Rhubarb and Honey Panna Cotta

Every Spring I get SO excited for rhubarb, I always push the season a little bit. We don't get rhubarb in NY until about June, and when I saw these cute skinny little stalks at the store the other day I couldn't resist...They were so perfectly pink. 

I got it home and let it sit in my refrigerator. It somehow seemed too precious to use so I'd open the drawer every day just to say hi - happy that it was there, but not sure how I wanted to cook it. In the end, I roasted the rhubarb very simply with just a bit of sugar, vanilla, and lemon until it was soft and yielding but not falling apart - ready to top my morning yogurt or something a little fancier (but still quite simple) like this honey sweetened panna cotta.

Panna cotta has a bad wrap for being boring and rubbery, but a properly set panna cotta is creamy and light, and a totally dreamy base for just about any seasonal fruit. I made this one with a bit of kefir subbed in for the milk but you could use buttermilk or plain yogurt thinned with a bit of milk instead. The cultured dairy adds some tanginess that cuts the sweetness of the honey and really nicely compliments the tart rhubarb.The pistachios add a nice pop of color and crunch, but you could sub just about any nut or even a bit of bee pollen if you like.

Both recipes below call for a vanilla bean, but I'll let you in on a little secret - I used the same bean for both recipes. I used it first in the panna cotta, then rinsed it off to roast with the rhubarb, there was plenty of flavor to go around! 

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Honey Panna Cotta

Makes 6

This lightly sweet and tangy panna cotta is the perfect base for any seasonal fruit, but in the early Spring, Roasted Rhubarb is where it’s at. The panna cotta is slightly adapted from the Chamomile Honey Panna Cotta from Sweeter off the Vine, which would also be super delicious with some roasted rhubarb on top. This is a great dinner party dessert that you can definitely make a day ahead. Make both components and store them in the fridge - top each panna cotta with the rhubarb and pistachios just before serving.

1 cup (240ml) kefir or buttermilk

1 (1/4oz/7g) envelope unflavored, powdered gelatin

2 cups (480ml) heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split

1/4 cup (60ml) mild flavored honey I used Blackberry Honey from my pals at Old Blue Raw Honey

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Measure the kefir and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top, but do not stir. Let the gelatin soften until the grains look wet and like they are beginning to dissolve, 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the cream, honey, salt and vanilla bean in a saucepan set over medium heat until just barely simmering. Stir occasionally to dissolve the honey. Turn off the heat and remove the vanilla bean, scraping the seeds into the pot.

Add the milk and gelatin and stir until the gelatin dissolves. Divide the mixture between 6 ramekins or glasses. Cover and chill until set, at least 4 hours and up to overnight. If you are going to leave them overnight, cover each ramekin with plastic wrap.

To unmold the panna cottas, run a thin knife around the top edge of each ramekin to release the sides, and invert it onto a plate. You may have to shake the ramekin gently to get the panna cotta to release onto the plate. Top each panna cotta with a spoonful pf rhubarb and it’s juices and sprinkle of chopped pistachios. Alternately, serve the panna cottas straight from their ramekins with the garnishes on top.

Roasted Rhubarb

1/2 (225g) pound thin rhubarb stalks

1/2 cup (50g) granulated sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 vanilla bean, split

1/2 cup chopped pistachios, to serve

Heat oven to 375ºF.

Slice the rhubarb into 2-3 inch lengths. Toss it in a baking dish with the sugar, lemon juice and vanilla bean. Roast until soft and juicy but not falling apart, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

A Pair of Rhubarb Pies

There's nothing that I love to bake more in the summer than pie. Ok, maybe galettes, but they are pretty much the same component parts arranged a little differently. Anyhow, fruit and buttery crust, and ice cream on top is pretty much the optimal to enjoy just about any summer produce, even better if you can eat it outside somewhere - barefoot with the sun shining on your face.

I hope you don't mind that I am a little behind in sharing what I've been up to in the kitchen, but there is still lots of rhubarb at my farmer's market so here are a couple of rhubarb-heavy recipes that would be perfect for this holiday weekend's (if you are in the US) gatherings.

