Rhubard Time & Recipe

It's rhubarb time once more and the many recipes that show up using said tart fruit have been dribbling in. Got this recipe from the Star Tribune. The sauce is a tad short on sweetener, but the almond pound cake is to die for. It is so flavorful! Because recipes tend to disappear from newspapers, I am posting it here rather than linking it. This recipe appeared in the Taste Section of the Star Tribune on March 24, 2010.

Almond Cake With Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce

Makes 1 tube cake (20 servings).

Note: Almond paste comes in a tube, in the baking section of supermarkets. It's not critical to the recipe and can be omitted, but it will add an extra layer of almond flavor (if you don't use it, lessen the milk by 2 tablespoons). The cake can be made up to a day in advance, or longer if frozen. Adapted from "Come One, Come All/ Easy Entertaining With Seasonal Menus," by Lee Svitak Dean.

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
7 oz. (3/4 c. ) almond paste (see Note)
2 c. sugar
6 eggs, separated
1-1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
1 tbsp. almond extract
Powdered sugar
Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce (recipe follows)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and almond paste thoroughly. Add sugar slowly and continue beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder thoroughly.

In a cup or small bowl, combine milk and almond extract.

Add one-third of flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir gently but thoroughly; add one-third of milk mixture and stir gently but thoroughly. Continue to add flour mixture and milk alternately until all has been incorporated into the batter.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; gently fold into batter thoroughly.

Spoon into well-greased, 10-cup tube pan (an angel food cake pan or Bundt pan) or in 2 loaf pans. Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes (slightly less for loaf pans), or until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Loosen cake gently around rim and tube. Cool completely before removing from pan. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce

Makes about 2 cups.

Note: Make this the same day it is served for the best color and texture. Zest is the colored part of the skin on citrus fruit (not the white pith, which is bitter). Don't like rhubarb? Just use strawberries.

2 c. (1 pint) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 c. sugar
2 c. chopped (1/4 -in. pieces) rhubarb (2 large stalks), fresh or frozen
Juice and zest from 1 orange (about 1/4 c. orange juice and 1 tbsp. orange zest)

Directions

In a medium bowl, toss sliced strawberries with sugar; set aside. In a medium pot, combine rhubarb and orange juice and, over low heat, bring to a simmer. Cook rhubarb until barely soft, about 5 minutes -- do not overcook or the color turns gray. (Or cook in a microwave.) Set aside to cool slightly. Add cooled rhubarb to strawberries and toss with orange zest. Serve over cake or ice cream.

Orange Beef Teriyaki

This was pretty good and worth trying again. The only way I can thinly slice steak is to cut it while partially thawed.

Orange Beef Teriyaki

Nelly Parker, Hersey, MI
America's Family Recipes 2006 by Taste of Home

1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges
1 tablespoonb cornstarch
1 1/2 pounds bonelss beef sirloin steak, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 garlic clove minced
Hot cooked rice
Green onion and orange peel curls, optional

Drain oranges, reserving juice; set oranges aside. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons reserved juice until smooth; set aside. In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in oil. Add the soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic and remaining juice. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until meat is tender. Stir cornstarch mixture; stir into beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the oranges. Serve over rice. Garnish with curls if desired. Yield 4-6 servings

Summer Spinach Salad

If you haven't tried a new salad in a long time, this was FABULOUS!! Couldn't get enough of it.

Summer Spinach Salad

Callie Berger, Diamond Springs CA
America's Best Church Supper Recipes by Taste of Home

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
8 cups torn fresh spinach
3 green onions, sliced
2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced
3 large ripe bananas, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Place the first 6 ingredients in a blender o rfood processor; cover and process until the sugar is dissolved. Add the poppy seeds; process just until blended.

In a salad bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat.
Yield: 14 servings

Broccoli Cheese Soup

For brainless, yet yummy soup, here's my easy version. Can you make it from scratch? Probably. The whole point of this soup is easy. Perfect for a cold or wet day. My former boss gave me this recipe in the early 80s. If you want a from-scratch recipe, Emeril's is the best there is.
Emeril's Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom
1 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 10 oz. bag frozen broccoli
water and/or milk
1/8 tsp. pepper

In a saucepan, cook the broccoli and pepper according to package directions. Once cooked, leaving the broccoli and water in the pan, add the soups and 1 can of either water or milk. Mix well and heat. Add more water if too thick. You want a total of about 1.5 cans of water/milk. Serve with crusty bread.

