Cheery Cherry Rice

I believe that rice should be treated like pasta: In times of emotional stress it should be eaten as a comfort food with a little seasoning and oil; however, it is at its best when used as a base to allow a few simple ingredients to sparkle.

While this rice looks a bit like a Persian Style Saffron rice, it's made with much cheaper spices (cumin and turmeric). It has a sweet mild taste that is a great accompaniment to Sumac Grilled Chicken or Tofu, or grilled lamb and even better as a bed for grilled or roasted onions, peppers, eggplant and zucchini with a drizzle of yogurt and some Pistachio Dukkah sprinkled over top.

Because this Cherry Rice uses dried cherries, it is without season. That said, since it's July, don't hesitate to serve it with fresh chopped cherries on top, or with protein marinated in a cherry BBQ sauce.

NOTE ABOUT CHICKEN and VEGGIE STOCKS: Grocery Store Stock is like that Monty Python joke about making love in a canoe... Homemade stock, on the other hand, is the stuff of the gods and 1 cup is enough for this recipe while you'll need 2 cups of that watery stuff to get maybe a quarter of the flavor. (As much as I hate grocery store chicken and veggie stocks, I do, on occasion, use them. Don't skip this recipe just because you don't have any homemade stock).

Cheery Cherry Rice

Serves 4. 10 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to cook the rice and allow to rest. Equipment: deep sided skillet or cast iron pan with a lid.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 scant teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup basmati or jasmine rice rinsed and drained.

1 cup homemade chicken or vegitable stock (plus 1 cup water) or 2 cups low sodium store bought chicken or vegitable stock

1/2 teaspoon diamond brand kosher salt

1/4 cup dried cherries (any type)

1/4 cup diced parsley or cilantro

STEP ONE

Rinse your rice according to packaging and then rice aside to drip-dry in a colander for a couple of minutes. Rice will not be completely dry, but should no longer be dripping.

STEP TWO

Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat in a deep skillet or cast iron pan with a lid. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and allow to sizzle for about 20 second, then add your cup of rice and allow rice to sizzle with the spices for 30 seconds. Then add your 2 cups of chicken stock (or chicken stock and water mix) and your 1/4 cup of cherries and salt. Stir to combine and then bring to a simmer. Then reduce heat to low and cover.

STEP THREE

Let cherry rice cook about 15 minutes, then check, if rice is not yet tender, allow to cook a few minutes longer. Once rice is cooked, turn off the heat, fluff your rice by gently turning it with a fork. Then re-cover the Cherry rice and allow to sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, top rice with parsley and serve!

Cherry Rice is best on the first day. If stored in the fridge with an airtight lid, it reheats well in the microwave and keeps for 3 days.

Classic (not too sweet) Strawberry Shortcake

The hill that I am willing to die on is that shortcake should be simple but not sweet. Good shortcake is very much like a craggy vanilla biscuit. What led me to decide to share this recipe is that I was reading the most recent "Kitchen Project" and was annoyed at how much sugar Bronwen Wyatt used in her recipe. So, I went and looked at the recipes on NYT App and they were super sugary too! Then, I went by back to my OG Joy of Cooking and here I saw the sweet/unsweetened split. Joy of Cooking offers two versions of shortcake: one barely sweetened based on biscuits and the second based on sweet American scones.

American's need to reign in all that sugar. Strawberries and whipped cream are plenty sweet on their own. Let's bring back a more subtle and homey tasting shortcake that's equally good with strawberries and vanilla whipped cream as it is the next morning with runny friend eggs.

What makes this recipe different from a simple biscuit recipe (and the one in Joy of Cooking) is the hint of vanilla and the sugary top. That's it. It's super simple and will soak up all the whipped cream and strawberries that you can heap on it.

I've been making a version of this recipe since I got it from our neighbor Joanne back in high school. I remember going to her house to ask for the recipe and Joanne didn't laugh when I confused shortcake and shortbread. This is a tweaked version of her recipe. It's been a spring staple for years.

NOTE ABOUT OPTIONAL ADDED SUGAR: Even though I just railed against overly sweet cake in the paragraphs above, I do like to add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the dough and sprinkle an additional tablespoon of sugar on top of my shortcake. I find that the one tablespoon of elevates the flavors without making the dough sweet. Do feel free to omit it if you prefer to go sugar free. This single tablespoon is nothing compared to the 1/3-1/2 cup of sugar in sweeter recipes. Furthermore I love adding a tablespoon of Turbano sugar on top of the short cake. It's going to give extra texture and (along with the vanilla extra) signal to people that they're eating a dessert and not a health food. You can, of course, omit it if you so choose, but I highly recommend it.

NOTE ABOUT BISCUIT STYLE PRESENTATION: We have always eaten our strawberry shortcake cut into wedges. You can absolutely use english muffin cutters or even cupcake tins to make biscuit style shortcake. Just make sure to watch your cook time because small cakes will cook in as little as 7-10 minutes.

