Brown Butter Grits w/ Braised Strawberries & Rhubarb

It has been an actual year since I’ve posted on this blog. To be honest, I get a million ideas start five hundred and actually finished ten. Fortunately my lack of follow though has left me with a year’s worth of recipes to share! First up are some of my favorite grits. While we’re on the subject of grits, are you team sweet or savory? I personally love grits of every kind.

Hopefully my next few posts will put us on the same page!

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Rhubarb is one of those things I’ve always felt intimidated by but wanted to use. I stuck with a classic flavor combination: Strawberry & Rhubarb. I had no idea what I was doing I opted for slow cooking which has never failed me before.

Roasted Strawberries & Rhubarb and Hibiscus Syrup

3 cups peeled & diced rhubarb
2 cups hulled & halved strawberries
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar; divided
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup honey
3 tbsp dried hibiscus leaves
3 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp ginger white balsamic vinegar
1/8-1/4 tsp fiori di sicilia
optional: 1/4 tsp rose water

Pre heat oven to 300F

Add 1 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar to a medium saucepan and brings to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Add hibiscus and steep for 10 minutes. Strain the tea and pour over chopped rhubarb. Steep for another 10 minutes and remove rhubarb, reserving the left over liquid.

Meanwhile in a large bowl mix honey, wine, vinegar, orange juice, lemon zest, fiori di sicilia, and rose water until well combined. Add chopped strawberries and rhubarb and toss until the fruit is well coated.

Add fruit in a single layer to a baking dish (I used a 9″ tart dish) and cook for an hour or until the juices have thickened and the rhubarb is tender.

While the strawberries and rhubarb are cooking, add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup bourbon to the reserved hibiscus tea. Over medium- hight heat bring to a boil stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce to simmer and cook until the liquid reduces by half. Remove from heat and save for later.

Coconut Milk & Brown Butter Grits

2 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup rice grits
3 tbsp brown butter
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
ghee to add at the end

Add coconut milk, grits, brown butter and salt to a saucepan. Bring to a boil whisking frequently to prevent clumping. Reduce heat to very low and simmer an hour until grits are soft. (whisk the grits and add more coconut milk as necessary.

Divide grits between two bowls, add the fruit and top the finished dish with hibiscus syrup and toppings for texture. You can add anything you want! I chose: raw cashews, cacao nibs and coconut flakes. I served the grits with scrambled eggs w/ chili oil and picked shallots but honestly they are perfect on their own with a glass or White wine or Rosé

Come back next week for a Classic: Shrimp & Grits

Rose Apple Tart

I’m not sure I can explain how much I love baking and creating new recipes. It’s so completely satisfying to see something you pictured in your head manifested in an edible form.

As I sliced into one of the Rose Apples, I pictured their pink flesh layered on the top of a glazed tart.

There were a few fillings I considered for this tart: cream, custard, and frangipane to name a few. In the end, to really showcase the versatility of the apples, I decided to use an Apple cinnamon compote. https://www.instagram.com/p/BdAtL_OlumS/

For Crust
1 frozen or homeade pie crust
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp Vietnamese Cinnamon

*Traditionally tarts like this are made with a sweeter crust but since I was short on time I spread a combo of cinnamon and sugar on a frozen pie crust before spreading the compote. You can omit this and it would still be amazing.

For Apple Compote
4-5 apples, peeled, cored and diced into 1/2-inch pieces. (I used a combination of Granny Smith and Rose apples)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Vietnamese Cinnamon
1 Tsp lemon zest
1 Tsp ground ginger and cloves
1-2 tsp rose water
2 Tbsp Coconut Nectar
2 Tbsp red wine
2 Tbsp water

For the top:
2-3 Rose apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly.

For the glaze:
1-2 Tbsp jam, (I used apple jam but you can use any kind you want) thined out with water and rose water.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a medium sauce pan add apples, wine, lemon juice & zest, coconut nectar, rose water, & spices. Cover and cook over very low heat for 30 to 40 minutes.

My recipe calls for more more liquid then you would normally used so it is simmered for longer to give it a chance to thicken. I also wanted an applesauce like consistency so I periodically mashed the apples. You could definitely have a chunkier compote and it’s be delicious.

Line the bottom of a 11 inch rectacular tart pan (with removable bottom) or a round 9 inch tart with pie dough.

Cover dough with parchment paper, fill with raw beans or baking chain, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove parchment paper and bean and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.

Line the pre baked tart shell with the apple compote and layer the sliced Rose Apples on top

Bake for 10 minutes at 425F and then reduce head to 350F and bake for another hour until the apples are soft and the pastry is golden. I started checking the tart at 45 minutes because my oven runs a bit hot and I didn’t want to burn the pastry.

Remove from pan from heat and tart from pan. Brush with rose and jam glaze and serve warm or room temp.

This tart is amazing with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Let me know if you try this and come back next time to see what yummy thing I’m making.💙

Rose Apple Lemon Curd Cake

I’ve never been a fan of apples. I know, it’s blasphemy, considering how versatile and healthy they are. To me they’ve always been kind of blah but I found the most amazing apples on the market on Food 52‘s website.

They’re called Rose (or Mountain Rose) Apples and from the moment I saw them I knew I had to have them. The apples have a yellow-reddish skin and a sweet pink flesh.

I used them two ways. The first was my favorite:

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For Cake
1 1/4 cake flour
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
1/4 tsp: fiori di scillia, ground cloves, nutmeg, ginger, Vietnamese cinnamon, salt
zest of one lemon
2 eggs, room tempature
2-3 Rose Apples, sliced thinly

Make Cake

Preheat oven to 325F and grease an 8-inch round cake pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a bowl and set aside.

In stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment combine eggs, sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

In a another bowl, mix yogurt, buttermilk, vanilla paste, and Fiori di Scillica.

With the mixer on low speed and fitted with the paddle attachment, add half of the flour. Once combined, add the half yogurt/buttermilk mixture and gently combine. Add the remaining flour combine and finally add the remaining liquid. Scrape down sides of the bowl with a spatula and pour into the prepared pan.

For Apple Lemon Curd

1 1/2 cup apples cored and chopped. I used a mixture of Granny Smith and Rose.
3 Meyer Lemons; zested and juiced
1 1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter; melted
2 eggs

Make Curd

In a medium saucepan combine apples, lemon juice and zest, sugar and melted butter. Allow to simmer until the sugar has melted. Add eggs, one at a time, and stir until thick and combined about 10 minutes.

Assemble Cake!

Pour batter into prepared pan. Top with lemon curd then arrange the sliced apples in a circular pattern.

Bake cake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bczvzk7lyeH/

Join me next time when I use these beautiful apples to make a twist on a French Apple Tart