Red Wine Velvet Cake

I get the urge to do layer cakes from time to time. But I´m so crappy with the final decoration that my mind images are usually different from what I finally bake. I don´t complain really, there´s something appealing about baking a simple cake. It´s my favorite type.

This cake is the result of chocolate and red wine being such a great combination. Whenever I have some left over wine, and it doesn´t end up in a tomato sauce or boeuf bourguignon, I bake a cake that caught my attention from the first minute; it´s from this trendsetting blog so you know it´s good. Deb talks about it being `the real red velvet cake´, because the color is achieved without any food coloring. It is the perfect recipe for some red wine that will eventually be thrown away. Then I saw these brownies and once again marveled at the combination.

Roasted Radicchio and Provolone Risotto

It rained for four straight days, making for many cranky, irritable situations, you know, the ones that result from humidity, traffic jams and soaking clothes.

The kitchen always can make up for it and today was no exception. I had gone walking under the thin rain to the store and bought what I needed, that is strawberries, but also came back with other things, radicchio amongst them.

I had to learn to eat radicchio, since sour is not really my thing.

I found that the sour taste, when mixed with the right ingredients, is extraordinary. My favorite is in a salad with arugula, parmesan and balsamic vinegar. Together they are the perfect balance of peppery, sour, sharp and sweet.

Food Stories Award

Food Stories is pleased to present the Food Stories Award for Excellence in Storytelling, a fabulous nomination that anyone can bestow on their fellow bloggers.

I have to thank the wonderful Kathy of Bakeaway with Me for this nomination.

She was one of my first blogging friends and is always a source of inspiration with her blog. So many times I open her site and see a recipe for something I´d been thinking of doing (coconut flan, pistachio biscotti). Now, I also know that we both have a ridiculous amount of cookbooks…

Chocolate Mint Cookies

These are the cutest cookies to ever come out of my oven. Dramatically white with dark chocolate cracks running through them. And with a faint hint of mint that makes them easy, easy ,easy to eat one, and then another, and then another, and then another...

They are inspired by the similar girl-scout cookie that should bring memories and nostalgia to many. Not to me since I never tasted or saw one, but to Nancy Silverton, who does have those kind of memories, and who came up with these cookies.

Fettuccine with Arugula Almond Parsley Pesto and Feta Cheese

As I write this my fridge is half as full as it was two days ago. I spring-cleaned it. Of food. As I now peak into my organized shelves, I can, for a brief moment, see the jar of homemade pesto, another one of peanut butter I made a while ago, the remains of my tapioca pudding, pieces of assorted doughs that still remain to be used, but, since I can now see them, will come up with a way to use them. Probably alfajores in every possible shape because any sweet dough works in an alfajor emergency.

Fresh Muesli with Blueberries, Yogurt and Nuts

As much as I love breakfast food I don´t actually have breakfast when I wake up, unless a cup of fresh coffee with a bit of milk counts as such. Then I have another cup; maybe another if the day feels like it started on the wrong foot. That usually is a result of what kind of night I had.
I have another, parallel life, an evil twin that has a complete life of it´s own at night. I talk, have been known to sing a few times (very badly I can assure you that, even though I couldn´t listen to myself) , to wake up crying, to bolt out of bed thinking someone called my name only to realize, a minute later, when I became aware of my surroundings, that it was all in my mind. When I was a kid there were many mornings when my parents found me sleeping on the living room couch, on another bed, even inside the bath tub.

Lyonnaise Garlic and Herb Cheese + French Bread

Today´s recipe  is Lyonnaise Herb and Garlic Cheese, a flavorful dip from Around my French Table, for our FFWD group.

It reminded me of a dip I used to make when I was in high school. Before I got hold of cookbooks the standard onion dip consisted of sour cream with some dried onion soup or powder, salt and pepper. I added vinegar to it as suggested by a friend, and it was the best, different and even kind of mysterious. Now there´s little mystery regarding recipes, with all the web information, but some things are still consistently good. I think this tangy cheese fills that bill.

