Bourbon is, to me, a winter ingredient. I say ingredient because I don’t drink hardly at all..and rarely hard liquor. Strawberries are spring and summer…the two should not mix….except…

Except this worked. I was amazed. The flavors just all blended into a mass of incredible. This went way beyond homey, comfort food and into the realms of kitchen nirvana. The tartness of the rhubarb and the tangy sweetness of strawberries turned into velvety marriage of flavors when the smooth, sweet bourbon sauce mixes in. I added some thickened, sweetened cream as well.

I loved this. It is perfect for last of the season berries and rhubarb here in the south, or a great way to use the fruit you have frozen. Did I mention is was super easy?

Try to get good, fresh rhubarb with a nice rosy color. There isn’t that much difference in taste but the eye appeal is better!

Don’t slice the rhubarb too thin. It will cook down too much and lose it’s character. Rhubarb without character is a terrible, terrible thing.

Always sweeten according to taste, no matter how much sugar the recipe calls for. Keep the filling tart with this though. You want to have a nice contrast to the sweet topping and sauce.

The crisp topping is made with brown butter. This gives an added complexity and depth of flavor.

These are some of the ingredients! Vanilla will be needed as well to just heighten the flavors a notch.

Can’t you almost smell it?

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp with Hot Buttered Bourbon Sauce

Topping

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup  light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• Generous pinch of salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and browned, and allowed to cool to abotu 110F.

Filling

• 5 cups sliced rhubarb
• 2 cups halved strawberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Sauce

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• About 4-5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• Sweetened whipped cream, beat until just thickened

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 13×9 inch casserole and set aside.
2. Mix berries, rhubarb, and flour and allow to sit for about 15 minutes.
3. Pour into the casserole.
4. Mix the topping ingredients with fingers until crumbly.
5. Sprinkle thickly over the crisp. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes, or until juices thicken and topping browns.
6. Just before crisp is ready to come from the oven put the bourbon and sugar in a heavy pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes until thickened and reduced.
7. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.
8. Add vanilla and blend. Taste to adjust flavors.
9. Serve the hot bourbon sauce over the warm crisp with a spoonful of the cream

serves about 8-10

images:maryeaudet

Post from: Baking Delights

I wasn’t sure how to make it work for the shower but I was determined to do so.  And, I am happy to say, not only did it work, it was awesome.  The flavors came together to create a refreshing palate cleanser and everyone loved them.

My son Matthew came up with the brilliant idea of placing the bowls of the spoons in a vintage deviled egg dish.

Because I made these ahead I had to allow for the juice that was going to occur. I compensated by using a 1/2 tsp. of gelatin in the berries. These were so good, I just can’t tell you… you need to try them. And look how cute!

Balsamic Strawberries with Basil

• 1 quart of ripe strawberries, stemmed and chopped coarsely
• 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• about 4 large basil leaves finely sliced
• 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 2 tbs hot water

1. Dissolve the gelatin in the water.
2. Mix the berries and the rest of the ingredients, except the gelatin, together in a bowl. Allow to stand for a few minutes. Taste and adjust flavors.
3. Stir in the gelatin thoroughly but gently., appetizer, tea party, amuse bouche,
4. Chill until ready to use, at least 2 hours
5. Mound the mixture in spoons, garnish with basil cut on a chiffonade.
6. Makes about 3 cups, enough for a multitude of spoons

image: marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

When I was making the cake for Amanda’s graduation last week, I had  one layer crumble as I was moving it. Not just crack, mind you, but CRUMBLE with every ounce of determination it had to crumble.

You can’t just toss out cake.  Not here anyway. So I took the pieces and spread them in a 13x 9 dish and set them aside.

After things had calmed down I grabbed the dish and sprinkled the, by now slightly stale, cake with rosewater.  We don’t have alcohol here much, although some sherry sprinkled on the cake is very good.  Use what you have. Make a sugar syrup of green tea, or lemonade..whatever. Don’t get the cake wet, just sprinkle it.

Next layer fruit over it. I had picked up a couple of packages of very ripe, organic strawberries at the store so I used those. Raspberries are fantastic, blackberries are better…

For the custard:

3 c  fresh goat  milk (if you use regular milk use 1/2 c heavy cream in place of 1/2 c milk. Yes, there is that much difference. BUT DO NOT used goat milk from the stor. EWWW.)

1 c sugar

1/4 c flour

4 egg yolks, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp rose water

1/2 c butter (unsalted)

pinch salt

mix sugar, flour, milk and salt in a pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until thickened.  Add a little of the hot mixture to the egg yolks to temper and then add the yolks to the custard. Stir constantly for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from heat, add in the butter and the flavorings and let cool.

When the custard has cooled pour it over the fruit and cake.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill for 2-3 hours.

When ready to serve whip 1 pt of heavy cream with a little sugar to taste and a few drops of the rosewater. Spread over custard. Serves 12

Image: Marye Audet 

Content:Marye Audet for Baking Delights 

Post from: Baking Delights

I wasn’t sure if I was going to get time to bake at all and then I remembered that I had seen some wonderful things around the internet lately..Some of these blogs are going up on the blog roll as soon as I have time.. I visit them regularly for inspirtion in my own kitchen. So, pour another cup of coffee real quick and check these out!

