Happy Memorial Day Weekend! We are so excited to have a long weekend with slow mornings, and time to linger over coffee, cartoons and these muffins. There is something about rhubarb, with its bright, slightly sour flavor that perfumes everything it touches. And the strawberries right now are so incredibly delicious and sweet that I had to add these to this recipe (the original one from Saveur had just rhubarb and almond flavors, but I’ve adapted it here without nuts and with strawberries).

Whenever I use rhubarb, I always think of Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I love everything about this book, where the author writes about a year of living with her husband and two children on a farm where they only eat what they can grow or get within a 50 mile radius (in Southern Appalachia, this excludes grocery stores or box stores of any kind).

When the author’s 50 birthday takes place in late spring of their year of eating seasonally, they served their birthday guests huge vats of strawberry rhubarb crisp, which of course with its fresh flavor was a huge hit.

When I made these muffins, I thought about that scene, because this recipe is really so versatile that it could be easily made into a delicious breakfast coffee cake (or birthday cake as the case may be) just by adding 15-20 minutes of cooking time. It is also very reminiscent of strawberry rhubarb crisp – which I posted here on THO a year ago – since it has a streusel topping. I love having another way to use strawberry and rhubarb together other than dessert. (Not that I haven’t eaten Strawberry Rhubarb crisp for breakfast.)

 

And since I subscribe to the more is more philosophy, I made a quick and easy compote with strawberries, rhubarb, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water + 1 tsp. lemon zest (totally optional). This is fantastic on anything your memorial day weekend could bring your way – ice cream, angel food cake, toast. And it turns out to be delicious on these muffins too.

Warning: just licking the spoon of this stuff will cause extreme distraction due to the explosion of flavor in your mouth. So, so good.

The sour cream gives the batter such a moist, tender cake, and the juicy fruits bursting out of it with the sugary, buttery streusel crust with hints of lemon is amazing.

So if you’ve been dreaming of some from-scratch flavors, give your baking tools a spin over this long weekend.

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Streusel Muffins (printer version here):

MAKES ABOUT 18 MUFFINS

For the Streusel

½ cup flour

½ cup sugar

2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar

½ tsp. lemon zest

¼ tsp. kosher salt

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed

 

For the Muffins

2 3/4 cups flour + ¼ cup to mix with fruit

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 cup sour cream

1 cup sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup canola oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

2 stalks rhubarb, cut into ¼” pieces

1 cup strawberries, cut into ¼” pieces

 

Instructions

Make the streusel: Whisk together flour, both sugars, zest, and salt in a small bowl. Add butter, and using your fingers, rub into mixture until smooth and large clumps form. Transfer to refrigerator; chill until ready to use.

Make the muffins: Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour muffin pans; set aside. Whisk together 2 3⁄4 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl; set aside. In another bowl, whisk together sour cream, both sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla; pour mixture over dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. In a small bowl, toss remaining flour with rhubarb and strawberries until evenly coated, and then stir into batter. Working in batches, place cup batter in muffin cups, break streusel up into medium-sized clumps, and sprinkle evenly over muffins. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of each muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

To make a cake instead, preheat oven to same 350 temp. Pour batter into greased and floured 8″ round cake pan or 9×9 inch pan, top with streusel, and start checking at 35-40 with a toothpick for doneness.

Muffin Recipe adapted from www.saveur.com

Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

In a saucepan, combine: 2 stalks of rhubarb, cut into ½ pieces, 1 cup strawberries, quartered and hulled, ¼ cup water, ½ cup sugar, 1 tsp. lemon zest (optional). Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to medium high, for 6-8 minutes or until fruit has broken down.

My dad’s very favorite dessert was Lemon Meringue Pie. When I was little, he would regularly come home from the grocery store with one, and we always served it on his birthday.

So I think it may be a little nod to him that made me want to try to combine these flavors in the gorgeous Pavlova dessert. This is so beautiful I would make it on those grounds alone, but it also happens to be weak-in-the-knees good, with the intense, sharp but sweet Meyer Lemon flavor in the curd mixing with the sweet, light as air, soft but crunchy meringue.

But the best part? In scouring the web to find out how I wanted to make these I found ridiculously easy ways to make BOTH the curd and the pavlova. Like the universe just wanted me to find and share the quickest route to this deliciousness.

I wanted to find something to celebrate the seasonal Meyer Lemons, which are sweeter then normal lemons since they are a cross between a lemon and a clementine, resulting in a strong, sour & sweet citrus symphony.

You can follow this recipe with regular lemons too, and any type of lemon curd is so good on its own – in cookies, cream puffs, slathered on toast.

Many recipes have you carefully tempering the eggs so they don’t curdle. But this version lets you melt a stick of butter in a pot, and then let it cool to lukewarm temperature before you add in the egg yolks.

The rest of the ingredients you just whisk together in a bowl, then pass it through a strainer into the butter/egg yolk mixture. (I should mention that I left to go take kids to sports RIGHT AT THIS STEP. That is how easy this recipe is.)

Then (after you have come back from sports ) you just stir this mixture over low heat, continuously, for 5-8 minutes until it coats your spatula. And then you stick it in an ice bath, and it thickens into glorious, heavenly curd.

 

The chef who came up with this easy Meyer Lemon Curd recipe wants me to link to his website rather than share the recipe. So I will do just that because he totally deserves a Peace Prize or James Beard something, people. Check it out and give him some love.