Alternative for fresher flavor: add 1 cup of shredded cheddar plus 1/3 cup half and half or cream. I don't usually do this because of the calories.

Chicken (or Turkey) A La King

It's been ages since I posted a recipe, so I'll post what I made tonight. One of my favorites, Chicken A La King. I used leftover turkey because that is what I had. I also used frozen yellow sweet peppers. Yellow, red and orange peppers come on sale late in the Fall. Other times of the year they are very expensive. It's worth it to buy extra peppers, chop them or cut them into strips and freeze in your freezer for stir fry or recipes. So, that is why I had yellow ones this time around.

Chicken (or Turkey) A La King

1/2 stick butter or margarine (1/4 cup)
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. pepper (we like LOTS)
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk*
1 cup of chopped fresh or frozen sweet peppers
1 can or 4 oz. mushrooms
1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked, diced chicken or turkey

Melt butter. Add flour, pepper and salt and stir well. Allow to cook for 1 minute on med. heat. SLOWLY add chicken broth while mixing. Once all broth is incorporated, then slowly add milk while mixing. Add peppers, mushrooms and chicken. Stir, cover and cook on med-low heat. Stir occasionally. Cook until thoroughly heated and mixture is thick.

* I use 2% milk. This recipe works with 1% but not very well with skim without adding more fat.

Pudding, Yum Yum.

Had yolks leftover from another cooking project, so went in search of a recipe that just used yolks (most puddings use whole eggs). This was was pretty good. I think I would like just a tad bit more molasses than dark brown sugar contains, but all in all, a good try on a pudding. I detest cleaning whisks, so I don't use them and the recipe reflects that. Below the recipe, you will see a link to the original recipe. While I made this recipe with unsalted butter, 1/8 tsp. salt just isn't enough, so don't hesitate to use just regular butter. Unsalted is so very rarely on sale.

Butterscotch Pudding Recipe

3 cups whole (full-fat) milk
3/4 cups dark brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Heat 2.5 cups of milk in the microwave for 1 minute on high. Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt and egg yolks together in a heavy, bottomed saucepan until well blended. Mix in 1/2 cup of milk until you have a thick paste. Slowly pour in heated milk, stirring well. Place on medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract. Squash any lumps through a strainer. Pour into 4 bowls or 1 large dessert bowl. Place plastic wrap on surface of pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Top with whipped cream. Makes 4 servings.

Note: you want to heat the milk in the microwave until hot, but not bubbling. Stir after 1 minute and heat additional 15 seconds if not hot enough.

http://www.joyofbaking.com/ButterscotchPudding.html

Creamy Chicken & Rice Casserole

Tried a chicken recipe the day before that wasn't so great. So, to use leftovers, tried the chicken recipe on a Carnation Evaporated Milk can (had been making Pumpkin Pie at the time). This turned out to be OH so delicious using the leftover chicken from the night before!! It is fairly rich.

I had to do some substitutions. I used a fresh vegetable broccoli medley, rather than frozen and precooked it in the microwave. Also, the original recipe uses instant white rice. I can't stand that crap, so my directions reflect regular Uncle Ben's white rice.

Creamy Chicken & Rice

1 can (12 fl. oz) Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk
1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can (10 3/4 fl. oz) cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 bag (16 0z.) frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrot medley, thawed
2 cups cubed, precooked chicken
1 1/2 cups cooked rice (see note below)
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease a 2 quart casserole.

COMBINE evaporated milk and cream cheese in baking dish with wire whisk until smooth. Add soup, water, garlic powder and pepper; mix well. Add vegetables, chicken and rice. Put cover on.

BAKE for 35 minutes. Uncover; top with cheese. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

RICE: Use 1/3 cup less water than needed. After most of water absorbed, turn heat off, cover and let rice absorb remaining water.

FOR FREEZE AHEAD:
PREPARE as above; do not bake. Do not top with cheddar cheese. Cover; freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator.

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

BAKE, covered, for 45 to 55 minutes. Uncover; top with cheddar cheese. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Link to original recipe:
http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=106198