The Houndstooth Gourmet

I hope all of you are still enjoying rhubarb. In case you’re running out of ideas (like I was!) here’s some photos of my most recent haul of rhubarb, and the rhubarb bars that I made. I had never made these before, so I turned to the trusty internet to find this recipe from Cooks.com.

Of course I changed it a tad!

I skipped the vanilla extract, and put a handful of coarsely chopped pecans into the crust. Overall, this recipe is delicious and really-what with the oatmeal and fresh rhubarb-it has to be good for you. A little, at least!

A little hint ;-)…add 4-5 drops of red food dye to the rhubarb filling as you are preparing it. That’s how I got it so red.

Enjoy!

Tags: rhubarb, dessert, Recipe by Ramona
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How great is Top Chef this year?!! There is a great mix of true talent, and the elimination challenges are bringing out the best (and worst) in the cheftestants. I am rooting for Stephanie to go all the way this year-it is about time a woman took the title of Top Chef. And well, if Richard wins, that would be great too. He’s got class, style and terrific instincts.

I was happy to see Restaurant Wars play out again with the remaining contestants. Antonia et al. were the designated dream team, and seemingly handled the challenge with aplomb. Let’s face it-they smoked their competition. I was especially impressed with Stephanie’s handling of the FOH, but what she did in the BOH was even better. Her pasta was singled out as terrific, and her dessert of agorgonzola cheesecake with a concord grape reduction sauce was tricky-but it worked. I was inspired.

Making a savory dessert can go wrong on so many levels. Making a souffle in itself can be daunting (remember TC’s Eric and his nacho souffle?). But Stephanie’s dessert scored big time, and made Richards banana scallops look trite and so yesterday. It was a bold move, and it worked.

So, that’s my inspiration to make a savory dessert with leftover Gorgonzola dolce I had on hand. With what was left from a bottle of pinot noir the prior evening, and some strawberries, I made a semi-sweet sauce that held over nicely for a few days in the refrigerator. I found the recipe for the souffle online from the San Fransisco Chronicle. The souffle was very easy to make. Basically you make a roux, a bechamel sauce, then a cheese sauce. The cheese sauce then gets the egg yolks tempered and added, followed by the whipped egg whites. Pour the batter into ramekins, make a bain marie and bake. While the souffle baked, I further reduced my pinot noir and strawberry sauce.

De-lish!

For the pinot noir and strawberry sauce, you’ll need 1 cup of pinot noir, 2 cups of sliced strawberries, and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. Heat all of the ingredients in a sauce pan. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until it is reduced by 50%. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, or chinois. Spoon sauce over the souffles prior to serving.

Tags: strawberries, dessert, Recipe by Ramona
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OK. Pretty soon I’m going to be covered in tiny seeds and have a green top sprouting out of my head. I’m alright with that, actually.

Strawberry season is going strong, and the prices at the Virginia farmers markets are very good, however, you need to use your fresh market berries quickly; they aren’t made to store long and can bruise easily.

Now, what’s more traditional and wonderful than strawberry shortcake? A delicious biscuit, split and filled with fresh whipped cream and macerated berries is just the way to end a meal at this time of year. This recipe makes biscuit baking easy work, and the strawberries can macerate while you bake.

Individual Strawberry Shortcake

makes 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb. strawberries, washed and sliced
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (optional)
• 2 cups All Purpose flour, sifted
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, well chilled and cut into 8 pieces
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• whipped cream, fresh or store bought

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, pour strawberries, add sugar and (optional) balsamic vinegar. Stir to coat fully. Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until ready to use. The maceration process will produce a syrup from the berry juice and vinegar.

Fit a stand mixer with flat beater. To the mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Turn mixer on low to just combine. Add chilled butter and slowly increase speed to medium-high for 2-3 minutes. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl, pour milk and egg. Stir to whisk lightly. Add milk and egg to mixer. Mix on medium low until just combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until it comes together.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Using a floured 2 1/2 inch cutter, cut into approximately 10 biscuits. Transfer biscuits onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in oven for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool until you care able to handle the biscuits. Cut each biscuit in half with a serrated knife.

