mix, mix… stir, stir

I am on a bit of a rhubarb kick, so I was very happy to make this week’s Tuesdays With Dorie selection picked by Amanda from Sprinkles on a Cupcake. When ever I make a cobbler, or crisp for that matter, I am surprised at how easy and delicious they are. I am not sure why they don’t remain front and center in my dessert mind. I guess my love for cakes and chocolate work just seems to push the humble cobbler aside, but once again I am reminded that cobblers are fantastic and I should be making them more often.

photo by David Peterman

I thought it would be nice to have picnic cobblers by making them in individual muffin paper molds. I was very pleased with how well it worked, though it was necessary to use two paper molds for each cobbler otherwise a lot of liquid seeped out. The bottoms were a bit sticky, but I think it is a nice presentation none-the-less. I found I needed to fill the cups almost full as the topping doesn’t rise a great deal and because of the small containers I cut the fruit smaller than Dorie instructs. Dorie’s recipe fills about eight of the tall brown paper muffin cups.

I think there is a great fear of rhubarb and sugar is the coping mechanism;generally so much sugar that all the wonderful characteristics of the rhubarb are completely obliterated. No so with this cobbler. The rhubarb was allowed to shine in all its tartness and glory. The cherries added a wonderful contrast in flavor and texture that was easy to distinguish thanks to the restrained use of sweetener. The addition of whole wheat flour to the topping added a nice depth of flavor and the touch of ginger was a perfect accent to both the filling and topping.

Beyond the individual portioning I made very few changes to the recipe. I used whole wheat pastry flour rather than standard whole wheat flour because that is what I had on hand, and the softer flour seemed like a good way to ensure a tender topping. I also dipped into my stash of ginger sugar to sprinkle on the topping before baking them. Ginger sugar is as complicated as saving the sugar at the bottom of a bag of crystallized ginger. It is great stuff, don’t toss it out!

I agree with Dorie’s comment that the cobbler is best served warm. The fruit is fine at room temperature or even chilled, but the biscuits really need to be a little warm to be truly satisfying. One other great thing about cobbler is it makes a darn fine breakfast. What? It’s fruit and a biscuit.

As with all the Tuesday with Dorie recipes, you can find this in Dorie Greenspan’s book Baking: From My Home to Yours.

A perfect nibble for summer entertaining. The creamy avocado plays so perfectly against the bright tart flavor of grapefruit and rhubarb. Grapes chime in with a sweet note and a toasty crunch from almonds adds a little contrast. The bite-sized salad is brought together with the peppery bite of watercress and the cool crunch of the cucumber round. It looks and tastes like summer!

photo by David Peterman

The cucumber round as a delivery vehicle was a revelation inspired by the pressure of a ticking clock. The first time I made a salad hors d’oeuvre similar to this one, I rolled the salad in long thin strips of cucumber “noodles” and speared each one with a toothpick to keep them closed.  What a slow process that was. As I was madly preparing this salad to take to a friend’s party, I had to accept the fact that I would miss the entire event if I tried to roll the salad in strips of cucumber. I really hate to settle for a less-than option, and was quite pleased when “cucumber rounds” popped into my head. Initially I thought it was a reasonable substitute to the cucumber roll, but I am now of the opinion it is a superior presentation and I will forever save myself the effort of rolling spoon-fulls of salad in cucumber strips. 

The cucumber round allows the beautiful salad ingredients to dazzle your eyes before it even hits your palate. It can also be quickly assembled on-site when taking the canapes to a party, which is always better than trying to transport an assembled tray of hors d’oeuvres.

Deborah Madison, in her book Local Flavors, Cooking and Eating From America’s Farmer’s Markets, has a lovely avocado grapefruit salad with pomegranates and pistachios that is part of the inspiration behind my salad canapes. Additionally, earlier this year I had the good fortune to eat at Charlie Trotter’s new restaurant in Las Vegas, Restaurant Charlie, and enjoyed a wonderful asparagus, rhubarb, and nasturtium salad. The rhubarb was cut into long thin ribbons and pickled. It was delicious and made me realize I had never had rhubarb in a savory application, so I decided I needed to start playing around with rhubarb in applications beyond desserts. My Avocado Grapefruit Salad Canapes are the result of these two experiences. I hope you make them for a party this summer.

Avocado Grapefruit Salad Canapes
2 thin ribs of rhubarb
1 small red onion
2 grapefruit
1 avocado
1 cup seedless red grapes
1 bunch watercress
2 medium to large cucumbers
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. water
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Slice the red onion and rhubarb very thinly and place in a small bowl with the white wine vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar, and water. Mix the ingredients together, then place in the refrigerator for about an hour to marinate.

Cut the peel and pith off of the grapefruits. Carefully cut between the membrane sections to remove the wedges of grapefruit pulp leaving behind the membrane. Cut the grapefruit sections into small pieces and place in a medium bowl. Peel and cut the avocado into small pieces (about 1/4″-1/3″ cubes) and add them to the bowl with the grapefruit. Slice the grapes into quarters and add them to the bowl along with the toasted almonds.

To make the dressing, place the orange juice in a small bowl and whisk in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Wash and dry the watercress and remove any thick stems. Cut the bulk of the stems off, but don’t worry about using some of the stems. Rough chop the leaves and remaining stems by cutting through the watercress just two or three times. The watercress should be in larger pieces than the other ingredients that have been chopped. Add it to the bowl of chopped ingredients.

Slice the cucumbers into rounds thick enough to be stable when picked up, about 1/8″ thick. Set aside for assembly.

Drain the onion and rhubarb then add it to the bowl of chopped ingredients. Add the dressing and toss everything together. Taste salad and add additional salt and pepper if desired.

Place a spoon-full of salad on each cucumber round just before serving.