Rhubarb and Raspberry Galette - Messy Baker Monday

Have you heard of The Messy Baker?    She is a fellow Canadian food blogger,  who cooks and bakes delicious and beautiful dishes and treats.   She also happens to have an amazing cookbook coming out that will tempt you even further.   Her book is full of appetizers, mouth watering baked goods and showstopping desserts.   This is honestly one of those books where you scroll through and if you were to mark the pages of things you really wanted to make with paper, there would paper flaps hanging out of almost every page.

Several bloggers and I have all gotten together to tease you with some of the wonderful dishes from her book.   If you like what you see I highly suggest you put The Messy Baker on list of cookbooks to purchase you will not be sorry.

This recipe for Rhubarb & Raspberry Galette with Fragipane was delightful.  The recipe uses one of her versions of No Fail pastry crusts.  I did the one with butter and it was so easy and perfectly flaky.   Next on my list to make from this cookbook is the Mushroom, Leek and Gruyere Tart or the Cherry and Lemon Macaroon Meringues,  which you can see below.

Check out the links from my fabulous blogging friends to see more Messy Baker delights.  If you want to see all the recipes though you are going to have to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.  Buy Now!

Whiskey Kissed Pecan Pie
Blueberry Lime Cornmeal Muffins
Chili Cheese Twists
Cherry & Lemon Macaroon Meringues
Ginger and Vanilla Scones
Piglet Muffins with Caramelized Bacon
Profiteroles
Double Stuff Uber Oreos
Basil & Aged Cheddar Scones // Deep Dark Cherry and Chipotle Brownies
Pecan Cheddar Bites
Tomato/Arugula Stuffed Focaccia
Smoked Paprika Corn Fritters
Welsh Griddle Cakes

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Just spent a great long weekend in Ottawa visiting some friends.  They have a three year old, so we all went to the fair Sunday morning.   This was her first time at a fair and she had a lot of fun.  She did have the look of terror a few times but she warmed up pretty quickly.  I didn't go on any rides but my hubby and one of your friends managed to get their own session of bumper cars.  Not sure how much fun it is with two people but they managed to get a few good hits in.   I just stood in the shade taking pictures.   After that we hit up a Mexican place on the patio, enjoy the weather and the beautiful scenery.  Ottawa is such a beautiful place if you ever get a chance to visit.  If you live there you are lucky.  I think it might be one of the cleanest cities I have ever been to.  It is a big city with out a big city feel, lots of great neighborhoods.   Once upon a time I tried to convince my hubby to  move there but he wisely talked me out of it to stay close to family and friends.  I sure do like to visit now and then though.

I continue my love for fresh fruit baking, by capitalizing on some rhubarb I got from my good friend Kelly.  She has a nice big bush in her backyard and is always kind enough to give me some stalks each May.   I took half chopped it up and put it in the freezer for a creation that will go to Kelly.   The other half went to this wonderful dessert.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler



INGREDIENTS:

Fruit part

• 1lb strawberries, washed, stemmed and chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh/frozen rhubarb
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp agave

Cobbler topping (adapted from Anna Olson)

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp melted and cooled butter
• 1/3 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 1 cup all purpose flour or gluten free all purpose
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon sugar for sprinkling.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Preheat the oven to 375F.
2) Combine the fruit, brown sugar, corn starch, vinegar and agave in a medium bowl.  Toss together and place in a 8 inch square baking dish. 

2) In a large bowl, combine egg, melted butter, sugar and whisk together.  Whisk in milk.  Stir in the flour, salt and baking powder and until combined.  Mixture will be wet.
3) In clumps, allowing for some spreading drop the cobbler topping on to the fruit mixture.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
4) Bake for about 45 minutes.  Until the cobbler top is brown and set. Fruit will be bubbling.

Serve warm with some vanilla ice cream.  Yummy.  I am more a fan of crisps and crumbles than cobblers I have no discovered.  I think I just need more of a crunch than what a cobbler provides.  I did really enjoy the filling, a great combination of sweet and tart. 

MEG's RATING: D-EEEE-LICIOUS!

Raspberry Quinoa Muffins

I am back from the sun and relaxation.  It was a great trip and Barbados is a beautiful island.   I spent most of my days at the pool reading, going through 2.5 books.  We did manage to squeeze in a rum and history that took us on a tour of the island, some kayaking and catamaran trip.  Unfortunately my plan for turtles was swatted by a cruise ship over feeding turtles and some motion sickness in the water, so I sadly saw none.   Here are a few pics,  I oddly didn't take that many and just had the temperamental point and shoot.

This was a plantation we stopped at on our island tour.   Lots of old cool things in side.

These are some old shoes.  Look how thin they are.

