorie Greenspan's sweet tart dough.  It's a wonderful recipe, one of the few I've made that doesn't shrink like crazy in the oven.  You can find Dorie's recipe here on her site.

Rhubarb Tart with Brown Butter Streusel
adapted from Bon Appetit, January 2004 (via Epicurious.com)

Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
3 to 4 tablespoons chilled cream

Streusel
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Filling
5 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices rhubarb (from about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest

To make the crust:  Blend flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor for 5 seconds.  Pulsing, cut in the butter until coarse meal forms (the butter pieces should be pea-sized).  Add the egg yolk and 3 tablespoons of the cream.  Blend until moist clumps form, adding more cream if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball. Press enough dough into a 10-inch tart pan to make a 1/4-inch-thick crust. Pierce crust all over with fork. Chill at least 2 hours.

To make the streusel: Cook the butter in large skillet over medium heat until golden, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat then add the oats, brown sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine.  Add the flour and stir until moist clumps form.  Cool the streusel completely (the streusel can be made a day in advance and refrigerated).  

Preheat oven to 375 F.

To make the filling: Toss all ingredients in a bowl to blend. Let stand until the filling looks moist, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Bake the chilled crust until golden brown, pressing with back of a spoon if the crust bubbles, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Spoon the filling into the warm crust.  Crumble the streusel evenly over the filling.  Bake the tart until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the streusel is crisp and brown, about 1 hour.  (If the streusel or crust are browning too quickly, you can tent the tart with aluminum foil until the filling finishes baking.)  Cool tart on rack 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Homemade Pop Tarts

In the past six months or so I've been trying to improve our eating habits.  We're not on a diet, just trying to be more conscious about what we put into our bodies.  I've been removing as many of the prepackaged foods as I can from our house.  We're still holding on to a few things but overall, the situation has improved.  For the record, I haven't bought Pop Tarts in years, but not because I didn't want them.  I used to eat Pop Tarts all the time when I was younger and I loved them!  My favorites were the blueberry and the brown sugar and cinnamon (both unfrosted so I could toast them and then add butter).  If I happen to walk down the cereal aisle in the grocery store, the Pop Tarts still tempt me but the responsible little voice in my head always wins, convincing me to keep walking.



So needless to say I was pretty psyched to open Google Reader a few weeks ago and find a recipe for homemade Pop Tarts on Deb's site.  I may not be able to justify store-bought Pop Tarts, but I can definitely splurge occasionally on the homemade variety.  Since they came with Deb's stamp of approval, I was fairly certain they'd live up to my expectations.  Plus, the original recipe came from King Arthur Flour and I've had great luck with their recipes.  I've been meaning to make the Pop Tarts basically since the minute I saw them, and I finally moved them to the top of the to-bake list this week.



The recipe is fairly simple if you're comfortable making pastry dough.  I made mine mostly in the food processor, but you could definitely do it by hand or in a stand mixer if you wanted.  I found the dough a bit finicky to work with, but not impossible.  It wasn't that warm in my house the day I made the dough yet it still warmed up fairly quickly and once it was soft, working with it became increasingly difficult.  I popped mine in the fridge once or twice and that did the trick.  The recipe makes 9 Pop Tarts (though there's nothing stopping you from cutting the rectangles smaller to make more) and I filled 5 of mine with a cinnamon sugar filling and the other 4 with the remainder of my rhubarb jam.  Note that the recipe below includes instructions for both the brown sugar and cinnamon filling and the jam filling and each recipe yields enough to fill all 9 tarts.  So if you want to do multiple fillings, just scale back accordingly.  An egg is used as the glue to seal the dough together and keep the filling inside and I found it easy to close all of the tarts up.  Even better, none of them popped open while they were in the oven and, much to my surprise, none of the filling leaked out!



My mom stopped by after work and was actually the first to try the Pop Tarts.  I made the mistake of not marking which tarts were filled with the brown sugar and cinnamon and which got the rhubarb jam but luckily they were fragrant enough that we were able to figure it out.  She sampled one with the brown sugar and cinnamon filling and loved it!  Encouraged by her positive review and unable to wait until the next morning, I ate one for dessert later that night.  The verdict?  Delicious!  The pastry is incredibly flaky and buttery and I loved the rhubarb jam filling.  The jam filling was quite thick as prepared, which kept it from leaking in the oven and also from being too wet and making the inside of the Pop Tarts soggy.  The homemade version is a huge improvement over the store-bought variety and certainly worth the effort.  These are a definite repeat in our house, though not too often as it takes an awful lot of butter to make them so tasty!  I love that there are so many possibilities for the filling and I'm already contemplating all of the options for next time...        



Homemade Pop Tarts
from King Arthur Flour, as seen on Smitten Kitchen

Pastry
2 cups (8 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 oz) unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg, to brush on the pastry before filling

Cinnamon Filling (will fill 9 tarts)
1/2 cup (3 3/4 oz) brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to taste
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Jam Filling (will fill 9 tarts)
3/4 cup jam
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

To make the pastry: Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the pieces of butter are about the size of peas and the mixture holds together when squeezed. Transfer the contents of the food processor to a large bowl. Whisk the egg and milk together in a small bowl then add them to the dough, mixing with a fork just until everything comes together. You may have to knead the dough briefly on a lightly floured work surface to pull it together.