Open the biscuits up like a sandwich. On bottom piece, place a generous dollop of whipped cream, topped with macerated strawberries. Replace biscuit top.

Garnish with mint (optional).

Serve immediately.

Tags: strawberries, dessert, Recipe by Ramona
4 Comments »

Yes, you read correctly. Vinegar in a dessert is not a usual notion-but bear with me, it works!

This time of year, strawberry and rhubarb are in season at the farmers markets. Particularly at the Virginia markets, strawberries and abundant. Rhubarb is ramping up, and should be plentiful in the next several weeks.

If you have never eaten rhubarb, you are missing something delicious! While the leaves are poisonous, the rhubarb stalk is not. The stalks can be green, to pink, to crimson. Despite the color, they all taste the same. The taste is tart, which is the perfect foil for a sweet dessert.  Rhubarb is also wonderful in savory dishes, such as this Pork with a Rhubarb Chutney from Rachel Ray. I’ve made this and it is wonderful as well as easy. You can also make a chutney is a matter of minutes and serve it warm over vanilla ice cream. This is one versatile vegetable.

So, on to the balsamic vinegar. Balsamic and strawberries are a match made in heaven. The vinegar draws the juices out of the strawberry (maceration), making a delicious sweet and savory liquid. Combined with the rhubarb, you get a cobbler filling which hits the tongue on multiple locations, giving the dish depth of flavor.

Best of all, this is so easy!

Balsamic Strawberry and Rhubarb Cobbler

serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 2 cups diced (1 inch thick) rhubarb
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch (optional)
• 1 cup All Purpose flour
• 4 Tablespoons butter, chilled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix strawberries and rhubarb in a bowl. Add 1 cup of sugar and stir to coat. Allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes and macerate. Add balsamic vinegar and stir. Continue macerating for an additional 10 minutes. At this point, you can stir in the corn starch if you want a thicker filling.

In a food processor add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and butter. Blend for 20 seconds.

Pour milk into a bowl, and add egg. Whisk egg thoroughly. Turn food processor on and slowly pour milk and egg into the top. The batter should come together by the time you are done pouring.

Pour the filling into a baking dish. Spoon the batter over the top. Place on center rack of the oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown.

Allow the mixture to cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at  room temperature with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Tags: dessert, Recipe by Ramona
7 Comments »

Sometimes I just need a hit of chocolate after a meal. Chocolate, even a small piece, leaves me feeling complete and sated. I don’t need the Mississippi Mud Pie from the ’80s-just good quality chocolate to tickle the palate. Like at Hank’s Oyster Bar. No desserts on the menu, but you get a couple chunks of bittersweet chocolate with your bill. It suits me fine most of the time, and when it doesn’t, there’s always a fried Snickers bar at Eammon’s a few blocks away on King Street! Actually, I haven’t yet talked Frank in to sharing one, but I’m working on it!

A couple years ago, Rachel Ray was on  Poprah Oprah demonstrating her recipe for Chocolate Cups. If the Oprah liked it, well, I had to give it a try.

It’s incredible and so easy. With a couple ingredients and about 5 minutes, you can whip together an impressive dessert for just you, or for entertaining guests.

Here’s a recipe for Chocolate Cups, adapted from the original recipe from Rachel Ray. I served it with reduced calorie Cool Whip, and defrosted and lightly sugared mixed berries from Costco. I highly recommend the berry pairing!

Chocolate Cups

serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups milk (I actually used 1%, and it held together)
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups semi sweet chocolate morsels
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• pinch salt
• whipped cream (optional)
• berries (optional)

Directions

Place milk in a pan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place chocolate, eggs, sugar and salt in a blender and blend until mixed well. With the blender on low, slowly and carefully, pour the boiled milk through the small hole in the top of the blender cover. Increase speed to high and blend thoroughly.

Pour mixture into 6 serving cups and place the cups on a baking sheet. Refrigerate to cool and set, at least 3 hours. If making a day ahead, cover each serving with plastic wrap to preserve freshness and avoid picking up odors.

Serve with whipped cream and sweetened berries.

Tags: dessert, fruit, chocolate by Ramona
3 Comments »