Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble

This is the taste of late spring. My parents had a rhubarb plant at my childhood home, and each year there was a bountiful harvest. Other family members sometimes complained about having rhubarb-everything, but I loved it (even the orange-rhubarb jam that never quite jammed). Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. (From Bon Appetit.)

3/4 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
large pinch of salt
6 Tbs. (3/4 of a stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats (can be made with quick oats)
1/2 cup husked hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (can sub walnuts)
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and halved (4 cups)
12 oz. rhubarb (bright red), ends trimmed, stalks cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick pieces

Combine flour, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter. Rub in with fingertips until mixture sticks together in clumps. Mix in oats and nuts. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish.

Place 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; whisk to blend well. Add strawberries and rhubarb to sugar in bowl; toss to coat well. Scrape fruit filling into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle oat topping evenly over filling.

Bake crumble until filling bubbles thickly and topping is crisp, about 45 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Spoon warm crumble into bowls. Serve with ice cream.

Flank Steak with So-Hot-You-Can't-Eat-It Pepper and Watermelon Salad

I pulled this recipe out of Bon Appetit (no surprise) last summer, thinking it sounded pretty good. We never had the chance to make it before grilling season ended, so last week we finally got around to it.

This is an interesting one. Husband doesn't like watermelon much, so the salad was already kind of a miss, but it was so spicy that neither of us ate much, throwing away most of the salad.

The next time we make it, there will be drastic changes:

• The meat marinade wasn't noticeable, even though it sat for nearly 12 hours. I'd use the dressing for the salad as a marinade instead.
• The salad is an interesting concept, but a little too variable in terms of texture and of course it was too spicy. I might leave out the watermelon, halve the quantity of sriracha, and double the honey.
• It needed a starch. I'm making rice with it next time and dealing with it more like a stir fry (hence, no watermelon).

The Original Recipe: Grilled Flank Steak with Spicy Pepper and Watermelon Salad

Flank Steak:
1 1/2 Tbs fresh lime juice
1 Tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp sambal oelek (a hot chili paste)
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp honey
1 1/2 lb flank steak

Pepper and Watermelon Salad:
1/4 cup sriracha (hot chili sauce)
1/4 olive oil
3 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar
1 1/4 tsp honey
4 bell peppers of varying color, cut into 1/2-inch squares (2-3 is plenty, really)
2 Tbs minced red jalapeno chiles (we used green, it was fine)
2 cups 1/2-inch cubes of seedless watermelon

Steak Preparation:
Whisk all ingredients together (except steak), pour into a ZipLock bag with the steak and let marinate as long as possible, ideally 4 hours up to 1 day (chill, obviously). Bring to room temperature before grilling.

Salad Preparation:
Whisk sriracha, oil, vinegar, and honey in a small bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper. Place peppers and chiles in large bowl. Toss with 6 Tbs dressing. Let marinate 2 hours at room temperature.

Prepare barbecue (high heat). Grill steak until cooked to desired doneness. Transfer to work surface; let rest 10 minutes. Thinly slice steak against the grain. Drizzle with some of the remaining dressing from the salad.

Toss watermelon into pepper salad. Serve flank steak and salad with remaining dressing alongside.

***

When we make this again, I'll post the new recipe and let you know how it goes.

Seared Duck Breast with Cherries and Port Sauce

I’ve only had duck a handful of times in my life, but this is one of the tastiest. It is also a plus to make it when Michigan cherries are in season. Our only complaint: duck is rather expensive; when we made this last week, we decided that the next time, it would be very easy to substitute a pork chop, or maybe a chicken thigh. Originally from Bon Appetit.

2 5- to 6-oz. duck breast halves, or 2 pork chops
2 Tbs chilled butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
16 halved, pitted sweet red cherries
4 Tbs tawny Port
2 Tbs honey

Place duck breast halves between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound lightly to even thickness (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch). Discard plastic wrap. Using sharp knife, score skin in 3/4 inch diamond pattern (do not cut flesh).

Melt 1 Tbs butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle duck with salt and pepper. Add duck, skin side down, to skillet and cook until skin is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn duck breasts over, reduce heat to medium, and cook until browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 4-8 minutes. Transfer to work surface, tent with foil to keep warm, and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour off all but 2 Tbs drippings from skillet. Add shallot to skillet and stir over medium heat 30 seconds. Add broth, cherries, Port, and honey. Increase heat to high and boil until sauce is reduced to a glaze, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Whisk in 1 Tbs cold butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice duck. Fan slices out on plates. Spoon sauce over and serve.

Spicy Orange Chicken Stir-Fry

This one is even quicker and easier than the last (mostly because it doesn't require marination). I would recommend upping the crushed red pepper flakes a bit if you like spice, and I do think it would benefit from marinating, to give the chicken a stronger flavor. Originally from Bon Appetit.

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
3/4 cup orange juice
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs corn starch
2 tsp orange zest
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cut into strips
8 oz. sugar snap peas

Cook rice according to package instructions. Cover to keep warm; set aside.

Meanwhile, whisk juice, soy sauce, and cornstarch together in a medium bowl until corn starch dissolves. Mix in orange peel.

Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add chicken, seasoned with crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook chicken in batches until done.

Add onion and snap peas, cook until crisp-tender. Add chicken back to wok and juice mixture. Toss until sauce begins to boil. Serve with rice.

Laura Bush's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Those of you that know me know I am not soon-to-be-former President Bush's biggest fan. However, I have to give his wife, the First Lady, some credit. Not only has she stayed married to W for as long as she has despite his bumbling nature, her oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are fabulous. I've made them for the holidays the last few years and they are quite the hit. A nice combo of the sweetness of the chocolate combines with oatmeal, cinnamon and dried cherries. Just a note, the recipe makes LOTS of cookies, so I recommend a few things:
-either cut back on the recipe to make a smaller batch
-make them all and freeze some (they freeze quite well, I've done this before)
-bring them to holiday gatherings and watch them disappear.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 cups light-brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 cups quick cook oats (not old-fashioned)
• 2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1-1/2 packages (8 ounces each) chocolate chunks (3 cups)(I think semi-sweet or bittersweet chips are the best in this recipe, the darker chocolate is delicious with the cherries)
  
• 2 cups coarsely chopped dried sour cherries (you can also use dried cranberries if cherries aren't available or are too expensive)
  

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degree F. Line 2 large baking pans with parchment paper.(yes, you do want to use the parchment paper)

2. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and oats; slowly beat until blended.
3. Stir in walnuts, chocolate and cherries. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.
4. Bake at 350 degree F for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on pan on wire rack for 1 minute. Transfer cookies directly to racks to cool completely.

This was my breakfast

We were walking through Meijer last night and saw the most interesting thing in the produce section. It was a brightly colored fruit with little spines poking out of it. I picked one up to examine it and thought "This looks more like a dog toy than a piece of fruit." Of course, I had to buy it.

I didn't know what it was at the register, and so I u-scanned it as if it were an ugli fruit, even though it clearly wasn't. I came in to work this morning, cut it open, and this is what I found.


It's tart like a kiwi, messy like a tomato, and apparently only contains 25 calories. A co-worker did some research while I was in the kitchen making a mess and found out that it was called a "horned melon", that it comes from Africa, and that there are all sorts of ways one can use it.

I scrubbed it out so my co-workers could get a good look at it. The inside of the rind is similar to a pumpkin after the fruit has been scrubbed away. When I get the opportunity, I'll totally get some more in order to try some of the recipes that my "horned melon" google search turned up. One involving beef. Sweet, right?