Rhubarb and blood orange.

How to get the best out of rhubarb this season | Food and Drink | Lifestyle | The Independent
"I believe that rhubarb – like many things in the kitchen – is best served simply.
I don’t like it too sweet (it feels like you’re trying to mask its true nature) and I don’t like it mushy.
So I decided to cook it slowly in the oven with a bit of sugar until tender but still retaining its shape.
There is something incredibly elegant about a stalk of rhubarb and I think that should be respected.
So a bit of kitchen magic – first season rhubarb with Italian blood oranges."
Rhubarb and blood orange with vanilla bean Greek yoghurt & toasted almonds.
Serves 3-4
Of course you can substitute regular oranges but do keep an eye out for blood oranges.
They are something special and give this dish a wonderful sweetness plus an unmatched pinky-red colour.

Blood Oranges.

Ingredient Spotlight: Blood Oranges | Williams-Sonoma Taste
Next time you’re making a salad or dessert with oranges, reach for blood oranges instead.
Store them at room temperature for several days or refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to 3 weeks.
Prep tips: Before peeling a blood orange, squeeze it between your palms or roll it on a countertop, pressing down firmly. This will make the orange a little juicier and easier to peel. To juice it, cut the orange in half and use a juicer or reamer to extract the liquid. You may also remove the zest from an orange or segment it before using in a recipe.
Uses: Savor the unique flavor of blood oranges by eating them fresh, either segmented or sliced in salads and salad dressings or as a topping for a dessert.
They are also delicious in preserves, such as a compote or marmalade (see a recipe below).
Recipe:

Rhubarb And Blood Oranges compote.

Nigel Slater's little rhubarb tarts, and rhubarb and blood oranges recipes | Life and style | The Guardian:
"Rhubarb And Blood Oranges"
Rhubarb and orange is an established pairing that turns up in jams, custard-based fools and sorbets.
Earlier in the week I took the partnership further, by baking the two together to produce a sweet-sharp breakfast compote (though it made a fine dessert, too).
A good start to a winter's day.

Serves 4

rhubarb 400g
blood oranges 6
sugar 3 tbsp

Trim the rhubarb and cut into short pieces.
Put it into an ovenproof dish.
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6.
Remove the peel from 4 of the oranges.
Slice the oranges.
You should get about 6 slices from each.
Tuck them amongst the rhubarb. Scatter over the sugar.
Squeeze the remaining 2 oranges into a jug and pour over the rhubarb.
Bake for 25-35 minutes in a covered dish.
Serve warm or thoroughly chilled.
'via Blog this'

Brandied mincemeat filo purses.

Brandied mincemeat filo purses recipe - All recipes UK
Ingredients
Serves: 6
6 sheets filo pastry, 30 x 50 cm each, about 180 g in total
45 g unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted

Mincemeat filling
150 g mixed dried fruit, such as sultanas, raisins, currants and diced peel
4 tbsp brandy
1 cooking apple, about 250 g
30 g preserved stem ginger, finely chopped
25 g chopped walnuts
finely grated zest of 1 small lemon

Method
To make the filling, place the dried fruit in a bowl with the brandy and stir.
Cover and leave to soak for 1 hour or until the brandy has been absorbed.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6)
Peel, core and coarsely grate the apple.
Add to the soaked dried fruit together with the ginger, walnuts and lemon zest.
Mix well together.

Lay the sheets of filo out, stacking them on top of each other.
Cut the stack into six 15 cm squares, trimming off the excess pastry.
You will have 36 squares.
Brush each square very lightly with melted butter and layer them, with the corners offset, to make 12 stacks of 3 squares each.
Place about 1 tbsp of the fruit mixture on each stack, then gather up the edges and pinch together at the top to enclose the filling.
Place the pastries on a non-stick baking sheet and brush lightly with the remaining butter.
Bake for 12–15 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar.

Some more ideas:

Ricotta fritters with orange and honey.

Ricotta fritters with orange and honey
From Ottolenghi: Ricotta fritters with orange and honey.
350g ricotta, plus 120g to finish
60g caprino goat’s cheese, or another soft goat’s cheese
3 eggs
4 tbsp milk
1½ tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
Grated zest of 1 orange
160g plain flour, possibly more
1½ tsp baking powder
50g caster sugar
About 700ml sunflower oil, for frying
4 tbsp honey, warmed slightly for drizzling
Icing sugar, for dusting
Salt

Orange syrup:
1 whole orange
100g caster sugar

Method

Start by making the orange syrup.
Peel the orange with a sharp paring knife taking care to only get the orange skin but not the white pith.
Slice the skin into julienne (thin strips).
Place the sugar and 100ml of water in a small saucepan and place on medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Gently simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the orange strips and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and leave the orange strips to cool down in the syrup.

