dessert

Orange Blossom Rhubarb Bars with a Buckwheat Crust

June 4, 2013 By Courtney West Leave a Comment

I wanted to do this post about 3 weeks ago when I discovered some locally grown rhubarb all the way down here in Texas. This is the first year I have seen any as it tends to favor cooler weather than we have down here. It’s possible I made some sort of squealing sound in addition to a happy leap when I saw it. I think I bought the rest of what they had that week, which was around 6 or so pounds. The first bunch of it went towards jammy experiments for the shop and market, so I made sure to set some aside the next time for baking. I was hoping to get more yesterday, but the season ended and I was left with only 2 cups of rhubarb. I knew I didn’t have enough for a pie, and I really did not want to combine it with strawberries. I ended up deciding on a bit of a cross between a pie and a crumble bar, making the bars in a smaller pan to accommodate the amount of rhubarb I had.

I’ve been thinking about combining a bit of orange blossom water with the rhubarb as it almost has a citrus-y taste to me. So, I included a splash in these bars along with a bit of freshly grated orange zest. I decided to go with a hearty buckwheat crust as rhubarb and buckwheat are actually in the same family. I figured they would go well together and create a nice contrast in flavor and texture. As I am writing this I realize that rhubarb is on its way out for the year, but perhaps you might still be able to get your hands on some. If not, no worries. You can always save the recipe for next year 🙂
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Lemony Macaroon Cups with Blueberry Basil Compote

March 25, 2013 By Courtney West 2 Comments

I’ve noticed that there are a lot of macaroon recipes that float around the interwebs every Easter/Passover. I suppose this makes them a sort of quintessential spring recipe, both infinitely customizable and infinitely easy to make. All of the recipes out there are pretty much made up of sugar, egg whites, and coconut. This is fine for the average person, but I like to think that you come here for the not-so-average take on things.

As I have developed my baking style over the past couple of years, I’ve tried to practically sever any ties with animal products in my baked goods (with the exception of honey). This means that I’m not going to whip up a batch of macaroons using egg whites anymore. That would be too easy. Instead, I’ve combined some unconventional ingredients to give you what, in my opinion, is a superior macaroon. Since I couldn’t leave well enough alone and just give you some vegan and grain free macaroons, I decided to form them into cups and fill them with a blueberry basil compote. I think if you bring these to an Easter, Passover, or spring get-together, you just may be the hero of the meal.You’ll notice that the cups use coconut butter, not coconut oil. Though it can be bought in stores, you can also make it at home if you have a food processor. Simply place unsweetened dried coconut flakes into your food processor and process about 5 to 8 minutes until the butter forms, making sure to scrape down the sides as you go. About 2 and 2/3 cups dried coconut will produce roughly 1 cup of coconut butter.

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