First, and I have snatched a picture of it because you have to see it to believe it is from my friend Valli, of More than Burnt Toast. She recently came in second for the Foodie Joust with this incredible creation. It is Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chipotle Chocolate Sauce and besides being a great way to use up those end of season zucchinis….well just LOOK at it!

O.k….pick your chins up off the ground and dab away that little bit of drool in the corner of your mouth..yeah.

Reading Marie’s blog, A Year At Oak Cottage is somewhat like sitting down with a Jane Austin novel and a cup of tea on a rainy afternoon. Her recipe for White Chocolate Strawberry Tiramisu looks, well, definitely droolworthy as Vallii would say.

Another blog that is not only full of delicious food, but also of delicious writing is Vanielje Kitchen .Her recipes ae interspersed with thoughts that will whisk you away to her home and give you a peek into her heart and life. I am so out of my league with these people! Her Apple and Willd Blackberry Crumble sounds like a slice of summer.
Finally, Dharm at Dad, Baker & Chef whips up these incredible concoctions that leave your mouth hanging open. Part of my amazment is in the fact that my own, very wonderful husband, other than grilling, has mastered peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and boxed macaroni and cheese. A man that cooks and does it well is so….so….amazing. He created a Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart for a Daring Bakers challenge and it looks incredible.
So…check out all the fabulous stuff on the blogs today, make some new friends, but don’t for get to check back here because Christmas Countdown and a couple of amazing B5 Home and DIning channel things are coming up..like the Fall Scavenger Hunt which promises to be ..well…   more fun than a quick dip in a bath of warm milk chocolate.

Post from: Baking Delights

I will post pictures of this in a bit. You see, there has apparently been a mutiny in techni-land and my computer is not speaking to my camera. Even my husband, who is the computer fixer in our family, has been unable to mediate between the two. He has graciously and wonderfully volunteered to take my camera to work and load the pictures on his laptop when he has time and then emailing them to me. As soon as that happens pictures will magically appear on today’s recipe. Life is good.
Anyway. In my shopping the other day I found a nice, slightly overripe papaya that had been marked down. I snagged it and was thinking about what I would like to use it in…the different flavors, etc. I came up with this tropical fruit tart which has a summery/vacation in the Bahamas type of flavor and is very easy and relatively quick. The presentation is beautiful, as you will see when the pictures come up, and the pastry was buttery-crumbly perfection and held up well out of the tart pan. The rum glaze added a faint pina colada type flavor which complimented the fruit and filling nicely. I would not add the fruit to this more than about 2 hours ahead and, as the glaze got a bit cloudy as it chills, I would glaze the tart right before serving. If you are making ahead and not glazing brush the bananas with lemon to prevent browning. This should serve 8-10 depending on the generousity of your slices.

Tropical Fruit Tart with Rum Glaze

Tart pastry

1 1/4 c flour
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
1/4 c organic shortening
about 4 tbs ice water
Bowl of ice water

Mix together dry ingredients.
Blend butter and shortening well and chill a few minutes in freezer.
Put fingers in bowl ice water, shake off excess water and cut butter mixture into flour mixture until it looks like coarse crumbs, keeping fingers cold by dipping into the bowl of ice water as needed.
Add the 1/4 c ice water and toss together until dough holds together well.
Turn pastry out on a floured surface and roll to size.
Place in tart or pie pan, and, using a small ball of leftover dough, press gently into pan.
Prick with fork all over.
Sprinkle with sugar and bake at 400 until golden..about 10 minutes
Set tart pastry aside to cool completely. you may remove it completely from the pan when it is cooled or finish in the pan. I removed mine.

Filling
1 lb cream cheese at room temp
1/2 c cream of coconut ( Coco Lopez)
1/3 c sugar
1 c toasted coconut
1/4 c finely chopped crystallized ginger

Beat cream cheese and cream of coconut together until fluffy.
Add sugar, beating until smooth and not grainy.
Add coconut and ginger and mix well.
Spoon into cooled crust and smooth.

May be refridgerated at this point and finished later.

Topping
I/2 ripe papaya
1 banana
1 ripe strawberry, hulled
3 mint leaves

Slice papaya thinly in a horizontal (across the narrow) direction to make petals.
Lay the papaya petals around the edge of the tart, overlapping slightly.
Slice the banana about 1/2 inch thick on a sligh diagonal.
Lay the banana slices around with tips overlapping the papaya row, just slightly.
There should be a small space in the middle of the tart at this point.
Take the strawberry and carefully with a sharp knife cut oval *petals* without cutting through the base..continue as long as you can, 4 around the outside and then some in the middle.
Gently peel back the petals to open up the strawberry flower.
Place in the center of the tart.

Glaze

1/3 c cream of coconut
1 tbs butter
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp rum extract..
cook first three ingredients, stirring, until sugar is no longer grainy and butter is melted.
Add extract.
Cool slightly and brush over fruit.
Garnish Tart with mint leaves before serving.

Post from: Baking Delights