Beat 350 grams of ricotta with the goat’s cheese and eggs until fairly smooth.
Whisk in the milk, mint and orange zest and set aside.
In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar and ¼ of a teaspoon of salt.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to form a batter, adding more flour if necessary, until you reach a dropping consistency.
Set aside for 10 minutes to rest.

Heat a small heavy-based saucepan with enough sunflower oil so it rises approximately 4 centimetres up the side of the pan.
When the oil is medium-hot (180C), gently drop heaped teaspoons of the batter into the oil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden-brown.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Continue with the remaining batter.
Pile the fritters onto individual plates and drizzle over the warmed honey.
Top with a dollop of ricotta and dust with icing sugar.
To finish, spoon orange strips and some of the syrup on top of the ricotta and serve at once.

From - Orangette: Home is where the fritters are

Bread and Butter Pudding.

Bread and Butter Pudding - Raymond Blanc OBE:
Recipe from Kitchen Secrets by Raymond Blanc.

"It is incredible how every single nation in Europe is claiming the spoils of this dish, all claiming it is theirs.
The French call it “Pain Perdu”, the Swiss know it as “Brotauflauf”, the Germans call it “Ofenschlupfer”.
Regardless, it remains one of the most loved dishes in each of our homes.
Here I use baguette, but you can also make a delicious version using brioche.
Special equipment: 1.3 -1.5 litre oval baking dish.
Preparation: 15 minutes, plus 50 minutes soaking.
Ingredients Required
380ml Double cream
380ml Milk
1/2 tsp Best vanilla extract
4 Medium eggs, organic/free range seperated
2 Egg yolks
180g Caster sugar
1 pinch Sea salt
30g Unsalted butter, diced plus extra to grease
80g Sultanas, soaked for 30 minutes in sugar syrup (*1)
200g Brioche or bread, sliced 1/2 cm thick slices (*2)
10g Icing sugar for dusting
Cooking Method

Planning ahead
Cook the pudding a couple of hours before it is needed.

To make the custard
In a saucepan, bring the cream, milk and vanilla to the boil, then take off the heat and let stand for a minute.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and salt together, then whisk in the hot creamy milk.
Set aside.

To assemble the pudding
Butter the baking dish, pour in a layer of custard and scatter over the sultanas.
Cut the bread or brioche into 5mm thick slices. Dip into the pan of warm custard to soak, then layer in the baking dish, overlapping the slices and building up layers to fill the dish. Let stand for 20 minutes or so, to allow the bread to fully absorb the liquid.
Reserve the rest of the custard.

To bake the pudding
Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3.
Top up the dish with the remaining custard (*3) and dot the butter on top the pudding.
Stand on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 30–35 minutes until the custard is lightly set.

To serve
Preheat the grill to high.
Dust the surface of the pudding with icing sugar twice to get a good covering and then place under the hot grill for a few minutes to glaze.
Add a final sprinkling of icing sugar before serving.
'via Blog this'

Laurent’s Slow-Roasted Spiced Pineapple.

Dorie Greenspan on Simple French Sweets and ‘Baking Chez Moi’ | Williams-Sonoma Taste:
"Laurent Tavernier isn’t even my hair stylist, but he knows that I love food, and so whenever I’m in the salon for a cut, he takes time to chat with me about what he’s made over the weekend. When he gave me this recipe, I didn’t wait for the weekend to try it.
The dessert is simple enough: a slow-roasted ripe pineapple with a thick aromatic sauce.
As it roasts, it’s basted with orange juice, booze, jelly and a mix of spices until it is fork-tender and almost confited, or candied.
How much juice? “Oh, about this much,” Laurent said, making finger measurements that wavered. How much booze? “About the same amount.” And what kind? “Whatever you’ve got.” And the jelly? “Oh, you know, apple or quince or apricot or, no matter.” (Two tries later, Laurent told me that I should use a whole jar of jelly.) And the spices? “Again, whatever you’ve got—even a hot pepper!”

I’ve given you a real recipe (kind of ), but my inclination is to tell you to take a leaf from Laurent’s book and let inspiration and whatever you’ve got in the cupboard guide you.
Having made this so many times with so many combinations, I can now say with confidence what Laurent told me when he first described the dish, “You’ll love it.”

A word on size and servings: In Paris, I make these with the small pineapples known as Victorias.
They’re squat and compact and one fruit serves two to four, depending on what else is on the dinner menu and who’s around the table.
In the United States, where pineapples are much larger, I figure one for six to eight people, usually eight.
If you’d like, you can roast two pineapples at a time—the syrup multiplies easily.

