Post of the Month

Life is getting in the way of my blogging right now, and when that happens, something's gotta give ... and it's my blog! My new goal is to commit to posting one (only one???) recipe a month. Anything more than that will be, well, gravy! And speaking of gravy (nice segue), I could post a recipe for that, too. My mother makes the most fabulous gravy. Unfortunately, it's a skill she didn't pass down to me and is a lost art, as far as I'm concerned.

The recipe below is for a delightful fruit crisp, made with fresh rhubarb from the local Farmer's Market. It's daughter Katie's recipe, one she found in the March 2005 edition of Bon Appétit magazine. The recipe calls for cardamom, a spice in the ginger family with a strong, unique taste, and an intensely aromatic, resinous fragrance. It adds a whole new dimension to rhubarb crisp.

Rhubarb has been around for centuries, is winter hardy and thrives in Minnesota gardens. Tart and refreshing, it actually has many uses. It's been used in medicines and folk healing for centuries. Rhubarb also makes great pies, breads, cakes, cobblers, muffins, jams, jellies and sauces.

You can use rhubarb to clean your pots and pans (no joke!) If your pots and pans are burnt, fear not! An application of rhubarb over the afflicted area will bring back the shine in next to no time. Environmentally friendly too!


Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisps with Cardamom and Nutmeg
from Bon Appétit | March 2005
yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Topping:
* 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
* 1/2 cup all purpose flour
* 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
* 1/3 cup sliced almonds
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* Generous pinch of salt
* 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Filling:
* 5 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices fresh rhubarb (from about 2 pounds)
* 2 cups halved strawberries
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup orange juice
* 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
* 1/2 teaspoon (scant) ground cardamom
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* Sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Preparation
For topping:
Mix first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until moist clumps form.
For filling:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter six 1 1/4-cup custard cups. Combine all ingredients except whipped cream in large bowl; stir to blend. Let stand until juices form, about 15 minutes.

Divide rhubarb mixture among prepared custard cups. Sprinkle topping evenly over mixture in each. Bake until topping is golden brown and crisp and filling is bubbling thickly around edges, about 45 minutes. Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream or a curl of vanilla ice cream.

To read more: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Strawberry-Rhubarb-Crisps-with-Cardamom-and-Nutmeg-231744#ixzz1O7ruOh2D