Worth Repeating

Wow. I had not planned for these last few weeks to slip away from me. I have been overwhelmed and have not had much free time to cook or write – a fact that makes me terribly sad. Last Sunday was Mother’s Day, so I finally got the chance to get back into the kitchen. As a matter of fact, it was more like an obligation. When mom says, “bring something sweet” you do as your told. I’m kind of impressed at how far I’ve come with home cooking. A year ago, I likely would have brought an Entenmann’s pound cake to the family dinner. Actually, I think I did. Yet these days, the farmer’s market and the stove are my favorite places to be. I don’t really know what brought on the change. Perhaps it was moving in with Dave and wanting to create a home - nothing does that better than the smell of something delicious baking in the oven. Anyway, I hope the cooking bug is here to stay. And as far as time is concerned, I’ll just have to make it.

I had been meaning to make something with rhubarb since I saw the first signs of spring sprouting in the beginning of April. But this whole month has been a wash, hasn’t it? Everybody talks about rhubarb in the spring...I suspect there are a lot of people out there who liken it to Paris (and many a Frenchman – and woman – who eat it by the stalk). I had never, ever made anything with rhubarb before, but was inspired by a recent meal at Pies and Thighs that concluded with a perfect slice of strawberry rhubarb pie. Now, I know this isn’t a full-fledged rhubarb endeavor, but I am convinced after seeing all the rhubarb desserts on the Internet that this root is meant to be eaten with strawberries. The sweetness of the berries complements the rhubarb’s tart taste.



I haven’t experimented with pies yet (though I did buy a nice pie pan several months ago, and it would be nice to tell Dave, “see? I DID use it!”) Instead, I opted for a crumble. It’s a lot less fussy than pie, but maintains all of the buttery, crunchy texture of a traditional crust. I got a kick out of sprinkling all the doughy globs of crumble dough onto the berries and rhubarb. They heat up so nicely in the oven, and make a wonderful outer shell to the fruit. The dough had plenty of lemon zest, which added a citrusy zing to the dish. In this way, it was similar to the base of lemon bars - which I love so, so much. I imagine it would be the perfect base for any crumble (I can’t wait to try apple and pear in the Fall), which I suspect I will be making a lot of. Anything this easy and delicious is worth repeating again and again.



Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients for the topping:
1 1/3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs Sugar in the Raw
Zest of one lemon
1/4 pound (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients for the filling:
2 c rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 quart strawberries plus an extra handful, quartered
Juice of one lemon
1/2 c sugar
4 Tbs cornstarch
Pinch of salt

Heat oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugars and lemon zest and add the melted butter. Mix until small and large clumps form. Refrigerate until needed. Next, prepare the filling: toss rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt in your casserole dish or pie plate. This saves you the trouble of using another mixing bowl. Remove topping from refrigerator and cover fruit thickly and evenly with topping. Place pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet, and bake until crumble topping is golden brown in places and fruit is bubbling underneath, about 40 to 50 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8.

The Sweetest Part of All

I can’t think of anything better than a good piece of chocolate cake washed down with a glass of cold milk. Chocolate cake is for celebrations, for comfort, for rainy days and for rooftop picnics. For good days, and especially for bad ones. It erases a lousy meal and sends a good one over the moon. If Marie Antoinette had specified chocolate cake in her famous declaration, perhaps things wouldn’t have ended so badly for her.

I believe there are a few things everyone should have: a spare set of house keys, a book they never get sick of reading, a stellar Chinese restaurant on speed dial. Everyone should also have a chocolate cake recipe so simple they can make it from memory (and in one bowl), yet so decadent and lovely that it is quite easily the life of any party. Everyone should have this chocolate cake. It’s perfect. Light and moist, with a chocolate flavoring that tastes rich but isn’t overpowering. Substantial, but not dense. It’s the kind of chocolate cake that you may have had at a childhood birthday, when your biggest problem was making sure you pinned the tail on the donkey. This cake is definitely a happy memories kind of cake, a “when things were simple” kind of cake. I love food that tastes like childhood and feels like coming home. What could be better?



The secret to great chocolate cake is a cup of coffee. Stick with me. The bitterness of the coffee balances all the sweet ingredients, yet truly brings out the chocolate here. If you hate coffee, a cup of boiling water works just fine – but you won’t get the same depth of flavor.

I made three 8-inch cakes and spread some peanut butter frosting between each one. This chocolate cake is a wonderful building block for frosting. Vanilla or chocolate butter cream would be wonderful. I made my frosting with a cup of chunky peanut butter mixed with about a cup of powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla and a splash of milk. Use a beater to fluff everything up.



Like I mentioned before, you only need one bowl to make this cake. I think the easy clean-up may be the sweetest part of all.

Dark Chocolate Cake
Adapted from a classic Hershey’s Recipe

Ingredients
2 c white sugar
1 3/4 c cake flour
3/4 c cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 c milk
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c hot coffee

Heat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round baking pans, or three 8-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixer bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; stir rapidly for 2 minutes. Mix in coffee - the batter will be quite thin. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack, then tap the cakes out of the pans. Cool completely before frosting.

Makes two 9-inch round cakes or three 8-inch round cakes.