Crepes with Rhubarb Cream and Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Compote

My rhubarb plants seem to be growing slowly - new plants so I'm trying to be patient.  I harvested just a little bit recently and made this delicious breakfast / dessert (totally works for either!).  The strawberries are the last (seriously this time) bag of strawberries that I saved from last summer.


The Rhubarb Cream:

In a saute pan, combine the following and cook on low-medium heat until softened.

1 1/4 cups of 1" rhubarb pieces

1/4 cup maple syrup

Whip 2/3 cup of softened cream cheese.  Add 1/2 cup plain yogurt and whip another minute or two until well combined and creamy.




For the yogurt, I used Astro Balkan style - it's the original Greek yogurt - been around for years so not as pretentious.  :)

Once the rhubarb mixture has cooled, fold it into the cream mixture.  This can be made up to two days ahead of time.

The Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Compote:

In a small casserole dish, sprinkle 1 tsp of sugar on 1 cup of hulled strawberries.  Cut the vanilla bean in half then scrape the seeds onto the strawberries.  Chop the bean into a few pieces and toss it into the mix.  Bake at 400 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes.






The Crepes:


This is the same recipe I used for "crepes with plum chocolate nutella".






In one bowl:
1 cup flour
2 whole eggs
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp melted butter

Whisk until smooth.  Allow to rest - 10-15 minutes.  Just before preparing crepes, whisk in a 1/2 cup soda water.  Pour about a 1/2 cup of the mixture into a heated non-stick skillet.  Tilt the pan to swirl the batter into a thin layer around the pan.  It should only take a half to one minute per side.  Place on a clean towel while cooking the remainder.

The Final Step:

Spread each crepe with the rhubarb cream and fold or roll.  Top with warm compote.  Enjoy!

Freezing Strawberries for use in Winter Months ... and Recipe for Meringues with Whipped Ricotta and Strawberries

This post is being submitted to Harvest Monday hosted weekly by Daphne's Dandelions which shows what gardeners are harvesting each week and also how they use their harvest.

Although I have nothing to harvest right now, I do have some of my previous harvests available from frozen or canned (and the odd item that was dried).  The great thing about preserving your harvest is being able to enjoy it in the winter.  Especially rhubarb (which is never available in stores during winter months) and strawberries.  Strawberries can be found year-round but are almost always tasteless and hard when not in season. So it is always a treat to pull out of my freezer strawberries that were frozen when at their peak.

As it happens, the strawberries aren't mine.  I had poor results and have since pulled up the whole patch and transplanted just a dozen or so into a new space.  But I went to a pick-your-own nearby my home and froze a couple of litres worth.

If you are just going to make jam or otherwise cook the strawberries, it is not necessary to follow this technique.  But taking the following steps will provide some benefits: (1) strawberries can be placed in one large bag and easily separated if you only need a few - maybe a smoothie or this strawberry lassi - and (2) they will retain their shape after they have been thawed.  Another benefit is that you don't have to use any sugar to safely preserve them as you might with other techniques.

Here is the simple technique to freeze strawberries:

Step 1: Gently wash the strawberries and pat them dry (or just let them air dry)
Step 2: Remove any that are damaged or bruised
Step 3: Hull the berries
Step 4: Place on a parchment lined baking sheet so they do not touch
Step 5: Freeze until solid individually
Step 6: Place in freezer bags - store up to 6 months (beyond that they will be at risk for freezer burn and that would be a shame!)

Read on for the Recipe ...

Kale with Strawberries, Halloumi and Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

I love halloumi.  I mean seriously, a cheese that you can cook and it doesn't melt?!  My favourite way to eat it is Nigella Lawson style: fry until browned in some olive oil and red chili flakes.  Super easy and a pretty great late night snack for parties.

The halloumi is cooked the same way here (without the red chili flakes!).   Allow it to cool before adding to a bowl of kale and sliced fresh strawberries.

And the vinaigrette is quick to put together.  Especially if you have a jam jar with just a bit left in the bottom - just toss the rest of the ingredients in and shake.  I used my homemade raspberry balsamic jam.

Raspberry Vinaigrette
2 Tbsp raspberry jam
1 tsp grainy mustard
4 Tbsp olive oil
7 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt to taste

Put all ingredients together in a lidded mason jar and shake to combine.   Drizzle over salad.

Crepes with Plum-Chocolate "Nutella"

Crepes get a bit of a bad rap sometimes for not being healthy, but it's all about what you put in or on them.  I'm not a big fan of whipping cream;  I find it generally unnecessary and doesn't really add to the taste of most dishes.  This crepe is stuffed full of strawberries and bananas and the plum nutella is definitely more plum than chocolate.  I am referring to it as plum "nutella" because I was inspired by several recipes that also called it that.   But it's really just a delicious mix of plum preserves and chocolate.

These strawberries were from my garden last year; I still have a few bags in the freezer!

Plum Nutella



1 1/3 cup plum preserve*
5-6 squares semi-sweet chocolate


* I made my preserve in the summer when plums were ripe.  Remove pits and place in a food processor.  Process until a smooth paste.  Pour into a pot and add sugar to taste.  Cook on low-medium heat until thickened.  Allow to cool.  Great for pies or muffins.





To make the nutella, just heat the plum preserve and chocolate until chocolate is melted.  Store in mason jars in fridge.

Also delicious on toast with peanut butter!


  
 




Crepe Batter

In one bowl:
1 cup flour
2 whole eggs
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp melted butter



Whisk until smooth.  Allow to rest - 10-15 minutes.  Just before preparing crepes, whisk in a 1/2 cup soda water.