Apricot Cashew Scones

I had a Bridget Jones moment yesterday afternoon, the one where she runs through the snow with no pants on, that kind of moment. It started to rain quite unexpectedly, and though this has been happening a lot in the past years, we are nevertheless surprised every time, since we don´t get used to this semi-tropical weather. Parts of this city become quite a mess when it rains wildly. Messy is a nice word for flooded, the kind where cars can end up drifting past your window like boats. There were some advances made by the city government, new pipes to aid in the overflowing of a nearby stream and such, but the haunting memories of past huge floods still linger.

Hazelnut Chocolate Truffles + Frangelico Whipped Cream

I don´t think there´s much explaining after the title. It´s the truffle I´ve been waiting for, because it has my favorite chocolate combination and because it´s a bonus from leftover ganache from this tart recipe. And I loved that tart. And now I get truffles. Seriously? This is a perfect situation.

My last two Dorie recipes left my kitchen with a bit of a mess everywhere. Everywhere covers not only counter and sink space but also refrigerator space. So the remaining ganache spent the night outside on top of the stove. The next day, after cleaning my fridge, I transferred it to a covered container. As I was scooping some I was impressed by the perfect texture it still had. I had thought about doing a chocolate tart with caramelized strawberries instead of bananas, but I immediately decided to make truffles. It was a no-brainer really.

Portobellos with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Taleggio

For a very long time, until I was in my twenties, I used to love the taste that mushrooms gave to a sauce but hated chewing them. So I pushed them apart in my plate and happily ate the pasta with the flavorful sauce. 

Not many varieties abounded then, mostly dried pine mushrooms, which were not the ones to try if you wanted to fall in love with mushrooms. As it happened a lot in the following years, I developed my taste buds and my list of things to try grew exponentially with my birthdays.

The amount of dried and fresh mushrooms I find now is large and I learned to use a few and to pair them well with other ingredients. One of my favorite pasta dishes is tagliolini (thin spaghetti) with funghi porcini, olive oil, and parsley, an Italian dish that, when well prepared, is something to write home about.

But that´s not what I´m making today. I wanted to cook something for my hosts during my last trip. I had bought a most extraordinary cookbook and was having a hard time deciding. This is a vegetarian book, and though I most certainly am not one, it´s fairly accurate to say that I may go through bouts of vegetarianism if I let my desire to cook every single recipe in that book take hold of me.

The portobellos I found were huge, each a meal in itself. Dark and earthy, here they are filled with sautéed vegetables and sun dried tomatoes, lots of them, and then they are baked with taleggio cheese on top that melts gloriously and imparts a slight piquant, creamy cover to the final dish. 

It´s no surprise I loved them so much, since this is a modernized version of my growing-up flavor memories of tomatoes and cheese. 

But don´t think you´re in for your average tomato, cheese and mushroom mix. This is nothing like that.

STUFFED PORTOBELLO WITH MELTING TALEGGIO

from Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 large portobellos, stalks removed

6 Tbs olive oil

Salt and black pepper

1 small onion, finely diced

1 celery stalk, finely diced

2 cups sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbs chopped tarragon leaves

4 Tbs coarsely shredded basil leaves

4 oz (115g) Taleggio cheese, sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the mushrooms, stalk side up, on the baking sheet and drizzle over a little oil and some salt and pepper. Put into the oven and roast for about 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to soften.

Meanwhile, heat up 2 tablespoons of the oil in a sauté pan, add the onion and celery and cook on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but not brown; stir every few minutes during cooking. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool down.

Once cool, add the parmesan, tarragon and half the basil to the mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Careful because the Taleggio is salty.

Pile up the filling on the whole mushrooms and top with the taleggio slices. (Return to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the mushrooms are tender.

Transfer to serving plates, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with the basil leaves.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Breaking Bread: Potato, Blue Cheese & Walnut Focaccia

I opened this site, to find a beautiful picture of a cherry tomato focaccia staring at me. Reading some more, found out this is a new group aptly called Breaking Bread, where there´s a monthly recipe to be used as guide to bake something interesting. The fact that the first item is focaccia is terribly inviting, because, really, who doesn´t like focaccia?

I remember the moment when this olive oil dough forever became a favorite. We (this was eighteen years ago, so the we no longer applies..but the memories are still as good) had just arrived to Santa Margherita, near Portofino, it was pouring, and we were so hungry after driving for hours and skipping lunch.

Double Chocolate and Banana Tart

This month I´m happy with the choice of recipes. A bit of everything.