The Bluebarb is especially patriotic with it's red rhubarb, and blueberry filling. I am not a fan of strawberries and rhubarb baked together, but I love rhubarb with darker berries. The second is a straight-up rhubarb pie sweetened with brown sugar, and flavored with a generous sprinkle of lime juice and zest which was a welcome change from my normal granulated sugar-orange zest combo. I made both of these pies with the All Butter Pie Crust from Sweeter off the Vine using all purpose flour, but they would be great with a whole grain crust too (sub in 1/2 spelt or rye for the all purpose) If you are gluten-free Alanna over at the Bojon Gourmet has a lot of great looking gluten free crusts too, pie for everyone!

Have a great weekend guys!

p.s. Don't forget to check the EVENTS tab above. I'll be doing book signings and other book related events all summer, I'd love to meet you all!

Bluebarb Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

All Butter Pie Crust (recipe follows)

Filling

1 pound (450g)  rhubarb stalks

1 pound (450g) blueberries

3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar

1/2 lemon, zest and juice

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from the pod

1/4 cup (32g) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

pinch salt

1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 400º F and place a rack in the bottom of the oven. In a large bowl combine the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla bean seeds. Use your fingers to rub the zest and seeds into the sugar until well combined and fragrant. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, and salt.

Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces and add it to the bowl. Add the blueberries and lemon juice, but don't stir quite yet.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough into a roughly 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick and place it into a 9-inch pie pan. Place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the pie. Roll out the other piece of dough into a roughly 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick.

Stir the filling ingredients together, then fill the pie shell and top with the second crust.

Trim the edges so they are even, then crimp them together. Alternately, cut the second crust into 1 1/2 to 2-inch strips and weave a lattice top.

Slide the whole pie into the fridge or freezer for about 15 minutes or until the crust is very firm. When you are ready to bake, carefully and gently brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg and sprinkle with a healthy dose of coarse sugar.

Put the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the crust is deep golden brown and the juices bubble. Cool the pie before slicing.

Brown Sugar Rhubarb Pie

makes one 9-inch pie

All Butter Pie Crust (recipe follows)

Filling

32 ounces (900g) rhubarb  chopped into 1/2'' pieces (if your rhubarb is tough or stringy, remove the strings by pulling them down the stalk)

1 1/4 cups (250g) light brown sugar

1/4 cup (32g) all purpose flour

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from the pod

1 tablespoon lime zest

1 tablespoon lime juice

pinch salt

1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 400º F and place a rack in the bottom of the oven. In a large bowl combine the sugar, lime zest, and vanilla bean seeds. Use your fingers to rub the zest and seeds into the sugar until well combined and fragrant. Stir in the flour and salt. Add the rhubarb and lime juice but don't stir quite yet.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough into a roughly 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick and place it into a 9-inch pie pan. Place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the pie. Roll out the other piece of dough into a roughly 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick.

Stir the filling ingredients together, then fill the pie shell and top with the second crust.

Trim the edges so they are even, then crimp them together. Alternately, cut the second crust into 1 1/2 to 2-inch strips and weave a lattice top.

Slide the whole pie into the fridge or freezer for about 15 minutes or until the crust is very firm. When you are ready to bake, carefully and gently brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg and sprinkle with a healthy dose of coarse sugar.

Put the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the crust is deep golden brown and the juices bubble. Cool the pie before slicing.

All Butter Pie Crust

2 2/3 cups (340g) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (255g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

8-10 tablespoons ice water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

To make the crust, combine the flour and salt in a bowl, cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes, and add the apple cider vinegar to the ice water.

Working quickly, add the butter to the flour and toss to coat. Then use your fingers or the palms of your hands to press each cube of butter into a flat sheet. Keep tossing the butter as you go to ensure that each butter piece is coated with flour. The idea is to create thin, flat shards of butter that range from about the size of a dime to about the size of a quarter. Sprinkle about 6 tablespoons of the water over the flour mixture and mix gently. If the dough seems very dry, add more water a couple of teaspoons at a time. 

You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it together easily without it falling apart. Press the dough together, then split it in half, form into discs and wrap each disc in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least one hour before using, or overnight. I prefer an overnight rest if possible