Egg Hunt

Pie Plants and Daffodils

There's still snow in the mountains, but the valley is in shirtsleeves.  Lizards sun on decks and rocks. Daffodils push through soil. Trees blossom and sinuses ache.

And I've spotted my first rhubarb:  glossy, preppy stalks of pie plant waving hello from the produce shelf, wishing us a happy spring!

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Rhubarb Galette adapted from Chez Panisse Fruits by Alice Waters

For those with an ice cream maker- I'm talking to YOU, Nicole!- this tart is ring-a-ding-ding when paired with a scoop of anise or fresh ginger ice cream...or some Pernod-scented, softly whipped cream.

one recipe crunch dough, rolled into a 14" circle

1 1/2 lbs rhubarb, washed and dried, cut into 1/4"-thick batons,  3" long (butt ends reserved)

1 3/4 c + 2 tbl sugar

2 tbl flour

pinch of salt

1/4 c crushed gingersnaps, or other crisp cookie

3 tbl unsalted butter

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss rhubarb with 3/4 c sugar, flour, and salt.

Sprinkle cookie crumbs evenly over the rolled-out pastry dough, leaving a 1 1/2" border. Mound the fruit pieces on top without crossing the border.

Fold the border of dough up and over itself at regular intervals, butting it up against the rhubarb (the rim of the crust must act as a dam against any escaping juice). Brush the border with cooled, melted butter and sprinkle with 2 tbl sugar.

Bake for about 15 minutes, pat down mounded rhubarb to flatten it, and continue to bake another 30 minutes, or until the fruit is tender -still retaining some crispness- and the crust is crunchy and golden.

Meanwhile, make a glaze by boiling  the reserved butt ends of the rhubarb with a cup of sugar and a splash of water until the fruit is soft. Strain, and lightly brush the glaze over the baked galette.

My Favorite Scones

Here's the thing with me and scones: as much as I like them, too often they've been relied on as culinary gasoline- something gobbled in the morning for a stolen attempt at breakfast. If they've been dry and flavorless- with a uniform texture resulting from too many rounds in a commercial mixing bowl-  it was hardly noticed; all I required was they line my stomach against dark coffee and an early commute.

While I'm still not much of a "breakfast person", I can happily state that these days I enjoy delicious, well-made scones. To my taste, the best are like good biscuits:  flakey and high-shouldered, with craggy tops and a tender interior. Lightly sweetened, they should taste of butter and crunch slightly when bitten.

And although these scones don't require additonal butter (oh alright, if you must), this is the time to bring on the marmalade!

Currant Scones adapted from Baking Illustrated by the editors of Cooks Illustrated magazine

Please, please, please handle this dough as little as possible- the best scones are made with the lightest touch!

2 c AP flour

1 tbl baking powder

3 tbl sugar

1/2 tsp salt

5 tbl cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

grated zest from one lemon

1/2 c currant, plumped for 10 minutes in very hot water, drained and blotted dry

1 cup cold heavy cream

additional heavy cream and sugar, for glazing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Place cubed butter in the freezer until ready to use

In a large bowl, mix together flour, b.powder, sugar, and salt.

Add the cold butter and lemon zest and- working quickly- cut in butter as you would for a pie crust: with two knives, a pastry cutter, or your finger tips (best for those with cold hands!).

When the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few larger lumps of butter, add the currants and toss lightly to combine.

Add the heavy cream and lightly toss the mixture with your hands, letting it fall between your fingers until the dough just begins to form.

Transfer to the counter top and lightly knead the mixture only until it is just combined.

Pat out dough into an 8" circle and, using a sharp knife dipped in flour, cut into 8-10 wedges of equal size (if dough has become too soft to achieve a nice, clean cut, refrigerate for a few minutes before proceeding; the cleaner the cut, the higher your sides will be). Separate wedges and place onto an ungreased baking sheet (double-pan the baking sheets so the scone bottoms don't over-brown).

Brush the tops and sides of the scones with heavy cream, sprinkle lightly with sugar (white or brown), and bake for until lightly browned (12-15 minutes).

Cozy Winter Sunday

Some lunches are best eaten specifically following a brisk, snowy hike, when the nerves in your legs are twitching and your cheeks are still numbed by the fresh Sierra chill: beef stew, chicken pot pie, kale and turkey meatballs in a rich, garlicky broth...

Followed, of course, by a homey dessert:

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake adapted from Baking Illustrated by the editors of Cooks Illustrated magazine

This recipe is simple, but you will dirty many bowls! As the cake bakes, the liquid will sink- grabbing the cocoa mixture as it does- thus forming a pool of sauce at the bottom of the pan.

1 c coffee plus 1/2 c water, room temp

2/3 Dutch-processed cocoa, divided

1/3 c brown sugar, packed

1 c granulated sugar, divided

6 tbl unsalted butter

2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 c AP flour

2 tsp b.powder

1 tbl vanilla

1/3 c milk

1/4 tsp salt

1 lg egg yolk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease an 8" square glass or ceramic baking pan.

In a bowl set over barely simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate and 1/3 c of cocoa. Whisk until smooth, then cool to room temp. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine coffee with water. Set aside.

In another small bowl, combine 1/3 c cocoa,  1/3 c granulated sugar, and the brown sugar with a pinch of salt. Set aside.

In yet another small bowl, whisk the flour together with the b.powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining sugar (2/3 c) with the milk, vanilla, egg yolk, and salt. Whisk together, then  add the chocolate mixture, followed by the flour mixture, whisking until the batter is evenly moistened. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly to the sides and corners.

Evenly sprinkle all of the cocoa mixture over the batter, covering the entire surface; gently pour the coffee mixture on top.

Bake until the cake is puffed and bubbling and just beginning to pull away from the sides of the dish (35-35 minutes)- do not overbake!

Cool on a wire rack for about thirty minutes before spooning into serving bowls- any sooner and the sauce will be too thin. When warm, this cake screams to be served with vanilla ice cream (but I also like to eat it straight from the refrigerator, when the fudge sauce has turned  pudding-like and luscious).

Snow Days

Listen, the snow is falling over town,
Listen the snow is falling everywhere.
Between Empire State Building
And between Trafalgar Square.
Listen, the snow is falling over town.

Listen, the snow is falling over town,
Listen the snow is falling everywhere.
                                  Between your bed and mine,
                                  Between your head and my mind.
                                  Listen, the snow is falling over town.

                                  Between Tokyo and Paris,
                                  Between London and Dallas,
                                  Between your love and mine.
                                  Listen, the snow is falling everywhere.

                                  Snowfling, snowfall, snowfall,
                                  Listen, listen,
                                  Listen, baby,
                                  Listen.

                              

                                 -Yoko Ono