After the fougasse last Friday, which I personally loved, today we are posting a chocolate and banana tart for our French Fridays with Dorie group. The recipe is from Around My French Table.

I had arranged to meet friends at their house, so I decided to take these tarts as a gift to them. Where they happy to see me!

It starts with a chocolate shortbread dough that was easy to make in a food processor (where I make all of my doughs) and is probably my favorite tasting one ever. I regularly try cocoa crusts and I´ve found a few good ones. But I still search for more. This was pliable and easy to work with; once baked it was extremely crumbly and tender to manipulate easily.

Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Roasted Strawberries and Mangos

I have been thinking lately about the reasons for blogging. What moves so many to have a food blog or about any other subject. But food is our common ground here.

There´s a TV ad going on here about Internet Day. I laugh so hard every single time I see it, which is a few a day. If you know spanish you can watch it here. It is about a young guy who works in a boring office, and instead of doing the work he´s supposed to (graphic charts, budgets) he spends his time doing funny, crazy, dumb things to post so that all his other office mates and everyone around the world can have a good laugh and brighten their day. So, on May 17, all his colleagues do his office work for him so he can go on doing stupid videos for everyone to see online.

Pasta Salad with Avocado Dressing and Hazelnuts

I´m teaching my mom how to bake. So she comes to my house more often than before, some would even go as far as to say more often than it´s healthy for our relationship. Just kidding, though once in a while we become very aware that we need a little vacation from each other, and try to go our separate ways for a few days, but that´s not what I want to talk about, even though I can write oh-so-many posts about it.

She is the bag lady. Seriously. It´s just the way she does things. I don´t know how she manages to go back and forth with so many unnecessary things every single day she leaves her house. It gets pretty annoying at times, for her especially, but, again, that´s not what I want to talk about.

Walnut Sticky Buns

Wow.. Wow..

 

After composing myself a bit I can tell you today´s recipe is Pecan Sticky Buns (walnuts for me since I couldn´t find pecans) from our marvelous book, Baking with Julia, by Dorie Greenspan, for our baking group Tuesdays with Dorie.
The recipe can be found in our hosts blogs, Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat and Cookies on Friday.

I don´t even know where to begin with this buns. This would´ve been one of the last recipes to make had I not joined this group, mainly because it came through as too sweet and loaded with unnecessary butter. I was so wrong. It is loaded with butter but it works so well. The dough flakes perfectly as a croissant or puff pastry would. It is sweet but absolutely balanced. I´m really speechless since I´m writing this minutes after finishing baking and tasting them.

Sirloin Steak with Shallot Wine Horseradish Sauce

Yesterday I spent a long time walking with a friend I hadn´t seen in a while. Autumn is really here, with the piles of leaves and the crispy air. There were also many bright flowers in vines and small plants, giving us the false idea of spring starting. My eyes were everywhere, trying to hold on to these days of good temperature, the ambient of the holiday week that had people out in the streets. It was a short working week, since it was labor day, so the kitchen has been very active and proliferous. I spent more than a week eating mostly vegetarian stuff, including a great Japanese meal, made by a new friend, that had soup with mushroom, salad with daikon vinaigrette, rice with pickled things and stir-fried eggplants and some other vegetables that I don´t remember now. Washed down with little cups of cold sake. It was all so good.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

You can say it´s old-fashioned, dark, classic and gorgeous. But what you might not guess even after tasting it, much less by looking at it is that it´s also sugarless. Not a bit of sugar of any kind. And still it´s the best. Very French, just chocolate and eggs. This is no ordinary mousse in spite of it´s common appearance.

This incredible dessert comes way of a favorite baker extraordinaire, Maida Heatter. There are not enough things to be said about her books and recipes. They just work. Some are simply extraordinary. And I have made many. A favorite I already posted.

I was looking for a way to celebrate mother´s day. Not that I´m going to, because here it´s in October, during our spring. But, since half the world is celebrating it during these weeks, I decided to make it a twice in one year celebration posts. Everything that is said about mothers is true, and even more. There should be monthly celebrations, at least.

I´m grateful to have my mother. My relationship with her has been very trying at times. These last two years she has been by my side through a rough patch and I´m grateful for truly realizing her unconditional love. She had her biggest moment of grief some years ago, and she coped with it in the most dignified way, getting on with her life without dragging others along.

