Rhubarb Crumble

I haven't shared enough crumble recipes on this little blog yet. I mean, there's been one, but that by no means represents the amount of crumble I have eaten in the last few months. My last meal wish would be for crumble. When I'm sad I eat crumble. When I have something to celebrate I eat crumble. When I'm feeling short of baking inspiration or energy I make crumble. So, as you might have gathered, crumble features a lot in my life. 

Pre the most horrible, hot, difficult, long half-marathon race on Sunday, I ate crumble. To carb-load and to calm the pre-race nerves. Crumble is a versatile food. 

This was a simple rhubarb one with Lily Vanilli's ever trustworthy oat-y topping. That dark brown sugar makes all the difference; it makes it the crumble for all occasions.

To recreate in your kitchen, cook your choice of seasonal fruit in your favourite way. Follow the crumble section of this recipe. Bake for 20-30 mins. Serve with ice-cream, custard, cream or greek yoghurt. Or all of the above.

Continue Reading...

Moro East: Rhubarb and Rosewater Fool

After the meringue incident of Saturday, I was in no mood to spend many hours baking something impressive and beautiful, in fear that someone would steal the finished good. So I settled upon these super simple rhubarb and rosewater fools from Moro East. A fruity, floral, creamy, light (well, it feels light, even though the main ingredient is double cream...) end to a Sunday.

You'd be a fool not to make them before the rhubarb season disappears. (Sorry, couldn't resist).

Continue Reading...

Rhubarb, rose and almond bircher muesli

There was some rhubarb left in the fridge and I didn't have time to bake a cake and there wasn't enough rhubarb to make a crumble. So it was luckily that I remembered about Maria Elia's rhubarb, rose and almond bircher muesli which I had spied when first flicking through her beautiful book 'Smashing Plates'.

I love all things oat based: porridge, muesli, flapjacks, bircher, and it was torture to have to wait until morning to eat this. But it did make a rainy Wednesday morning much happier, even it this was eaten somewhere in between washing my face in the bathroom and running around finding some clothes in  and getting out the door.

Tangy rhubarb, a hint of floral rose water (just the right amount), a kick of cinnamon, a drizzle of honey, toasted almonds, spoonfuls of oats, zesty orange, and a good amount of greek yoghurt all muddled together makes for the perfect breakfast. À mon avis.

Recipe can be found here.

Continue Reading...

Lily Vanilli's Rhubarb Bakewell Tart

Before rhubarb season disappears in the blink of an eye and I have to wait to for another year before I can lay my hands on this beautifully-coloured plant, I needed to do more with it. Lily Vanilli's famous bakewell tart, with a rhubarb twist, was the bank holiday weekend solution.

Making this tart isn't recommended for the impatient, for those looking for an instant treat, for those with a busy day planned; there are many, many steps, many different parts to be created before the whole thing can be assembled. The whole process will take many hours. 

When the pastry's in the fridge, the frangipane has been beaten, the rhubarb filling is syrupy and sticky, the rhubarb decoration is still holding it's shape, and the almond buttercream is light and sweet, only then can you get on with baking it. And even baking it consists of many steps: blind baking, egg washing and then sealing, baking with the filling in, and then leaving it to cool before decorating and - finally - eating.

So it was with legs up on the sofa late in the evening that we finally cut in to the tart. The bitter rhubarb contrasts with the nutty, spongey frangipane, encased in crusty pastry (no soggy bottom, don't worry Mary), and blobs of sweet buttercream come together to make all those many steps and stages totally worthwhile. 

Recipe from Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth. You can find a video and a few parts of the recipe here.

Continue Reading...