For the Pavlovas, I also found another website that offered a super easy, one-step way of making them. The Irish American Mom shares her childhood in Ireland and love of food on her blog, and happily this includes her speedy Pavlovas.

This desert was named after the Russian Ballet Dancer, Anna Pavlova, who was world famous and travelled all around the globe. Some accounts have that it was developed in New Zealand, and it is certainly very popular in New Zeleand and Australia. It is light and fluffy, just like her dancing.

You start by putting egg whites and sugar in a bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients, followed by 1/4 cup of boiling hot water (she attributes this to being the secret ingredient that allows you to make 1-step Pavlovas.) You beat these for 7-10 minutes (so much easier with a stand mixer FYI) until it forms into thick, shine white peaks.

While this is mixing, prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper, and using a cup, draw 6 2-3 inch circles.

Then turn the sheet over so the circles still show through but the meringue mixture won’t touch the pen or pencil. Drop the meringue onto each circle, and using the back of a spoon, form it into nests by pushing from the center out until a well has formed. Be careful not to make the bottom of the well too thin on the bottom.

Then bake for 1 hour, making sure you don’t open the door during cooking. After they are done, turn off the oven and crack open the door, letting them cool inside the oven.

At this point, Pavlovas are traditionally filled with whipped cream and fruit, but these were fated to be paired with the delicious Meyer Lemon Curd. You can decorate with any fruit you like, but strawberries and berries go particularly well, as do mint leaves. 

These desserts are great for a crowd since they are dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free. (Sorry friends with egg allergies, eggs are pretty essential to this dessert).

Happy Eating!

xoxo Katie

Easy Meyer Lemon Curd recipe here. 

Easy Mini Pavlovas (Printer Version Here):

 

4 large egg whites

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 T. cornstarch

2 t. cream of tartar

1 t. White vinegar

4 T. boiling water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250.

Separate the egg whites and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, then the vanilla, white vinegar, cream of tartar and cornstarch. Then Add 4 T. boiling water. (Irish American mom believes it is the secret to these one-step pavlovas.)

Set the mixer beating and while you are waiting prepare the baking sheets. (If using a hand mixer, prepare trays before beating the meringue.)

Line 2 cooking sheets with parchment paper, and using a cup that is 2 or 3 inches in diameter, make 6 circles on each tray for a total of 12. Turn the paper upside down so the pen or pencil doesn’t touch the meringue mixture – you’ll still see them.

Beat the mixture until it becomes very thick, and the egg white forms stiff, glossy peaks.

Spoon mixture onto premade circles. Then using the back of a large spoon, form them into little nests, working from the center out to the edges, taking care not leave the bottom too thin or it will burn.

Bake for 60 minutes at 250, then reduce heat to 225 for an additional 30 minutes. Then turn off the oven, and open the door slightly and allow them to cool in the oven. This helps them to create a crispy outer crust (I didn’t do this and mine were a little chewy but I didn’t mind, I still thought they were delicious.) Don’t cool them in the fridge.

After they are cooled, decorate with whipped cream, fruit, or Lemon Curd.
For One Large Pavlova: Instead of making 12 mini circles, just use a dinner plate to make one large circle, and spread into one big nest.

Pavlova Recipe from www.irishamericanmom.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Cinco De Mayo! Or as we say in the US, Happy Reason to Eat Tacos and Drink Margaritas (as if we needed one).

I am super excited to share my new favorite cocktail. I haven’t done many cocktail posts, a travesty I hope to remedy, since I have recently gotten into a little mixologist love. My sister Aly is way more up on what all the cool kids are doing since she has worked at really upscale bars and restaurants, and creates things like lavender champagne spritzers and lemon-thyme simple syrups so I know there is a whole rainbow of things to do in the cocktail world and I am just dipping my baby toe into the fun.

Enter Mexican Mules – I ordered a Moscow Mule recently with an apricot twist, and it was so yummy and refreshing. When I looked up the recipe, I found a Mexican Mule, which replaces the vodka with tequila. This was compelling because tequila makes me laugh. (Skinny Girl Margarita forever.)

I was unprepared for how delicious the Mexican Mule would be. The spicy sweetness from the ginger beer mixed with the sourness of the lime just makes fireworks happen. It’s a Cinco De Mayo party in your mouth.

It is so refreshing that I have already served it twice to friends that came over, even though we have barely broken 60 degrees here in New England. I forsee a steady supply of ginger beer in my shopping cart in warmer days, friends.

So I had to share the love. And I also should tell you that the box of ginger beer (which I found at my liquor store) has these other brilliant suggestions:

• Vanilla Mule with vanilla vodka
• Raspberry Mule using raspberry vodka
• The ‘Hot’ Mule using spicy vodka (which sounds so good I am on a spice kick in my drinks right now)
• Blueberry Mule using – you guessed it blueberry vodka + fresh blueberries. 

But if you are a tequila fan or just adventurous, I highly recommend this one. It’s a keeper. xoxo Katie

Mexican Mule:

1 1/2 oz Patron Tequila (or your favorite brand)

3 oz. Ginger Beer

Juice of Half a Lime + Lime wedges for serving

(I also like to water it down with some seltzer when I am hosting a party or otherwise am trying to be a responsible human being).