That can be said about my father too and my grandmother. So I will just celebrate family this weekend. Those always present persons that are there to hold you every single time you fall.

This chocolate mousse can get you through many culinary moments. It is very versatile and rich and tasteful. The perfect dessert to share with those around you that appear to be the same as always but can surprise you with their depth and strength. In a way only family can. And when your original family becomes your chosen one also, then the joy is double.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE HEATTER

from Book of Great Desserts, by Maida Heatter

I made two versions of the finished dessert, one with pomegranate seeds and bits of chocolate and the other with chopped, toasted pistachios. They were both equally good.

Serves 4. (This recipe can be easily doubled)

Ingredients

½ pound semisweet chocolate

1 Tbs instant coffee or espresso

1/3 cup boiling water

5 eggs, separated

Pinch of salt

Whipped cream (see below)

Directions

Break up the chocolate into a small, heavy saucepan. Dissolve the coffee or espresso in the boiling water and pour it over the chocolate. Place over low heat and stir occasionally with a small wire whisk until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside for about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer at high speed, beat the yolks for 3 to 4 minutes until pale lemon-colored. With a spatula add the chocolate mixer and mix until smooth. Do not over mix.

Add the salt to the egg whites until they hold a definite shape but are not dry. Gently fold whites into chocolate mixture in three times. I do this by adding the whites to the chocolate twice and then adding the chocolate mixture back to the bowl where the whites are. Fold only until no whites show.

Gently pour into serving glasses or bowls, filling ¾ of the full capacity. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours. You may refrigerate it for as long as 24 hours, though the texture will become more spongy and less creamy.

Serve with whipped cream.

Whipped cream: In a bowl put ½ cup cold heavy cream, add 1 Tbs powdered sugar and beat until you have a firm consistency. Spoon over mousse.

Provençal Olive Fougasse (FFWD)

Finally a bread recipe. And with olive oil, black olives, rosemary...

We´re making Olive Fougasse for our week´s recipe from Around my French Table, by Dorie Greenspan, for our FFWD group.

Baking with yeast is my favorite hobby. There´s something about working together with the yeast that I find challenging and fun at the same time.

I´ve been baking focaccia for years, but only made fougasse, it´s French cousin, once, with a sourdough starter that I kept for years. It was time consuming but very rewarding. This time it´s a straight dough that gets  the flavors deepen by staying overnight in the refrigerator, a very reliable way of getting more flavor and better crumb out of most doughs.

Fresh Fig Tart

My second trip to Europe was my first culinary experience. I was married at the time, to a guy who knew how to enjoy food. I had been across the atlantic once before, but on a tight budget and just for a week, so this was completely different. 

We made a road trip through a few countries that lasted almost a month, and I recall vividly, even after more than fifteen years, that first bite of unknown flavors and the realization of how extraordinary they were. That first surprise sensation that goes right into the archives of your brain. A salad with soft goat cheese, a ham and cheese filled focaccia, little sandwiches made with bresaola, a warm fig and pastry cream tart. They came unexpectedly, in places that we hadn´t even planned to go.

Mango Chutney

Global warming is a bad thing. For us, for the planet, for future generations. Still, and I know this is a bad feeling, it put a smile on my face today as I woke up to a sunny, very warm day, when some fog and humidity are usually scheduled for this time of the year.

It was unexpected so I went on a food shopping spree, walked a million blocks and discovered a few shops on the way.

Half a block from the square where I usually sit and read there´s a most charming fruit and vegetable shop. We´re not big on shopping malls or supermarkets, and though there are plenty, people still like to do their shopping in small neighborhood shops; I most definitely do, and get to talk with the owner about not finding sour cherries anywhere, or how is it that they have such sweet strawberries, or the weather of course, always a topic of conversation.

Important Saturday morning stuff.

My latest discovery had me buying mangoes, pomegranates and figs, very unusual for this time of year, you know, since we´re well into the fall, but you don´t say no to this kind of surprises. 

So walking back home involved many bags that I was already carrying, more stuff than I should have bought, considering I was walking, but that´s the usual story. I get carried away with fruits and jars of this and that. 

