My Illicit Love Affair

I have a bit of a dirty little secret.  Something that makes me more like Sandra Lee then Martha Stewart.  I feel slightly guilty, but at the same time I feel so good about it.  What could it be, you ask? Do I have a secret craving for pork, or want to eat Cheezeburgers for breakfast?  Well, it all depends....

Easy Apple Tart

We love food around here. Sam loves to eat, I love to eat, so does our cat. Here’s a picture of Hunter holding onto his food bin for dear life. Hunter used to eat holes in his food bags, but our friend Heather thwarted his overeating ways by getting an opposable-thumb required Tupperware….

yes Hunter is an attack cat. He attacks his food with a vengeance. He also has lasers for eyes.
Anyways, back to the food posts. Last weekend one of our friends invited us out to his place for an elk steak bbq. Hunting and Fishing are pretty much the only hobbies in these parts, and people are serious about it. One of my coworkers has taken an entire month off to go elk hunting.
As Overboard is still my middle name, according to Sam, I decided that I needed to try to Pioneer Woman’s quick apple tart. The apples haven’t quite come on down here, but I know the harvest is on in Washington, and as I am a Washingtonian, I picked up some WA apples from Freddie’s. Without further adieu, here’s a picture and the recipe. One warning – I don’t know how small the apples are in Texas, perhaps we’re spoiled up here in the PNW, but 3-4 apples was WAY too many for 1 sheet of puff pastry.

PW’s Quick & Easy Apple Tart

1 sheet puff pastry, cut in half
3-4 apples, cored, halved and sliced (If you’re using large WA apples, use 2, maybe 3!)
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 a lemon, juiced
0.25 tsp. salt

• Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
• Defrost 1 sheet of puff pastry, and after unfolding, cut in half lengthwise.
• Place puffed pastry onto a baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. (I used the Pam Baking spray. It’s got flour in it, and it’s wonderful)
• Core and slice the apples thinly (I used a mandolin, and everything was the same size.)
• Squeeze the half lemon over the apples, then add the sugar and salt, mix and let sit for a few minutes.
• Line up the apples on each piece of puff-pastry, overlapping the apples until you get to the end of the sheet.
• Bake at 415 for 18-20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed.
• Sprinkle with whatever suits your fancy.

Rhubarb Crumb Bars, or Why I'm Not Allowed to Buy Any More Rhubarb

I'll admit it, I have a problem. I have an obsession with buying fruits and vegetables when they're in season. Now, this wouldn't be a problem normally, except that I purchase to excess, because hey, what if I want to make some form of baked good that requires out of season berries in December? Enter Rhubarb: I don't have a Rhubarb plant, and when it was in season in the farmer's market down here, I bought tons of it and froze it. Almost a year later, I still have about 6 pounds of it, all nicely chopped. To be honest, I'd forgotten about it. Thank goodness for the kitchn's Kitchen Cure. I also found Lobster, and I made macaroni and cheese with it, but the pictures were crap.



Rhubarb Crumb Bars
From Everyday Food Magazine

For the streusel topping:
6 tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 c. all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
0.5 c. packed brown sugar
0.25 tsp. salt

For the cake:
0.5 lb. rhubarb, cut into 0.5 inch pieces
1 tbs. brown sugar
1 c. all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
0.5 tsp. baking powder
0.25 tsp. salt
0.5 c (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 c. confectioner's sugar
2 large eggs
0.5 tsp. vanilla extract

* Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter an 8-inch square pan, and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang on two sides. Butter and flour parchment paper, tapping out excess flour.
* Make the streusel: Whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. Add flour and mix with a fork until crumbly. Stick 'er in the fridge until ready to use.
* Make the cake (yay cake!): Combine rhubarb, brown sugar and 0.25 c. flour in a medium bowl. In another bowl combine remaining 0.75 c. flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, adding eggs one at a time. Turn the mixer on to low, and add vanilla, then dry ingredients. Spread the batter in prepared pan, topping with rhubarb mixture, and finally, the streusel.
* Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, 45 - 50 minutes. Let cool completely, the slice and enjoy.


So, there are a couple of changes I would make to this next time (good thing I have 5.5 more pounds of rhubarb): Up the amount of rhubarb a little bit, and coarsely chop half of it. That would get the rhubarb more evenly distributed over the bars. Looking at the recipe now, I think I forgot to use confectioner's sugar, so I'd probably try it again with that.