This was the cabinet of old cameras.  There was two of these.   Very Cool.

We stopped at one of the many churches on the island.   This church had the tree of life in the cemetery,  I had to hug it. 

This is the East side of the Island.   A litte more rough and rocky.

This is the west side of the island at our resort.  Calm, sandy and wonderful.

Now back to reality and work. Ughh...who wants that.   The first few days back have been miserable and I have been one cranky lady in the office.   I am sure it is just first week back blues or maybe I just need some baking to get me back to normal.  I finally got this blog post out so I must be getting back on track.  This weekend will involve baking and some photo/recipe pinning.   Here are some healthy muffins to get me back on track after a week of a lot of desserts.

Quinoa Raspberry Rhubarb Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup Whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup cooked Quinoa
1 1/4  tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup pureed dates
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen rhubarb

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Soak 1/2 cup of pitted dates in hot water. Let soak half an hour and puree until smooth.
2) Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners
3) Combine whole wheat flour, oats, quinoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir together.
4) In a large bowl or mixer bowl beat together oil, dates and honey until well combined.
5) Add egg and vanilla, mix to combine
6) Stir in dry mixture until almost combined.
7) Fold in raspberries and rhubarb gently to minimize the raspberries from breaking and running.
8) Using a 1/4 cup scoop, fill the muffin liners, two thirds full.
9) Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then place on wire rack to cool completely.

I love fruity muffins.  

MEG's RATING : D-EEEE-LICIOUS!

Three Berry and Rhubarb Crumble Bars. A Summer MUST!!

What to do with the remaining rhubarb sitting in my freezer?  I wanted to use it to go along with the brownies and cupcakes I made for the bridal shower. My friend, Kelly who was wonderful enough to give me the Rhubarb was hosting the shower, so I thought it would be great to bring a dessert that showcased some of the fresh fruit growing right in her backyard.

Mixed Fruit Crumble Bars

INGREDIENTS:

Fruit Filling

• 4 cups fresh berries or rhubarb (fresh or frozen), cut into small 1/2 inch pieces.
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Combine fruit and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fruit is tender about 12-15 minutes.

2)  Combine the granulated sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Stir into fruit mixture. Continue stirring until mixture comes to a boil.  Continue boiling until thickened about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside, it will continue to thicken as it sits and cools.

3) Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all crust ingredients in large or mixer bowl. Beat at low speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Scrape down if needed so that all mixture is crumbly.

4) Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of greased 10-inch square baking pan lined with foil.  Spread filling over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

5)  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.   Let cool completely before removing so that fruit is set.  Cut into squares. 

I sadly have no "hero" shot for theses.   Most of them went to the bridal shower and the remaining went into to work and I simply forgot. It is a shame to because the word needs to be spread on how fantastic these bars are.   I am not sure if it was my choice of berries ( I used one cup of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and rhubarb)  that gave a sweet and tart flavour or maybe it was the crunchy crumble base but I love loved these!  Yes, it deserved two loves.

I was almost tempted to make them again just so I could take a proper photo, or really because I wanted to eat another batch.   I, however did not.    Spread the word on these bars people, they are summer berry crunchy heaven.

MEG's RATING : D-EEEEE-LICIOUS!

Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

My friend Kelly has a huge rhubarb plant in her backyard that in the spring flourishes with beautiful red stalks. I showed up at her house on the perfect weekend for picking. She was kind enough to chop off several stalks for me to take home.    The funny things is I hadn't eaten a lot of rhubarb in my lifetime unless it has been hidden in pies.  I am looking forward to this fun experiment.  Look how beautiful it looks.

Adapted from Canadian Living

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter,  softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup chopped Strawberries
1 cup chopped fresh rhubarb
Streusel:
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp icing sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:


1) Make the streusel:  Combine almonds, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

2) Preheat the oven to 350F. In a mixer bowl or large bowl combine the butter and sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time with vanilla.

3) In another bowl combine dry ingredients.  Add dry mixture and yogurt, alternating, splitting the dry ingredients into 3 additions, yogurt into 2.   Fold in half the fruit.
4) Spray a bundt pan with non stick spray. Add 1/3 the mixture into the pan and then add the remaining fruit and streusel mixture.  Add the remaining batter on top.

5)  Bake for 35 min until a wooden skewer comes out clean.   Let cool on rack for 5 minutes and remove from pan.   Wrap with saran wrap to keep fresh.

I don't know why but I love fruit bread and cakes.   This cake was moist, fresh and perfectly sweet.   My first attempt at a rhubarb dessert and I am happy.    Thanks Kel for the rhubarb.   I still have some left in the freezer to bake you something.


MEG's RATING : D-EEEE-LICIOUS!