Divide the dough in half; each half will weigh about 10 ounces. Shape each half into a rectangle approximately 3" x 5". The dough can be rolled out immediately or wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

To make the cinnamon filling: Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.

To make the jam filling: Combine the water and cornstarch in a small ramekin. Add this mixture along with the jam to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

To assemble the tarts: If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes.  Roll one piece of dough on a lightly-floured surface to form a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick - you want the rectangle to be large enough that you can trim it to measure 9" x 12".  Set aside the rectangle once trimmed.  Roll the second piece of dough to form a rectangle of the same size as the first.  Cut each rectangle into thirds lengthwise and widthwise to form nine 3" x 4" rectangles (so 18 total rectangles). 

Use a fork to beat the second egg, and brush it over the entire surface of nine of the rectangles.  Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, leaving about a 1/4 to 1/2-inch border around the edge.  Top each of the filled rectangles with a second rectangle of dough.  Use your fingers to press firmly around the filling to seal the dough on all sides.  Press the tines of a fork around the edges of the rectangle.  Repeat with the remaining rectangles to form 9 filled tarts.  Use a fork to prick the top of each tart multiple times, which will allow the steam to escape while they bake.

Transfer the tarts to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate the tarts for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350 F.

Remove the tarts from the fridge, and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they’re a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the baking sheet set on a wire rack.

Yields 9 tarts

TWD: Apple-Rhubarb Bread Pudding

This week's TWD was chosen by Elizabeth of Cake or Death?: apple-apple bread pudding.  I feel like a broken record as the last two posts have had me discussing this matter, but in case you missed it, I'm not a fan of bread pudding.  Something about the texture doesn't sit well with me - all too often it just seems like soggy bread, which is pretty unappealing.  Nonetheless, I was confident I could find someone to take the bread pudding off of my hands if I made it this week, especially if I scaled the recipe back.  My buddy Nancy suggested 1/3 of the recipe so that's what I did, baking it in a random 6.5" x 10" Le Creuset dish I found lurking in my cupboard which I'm pretty sure I've never used.



The double dose of apple in the pudding comes from caramelized apples and apple butter.  I didn't have apple butter on hand and I didn't want to buy any, but luckily I had a solution.  Last week my stepfather dropped by with this surprise from his brother's garden:



Pretty fantastic, right?  A bit overwhelming though.  Something tells me I'm going to need to try a lot of recipes to use all that rhubarb up!  So, instead of apple butter, I decided to use some of my rhubarb to make a jam.  It was really easy and turned out wonderfully; the jam was both sweet and tart at the same time and the consistency was perfect (though definitely a bit less thick than jam you've buy in the store)!  I'll include the recipe at the end of the post for anyone who's interested.



Though I substituted for the apple butter, I decided I'd still use the caramelized apples in my bread pudding, mainly because baked apples are a weakness and I was really hoping their inclusion might help me to like this bread pudding.  The recipe came together easily once I made the jam and caramelized the apples, but this was definitely a "fill the sink with dishes" kind of dessert.  I had hoped to make brioche to use for this recipe, but I ran out of time so in the end I wound up using some rolls I found hiding in the freezer, which was awesome since I didn't have to buy bread just for this recipe and because it cleared space so I could get my ice cream canister back in there to freeze.  Aside from the changes I've already mentioned, I made the recipe as written.  I even baked my mini bread pudding for the full hour and 25 minutes Dorie recommends in the hopes of avoiding soggy bread pudding.  In the interest of full disclosure that wasn't the only reason I kept it in there so long - the baking dish I chose was very shallow and I had a hard time figuring out when the bread pudding was done (the clean knife tip didn't really help), so I erred on the side of caution. 



I let the bread pudding cool for almost 2 hours before I cut a piece.  I was running out of daylight and couldn't wait any longer.  The flavor of the pudding was fantastic - I really, really enjoyed it!!  I wasn't sure how apples and rhubarb would pair but they were a good match.  Unfortunately, I still didn't like the texture.  It seemed soggy.  I mentioned this on Twitter and wondered whether maybe my expectations for bread pudding were off - perhaps it's supposed to be soggy?  Nancy responded to let me know that wasn't the case, that the pudding shouldn't be soggy but rather soft yet firm-ish.  Of course this led me to realize that I'm not sure I know the difference between soft and soggy bread though maybe it doesn't matter as I don't think I'd like either.  I should probably be happy - one less dessert to tempt me :) 

Many thanks to Elizabeth for hosting this week!  You can find the recipe for the bread pudding on her blog or on pages 408-409 of Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Rhubarb Jam
from AllRecipes

1.25 pounds fresh rhubarb, sliced into 1/4-1/2-inch pieces
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/6 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water

Place all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the jam is thick - about 45 minutes.  The jam will thicken further as it cools.  This recipe yields about 1 pint (or 2 cups) of jam - store in the refrigerator.