---

Classic Strawberry Shortcake

requires one 8 or 9 inch pie or cake pan. Takes 20 minutes to asseble and 15-20 minutes to bake. Serves 8.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon sugar (optional but most American pallets will expect a hint of sweetness)

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (good quality but not European style)

1 egg, cold

2/3 cup light cream (or 1/3 cup whole milk and 1/3 cup heavy cream)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon Turbano sugar (optional but highly recommend)

Whipping cream and strawberries to serve.

STEP ONE

Preheat oven to 420 degrees. line a 9 inch or 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper and lightly oil the bottom and sides of the pan. Combine flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Cut your butter into small chunks and add to your flour mixture. Then use your fingers to smoosh the butter into the flour mixture until butter pieces are intigrated and the size of small peas. Set aside. See first two photos below.

STEP TWO

In a separate bowl mix together your egg, cream, and vanilla. Then add egg-cream mixture to the flour mixture and stir sparingly. The dough will resemble biscuit batter and not fully stick together. Use your fingers to gently spread the dough out on your pan. It's going to be craggy. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of turbano or other coarse sugar over top. See photos below. Bake for 15-18 minutes for an 8" pan 12-16 minutes for a 9" pan.

Allow Short cake to cool slightly before serving with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Short cake can also be rewarmed in the oven, but is best eaten within the first 48 hours. My favorite way to eat leftover short cake is to try it in a pan next to some fried eggs. It's almost as good as with strawberries and cream.

Rhubarb-Lemon Bars

I'm not done with rhubarb yet, are you? We're about to hit "strawberry time" here, and I'm beyond excited for it, but I am not done with rhubarb. In fact, I am currently cultivating relationships with internet friends who are helping me grow my freezer stash. Rhubarb brings neighbors (and internet neighbors) together (special shout-out to Pauline!!!)

These Rhubarb-Lemon Bars are a springtime dream. They are rich and decadent with custard rising impossibly high on top of a shortbread cookie crust. But they are also homey and perfect for drawn-out evenings on the porch because rhubarb, lemon and buttery shortbread are just so comforting. Furthermore, the sprinkle of sliced rhubarb on top adds a puckering (and balancing) bit of tang, which will keep you reaching for seconds and thirds.

I've tried other rhubarb custard bar recipes, but they were always too sweet, too dry, or thad no tangy flavor. So, I rolled up my sleeves et viola! I did a little happy dance in my kitchen when I finally got these bars to my exacting tastes. They are similar to those luscious lemon bars you get at bakeries and coffee shops, but with the pucker, tang and depth that can only come from rhubarb. I hope that you like them as much as we do.

Note about Rhubarb Varieties: Rhubarb stalks can be red, green, or speckled red and green. They're just different varietials. I like to use red rhubarb for this recipe because it makes for such a beautifully colored bar. If I'm using stalks that are more speckled or have both red and green, I like to add a drop or two of food coloring to make the bars take on a more traditional rhubarb hue.

Note about Rhubarb Leaves: The leaves are poisonous! If you buy rhubarb with it's leaves, or harvest some yourself, simply cut the stalk below the juncture of the leaf and steam, and dispose of the leaves.

---

Rhubarb Lemon Bars

Takes about 1 hour to make and then a few hours to cool. Makes 12-18 bars. Requires a food processor.

Shortbread Base

Ingredients

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon Diamond brand kosher salt

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

STEP ONE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 glass pyrex pan with parchment paper and lightly oil the paper.

STEP TWO

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Cut butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and add on top of dry ingredients. Pulse with the mixer until a powdery crumb forms. Press the short bread dough into the greased 8x8 pan, then bake for 16-22 minutes or until the short bread looks cooked and takes on a light golden color. Remove from oven and set aside.

---

Rhubarb-Lemon Custard

Ingredients

10 ounces rhubarb (about 2.5 cups)

3/4 cup granulated white sugar separated into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup

3/4 medium sized lemon

1/4 teaspoon Diamon brand kosher salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cold butter cut into 1/4 inch pieces

4 eggs cold from the fridge

2 drops of red food coloring (optional)

2 ounces rhubarb (about 1/2 cup cut into 1/8 of an inch slices)

2 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)

STEP ONE

While the shortbread cooks, chop your rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces and add to a small saucepan. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the rhubarb (set other half of the lemon aside) and add 1/2 cup sugar. cook down the rhubarb over medium low heat until it softens and starts to break down (about 10-15 minutes). Set rhubarb aside to cool for 10 minutes.

STEP TWO

Cut your other half of a lemon in half again. Remove the nippled end from your lemon and discard it. Your lemon wedge should be about 1-2 inches thick, but then cut the wedge into 1/4 inch pieces slices so you can remove any seeds. Add that sliced lemon to your food processor bowl. Pour 1/4 cup of sugar in with the lemon slices. Run the food processor until the lemon is broken down with the sugar. Then add the rhubarb, flour, and salt and process until you have a thick purée. Lastly, add the 4 eggs and the 2 tablespoons of chopped butter.

STEP THREE

Pour the custard mixture on top of the shortbread and then sprinkle the finely sliced rhubarb on top of the custard. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the custard sets. It should just start taking on a little light coloring around the edges. Allow custard to cool before cutting and toping with optional powdered sugar.

Rhubarb-Lemon bars are best within the first 48 hours but will keep for four days covered and stored in the fridge.