1 ripe pineapple
½ cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 2 oranges)
½ cup (120 ml) Cognac, brandy, Scotch, Grand Marnier, bourbon, rum or other liquor (or an equal amount of orange juice)
1 jar (about 12 ounces; 340 grams) apple or quince jelly, apricot jam or orange marmalade
1 moist, fragrant vanilla bean, split lengthwise (optional)
Whole spices, lightly bruised, such as a few each of star anise, cardamom, coriander, pink peppercorns, allspice or cloves (no more than 3); fresh ginger slices; a cinnamon stick (broken); a small hot pepper (just 1 or a piece of 1); and/or black peppercorns (just a few)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 150C.

Cut the top and bottom off the pineapple. Stand it upright and, using a sturdy knife, peel it by cutting between the fruit and the skin, following the contours of the pineapple. With the tip of a paring knife, remove the “eyes” (the tough dark spots). Cutting from top to bottom, quarter the pineapple and then cut away the core. Place the pineapple in a baking dish or small roasting pan that holds it snugly while still leaving you enough room to turn and baste the fruit.

Whisk the juice, liquor and jelly, jam, or marmalade together. Don’t worry about fully incorporating the jelly—it will melt in the oven—you just want to break it up. Pour the mixture over the pineapple, toss in the vanilla bean, if you’re using it, and scatter over the spices. Bake the pineapple for about 2 hours, basting and turning it in the syrup every 20 minutes or so, until it is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. The fruit should have absorbed enough of the syrup to seem candied. Allow the pineapple to cool until it is comfortably warm or reaches room temperature. Laurent strains the syrup and discards the spices, making the dish more elegant, but I leave them in because I love the way they look speckling the sauce; if you’re going to strain the syrup, do it while it’s hot — it’s easier.

The temperature you serve this at is, like so much of this recipe, up to you—warm or room temperature is best, but chilled is also good."

Stone-Fruit Compote.

Этот рецепт из Delia Smith’s Summer Collection.

Рецепт предусматривает:

3 персика
6 абрикосов
6 слив
225 г черники
175 г малины
- Сгодиться любая смесь фруктов, но нужно иметь ввиду, что смородина, например, перекроет по вкусу все остальное.

50 г сахара, плюс дополнительно, если считаете необходимым

Предварительно разогрейте духовку до 180C.
Нужно огнеупорное блюдо около 30 см в диаметре.
Метод
Удалить косточки. Разрезать половинки фруктов на три дольки. И хорошо, если можно разложить в один слой на дно огнеупорного блюда.
Засыпать сахаром.
Поместить блюдо в центр духовки и запекать (без покрытия) в течение 25-30 минут или пока они не станут мягкими.
Вынуть из духовки и осторожно перемешать с ягодами.
Проверить на сахар и добавить больше, если считаете нужным, охладить и разлитье по баночкам.
Хранить в холодильнике.
Подавать со сливками или творогом, йогуртом, мороженным. Whatever!

Apple Sharlotka

apple sharlotka | smitten kitchen:
Adapted from Alex’s mother, who adapted it from her mother, and so on…

Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pan
6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
Ground cinnamon, to finish
Powdered sugar, also to finish

Preheat oven to 175C.
Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
Butter the paper and the sides of the pan.
Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. (I cut each half into four “strips” then sliced them fairly thinly — about 1/4-inch — in the other direction.)
Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs.
Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined.
The batter will be very thick.

Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter so that it covers all exposed apples. (Updated to clarify: Spread the batter and press it down into the apple pile.
The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples.)
Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter.
Dust lightly with ground cinnamon.

Serve warm or cooled, dusted with powdered sugar. Alex’s family eats it plain, but imagine it would be delicious with a dollop of barely sweetened whipped or sour cream.

Strawberry Syrup for Summer.

Strawberry Syrup for Summer | The Naptime Chef: "Strawberry Syrup"
adapted from Food in Jars, makes 4 half-pint jars
Ingredients

715 g strawberries, hulled and chopped
2cups -400 g granulated sugar
Instructions:

Sherry trifle.

From Simon Hopkinson.
Ingredients
Serves 4
3 eggs, weighed
the weight of the eggs in:
softened butter [plus a little extra for greasing the cake tin]
caster sugar
self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
125mls amontillado sherry (a medium dry sherry)
raspberry jam
250g frozen raspberries
For the custard:
150mls milk
200mls double cream
6 egg yolks
1 tbsp caster sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
300mls double cream
1tbsp caster sugar
crystallised violets

Zabaglione Recipe.

Zabaglione Recipe | Simply Recipes:

Add to shopping list
INGREDIENTS
6 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Ground cinnamon
Vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Strawberries, raspberries, or biscotti

Rhubarb meringue pots.

Rhubarb & strawberry meringue pots | BBC Good Food:

Slow poached rhubarb.

Rhubarb and a handful of raspberries cooked in their own juices with a splash of Amaretto.
Very simple and unbelievably good.
Spooned into pots and topped with meringue. (190°C, 10 min)
Inspired by Good Food.