I´m a beginner food hoarder probably, according to some, and I have solid proof so there´s no hiding.

But I also now have, thanks to my pretty indiscriminate shopping, the most delicious mango chutney. 

Looking for a recipe I went to my usual sources. And was not disappointed. In a couple of hours I had my first homemade, perfectly spiced mango chutney. 

Lunch was one of my favorite, ridiculously easy snacks I often prepare that involve some kind of toasted bread, a piece of cheese and jam. This time it was some French bread I did for another post (coming soon), a slab of queso fresco which is a soft, somewhat neutral tasting cheese that pairs perfectly with anything sweet (quince paste being the original combination), and as many tablespoons as I could fit of my new favorite spicy jam without making a mess.

I took some as a gift to a friend´s house where I was having dinner so I think tomorrow I´ll be making another trip and getting more mangoes. Another day of chutney-making awaits. I couldn´t be happier.

You can find this great recipe in Kulsum´s site. You´ll probably find so many other things to make as well!

Banana Muffin Tarts with Dulce de Leche and Whipped Cream

That´s a long name for a dessert. Each ingredient is a vital part, and I wanted the title to resemble that. Just in case you think you´re in for an average banana cream tart. My answer, and personal opinion, is a resounding no. As a result of some left over banana muffin batter, this is one of the most amazing, last minute afterthoughts I´ve had in a long time.

Grapefruit Juice with Ginger and Tequila

I´m beginning to see the point of posting about Cinco de Mayo. It´s for the booze. (The same applies for St. Patrick´s of course).

The ideal situation to be forced to try anything with the name margarita in it, you know, the in-the-name-of-research-for-my-blog tequila with anything recipes. How can anyone not agree with that? In the northern part it´s spring so you have a double excuse. For us in the south it´s the beginning of colder times, so there we have a end-of-the-season excuse. It works for everyone. That has to be good if we all agree, right?

So, taking advantage of a few sunny, barely warm, last days of fall I will make my favorite drink. I drink it all the time sans the tequila, but, it´s 5 de mayo, and there´s a celebration going on. I even did quesadillas yesterday!.

This is a made to order drink, so take the recipe as a guide and adjust every ingredient to your own personal taste. I use gold Tequila and light brown sugar, resulting in the dubious color. But, depending on the amount of tequila your wrist accidentally pours into the blender, you might not even care. What you might consider is changing the order of the ingredients in the name so it starts with tequila. Or use vodka instead, you know, if you have a Polish or Finnish excuse to celebrate…

GRAPEFRUIT JUICE, GINGER AND TEQUILA

Ingredients

½ cup fresh grapefruit juice

2 Tbs sugar

¼ teaspoon fresh, grated ginger

1 shot of Tequila

½ cup cold water

½ cup ice cubes

Directions

In a blender (that can crush ice), put grapefruit juice, sugar and ginger. Add about ½ cup of ice and ½ cup of cold water. Blend until you have a slush. Use more ice and less cold water if you want a frozen drink.

Serve in whatever glass pleases you.

Almond Chicken Meunière

If I make a compilation of my Dorie-related posts it can very well be named `Chronicle of a Substitution´.

This week´s FFWD recipe is Almond Flounder Meuniere, from Around My French Table.

As you see, I already have the recipe name wrong. Because I have to substitute, again!

I avoided other fishy posts altogether, the sardine and crab recipes, but this I was excited to do with chicken breasts fillets. I knew what this dish was about, since I cooked it a few times. But of course never ate it. I was by myself tonight, so fish was completely out of the question. At least I didn´t have to put up with the residual smell in the kitchen. It reminds me of cigarettes, you know, the lingering smell being the worst part. Not that I smoke. But still.

Quesadillas Fajita Style

Flour tortillas are another thing that´s taking up freezer space. I tend to do that, buy in bulk with some great idea in mind that then doesn´t come totally to life, like with this bread.

So, for today´s special stupid buy on my part I present you with 144 tortillas. Yes, a dozen dozens. Twelve times twelve. A `gruesa´ like it´s called in Spanish, which means thick and is used for bulk buying.

The Café has challenged me to come up, regularly, with new and original dishes. It´s a part of this business that I love; but I get carried away a lot and that´s definitely not good for the business part. I know what I´m about to say sounds very obvious, but it took me a while to realize that I had to cook and bake for the average customer, obviously.

