Spring has Arrived

We went to the Farmer’s Market like we do every Saturday. Picked up some asparagus, fingerling potatoes, salad greens, and rhubarb.

We grabbed the puppies and were off to visit my parents. The weather was perfect. A great day. Wednesday and Schuman had soooo much fun running around and jumping in the muddy swamp that sits near the house that they had to get baths before they could come inside.

Now, I’ve never been a rhubarb fan. Probably because I’ve always been such a picky eater, and wouldn’t branch out and try new things. Well…

Today was The Day of Rhubarb. Joe made a Rhubarb Upside-down Cake [Recipe below], and my mom made a Rhubarb Pie. Both were glorious.

AND dinner was just as fabulous. Herbed chicken, grilled asparagus, steamed and statued potatoes, micro-green salad, and sourdough bread from Eugene City Bakery.

We also had a chance to watch Juno again. My parents hadn’t seen it yet. I’m going to try and watch it with the commentary before we have to return it. It is such a great movie!

A day well spent.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
makes one 9″ cake

Topping:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¾ cups brown sugar
• 2 ½ cups small, diced rhubarb (about 3-4 medium stalks)

Batter:

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tarter

Preheat over to 325-350°F.

Over low heat, melt the butter in a saucepan stirring in the brown sugar until it dissolves. Pour into a greased 9″ cake pan and form to coat the bottom. Toss the chopped rhubarb with about 2 TBS sugar before arranging it neatly over the brown sugar mixture, covering the bottom completely. This is going to be the TOP of the cake when you flip it. Set the pan aside while you prepare the cake batter.

With an electric mixer, in a very clean bowl, whisk the eggs whites with the cream of tartar until they are stiff enough to hold a slight shape. Set aside. (You can dump them in a glass bowl and wipe our the mixer bowl for the rest of the batter).

With the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar until pale, light, and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, and egg yolks. One at a time, scraping the bowl to make sure all the butter in incorporated. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add them to the batter alternately with the milk. Begin and end with the dry ingredients.

Fold by hand the egg whites into the batter a third at a time.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly over the rhubarb. Make sure not to disturb the rhubarb too much. Bake for 20-35 minutes, until the top is browned and the cake pulls away slightly from the edges of the pan. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before turning it out. Serve with whipped cream, or even better Ice Cream!

You can do this same cake with pears, plums, peaches, cranberries, or any berry or stone fruit really.

Enjoy!

Recipe source: Fleming, Claudia. The Last Course: Desserts of the Gramercy Tavern. Random House, New York: 2001.

Tagged as: baking, cake, recipe, rhubarb