Cooking crepes


Pour about a 1/2 cup into a heated non-stick skillet.  Tilt the pan to swirl the batter into a thin layer around the pan.  It should only take a half to one minute per side.  Place on a clean towel while cooking the remainder.

Assembling the crepes















Melt the plum-chocolate mixture in the microwave make it easier to spread.








Spread some of the plum-chocolate sauce onto a crepe, top with bananas, strawberries or other fruit (ooh, I bet kiwi would be delicious).  Maybe whipped cream if you like it?  Chocolate shavings?  Anything works.  The crepe can be folded around the fillings or go for the full wrap.

If you have any interesting fillings that you think I should try, let me know in the comments.

Grilled Sourdough with Balsamic-Strawberries, Chocolate and Oka Cheese

I have been wanting to make this grilled sandwich for a while now, and my overload of strawberries in the garden were the perfect impetus.  I've also always wanted to make an Elvis Presley fried peanut butter and banana sandwich but maybe I'll hold off on that one for a while.

The sandwich is easy ... lay slices of Oka Providence (creamier than regular Oka, it's like a Brie) on two slices of sourdough.  Place in a heated pan (cheese side up!) with lots of butter.







Add balsamic-strawberries to one side, and dark chocolate on the other.  Cover with a lid and cook until the underside of bread is browned and chocolate and cheese have melted.  Smoosh together and enjoy!

Beet Green Salad with a Maple-Balsamic Dressing

This salad "recipe" (I know, it's just a salad) is taken from the Union Street Kitchen Witch blog.  Jenny Osburn, the owner of the Union Street Cafe in Berwick, Nova Scotia is a friend of a friend.  I have never had the opportunity to meet Jenny, but had the pleasure of eating many of her mom Anna's Slippery Jack pickles (and rummaging through her bookshop, oh so awesome!).

The recipe combines so many of my favourite tastes: thinly sliced red onions, feta cheese, nuts, dried fruit and fresh greens!

The original recipe (A Really Delicious Swiss Chard Salad) is perfect as it is, but naturally, I've had to adjust based on ingredients.  My greenhouse beet greens are far superior to my swiss chard at present, so I don't really have a choice.  And as much as I prefer raspberries to strawberries, I can't bring myself to buy them when I have bowls of strawberries that need to be used.  Having said that, I can't think of too many things as spectacular as the vibrant red of a freshly picked, ripe strawberry against the backdrop of garden greens.



So the recipe below is adjusted for those ingredients, otherwise exactly as shown on Jenny's blog.

Salad:
2-3 bunches of beet greens, washed and cut into ribbons
1/2 cup crumbled Feta
1/4 cup chopped Almonds
1/2 cup slivered Red Onion
A big handful of Strawberries
1/4 cup dried Cranberries



Top the beet greens with the feta, almonds, red onion, strawberries and dried cranberries.  Drizzle with dressing just before serving and toss gently.

Dressing:
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
Combine all ingredients in a lidded jar and shake to mix.

Nice beet greens

Nice swiss chard, but too small

First batch of swiss chard: pathetic!

Baby Spinach Salad with Avocado Dressing

A friend of mine is interested in eating a healthier diet, which is something we can all relate to from some point in our lives.  So she wants to eat avocados for the health benefits (I'm not a nutritionist, but I do know they are darn good for you!).  However, she doesn't like the texture.  Yes, they have a lot of fat, but it's mostly monounsaturated, so the good kind!  And for me, the fat makes them very creamy, but I know not everyone likes that.

Of course, guacamole was my first thought, but then that tasty dip usually gets eaten with some cheesy nachos.  So for something a bit healthier (and I say "a bit healthier"), I wanted to try avocado in a salad dressing. Oooh ... it's delicious, and so was this salad I put it on!  I can't believe I've never made this before.

My strawberry harvest gets bigger every time I pick (which might suggest I should pick them more often), so this basketful of strawberries made me think of having a spinach salad, as they often go together. 

I actually had planned to make this salad for an upcoming potluck we have at work.  But potlucks, especially when you are at work and have to keep the dish by the side of your desk all morning, should be about simplicity - single dish items where possible.  And I just couldn't bring myself to toss all of the ingredients together HOURS before eating.  Besides, this is the kind of salad where everyone should get to decide how much of each ingredient they want.

For that reason, I've offered no amounts here, just pick and choose which ones you like and how much of it works best for your taste.  The dressing recipe is just mashed avocado mixed into my typical vinaigrette - so tangy the way I prefer.  Lots of recipes call for yogurt making a creamy dressing rather than a tart vinaigrette - plenty of options on the internet if you prefer a different style.

Salad Ingredients:
Baby spinach
Fresh strawberries, sliced
Blue cheese, crumbled
Pecans (or walnuts)
Bacon, crumbled
Avocado, sliced



Avocado Dressing:
Use blender, food processor (or fork) to combine 1/2 avocado mashed, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp dijon mustard, and S&P to taste. I also added some water to thin it out.

I had forgotten about the bacon on the stove top until I had already finished the salad. Awesome without it, but I suspect equally or more awesome with it.  And I added avocado slices, which of course defeats the purpose of my friends request for avoiding that avocado texture, so easy enough to just leave out.  And there are plenty of other ingredients that could be added in such as finely sliced red onions, sliced mushrooms (I personally hate raw mushrooms but they seem quite common on spinach salads) or cherry tomatoes.

I'll be having another one of these salads very soon.