Not for the ones who, like me, have a hard-to-understand love for roasted eggplants or soft goat cheese or ginger anything. Though I have a few of those that I strike up conversations with all the time about the benefits of a certain cake or how hard it is to find an ingredient, and even some who take the time, while sipping coffee and eating a piece of peanut butter chocolate cheesecake that I´ve made for the first time to see how it goes, and leave me a hand written two page note of the pros and cons of said cheesecake. 

No, I´m talking about the ones that can pretty much eat most of the items on the menu as long as the levels of spiciness, sugariness and ingredient combinations are kept on a medium level. Average Customer.

So I bought the tortillas after I hunted down a good supplier, which was not easy. By that time I had so many recipes and ideas I wanted to try, it´s a miracle I didn´t buy 2 or even 3 `gruesas´. I give thanks to my limited freezer space. And guess what? After trying some quesadillas and wraps I wasn´t completely happy with the results so they didn´t make it to the menu.

But the tortillas made it to my refrigerator until I went online and bought another little book aptly called Quesadillas. And I used it today for the first time.

If you´re still reading (I would understand if you were bored on the second paragraph), you´re even interested in the recipe, and trust that I can cook something in spite of my poor choice when buying, this quesadilla came out fantastic. So good. So good, so good, so good...

The combination of cumin, lemon juice, cheese and extra crisp tortilla was incredible; juices dripping and the tortilla shattering into pieces made this a worthwhile wait. And now I have so many more flour rounds waiting in my freezer, I might just be forced to eat this all the time. Life is tough, I know.

FAJITA STYLE QUESADILLAS

slightly adapted from Quesadillas, by Donna Kelly

Serves 4

Note: you can use lime zest and juice instead of lemon, but don´t leave it out.

Ingredients

1 pound (450g) top sirloin steak

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3 Tbs lemon juice

3 Tbs canola or sunflower oil, divided

1 teaspoon to 1 Tbs cumin

1 teaspoon chile powder

2 Tbs chopped jalapeños

1 teaspoon salt

1 large red onion

8 oz. (225g) sharp Fontina cheese, grated

4 large flour tortillas

Directions

Let meat stand at room tº for 15 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain and then place in a medium bowl or a Ziploc bag, together with the lemon zest and juice, 1 Tbs oil, cumin, chile powder, jalapeños and salt. Marinate at room tº for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

In a large skillet heat the remaining oil and add the pieces of meat. Sauté them for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness. Don´t over cook them. Remove meat from skillet and reserve.

Cut onion in strips. Add to skillet and brown lightly. Return meat to skillet and mix well. Turn off heat.

Preheat your oven grill to 400ºF / 200ºC.

Lay 4 tortillas on the counter and spread ¼ of the meat mixture on each half. Sprinkle ¼ of the grated cheese and fold the empty half of the tortilla over.

Put the 4 prepared tortillas on an oven sheet and grill for about 1 or 2 minutes on each side. It should turn golden and crisp.

Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Chocolate Almond and Buckwheat Cake

How do you find yourself with no shoes on, down to the first layer of clothing you´re wearing (after your underwear, at least they spare you that), gladly giving your purse, money, computer, watch and whatever else you have with you to a stranger and being more than nice to him just in case? You´re about to go through airport security!

Hungarian Shortbread with Quince Jam

I think this is going to be a hugely popular post. Today´s recipe from Baking with Julia, for our TWD group is Hungarian Shortbread, an extra-good, filled shortbread, by contributing baker and pastry chef Gale Gand.

This time our hosts are the ever popular Cher, of CrazyWorldofCher and Lynette, of 1smallkitchen. The full recipe is posted in their sites.

Again I have to improvise, this time with the filling. When I need to make changes because the season here is not the right one for the ingredient, I try to use something similar.

Now, I have a bigger problem than to substitute rhubarb, because I have absolutely no idea what it tastes like. Have never, ever tried it in a pie or crumble or whatever. I have seen it a few times at the market, but it´s not really known here. So, I decided that it should be something not very sweet or juicy per se, since I assumed the rhubarb would have some kind of tartness to counter-balance the sweet dough.