Vintage

A recent purchase.

This is going to be fun. My 1970 "The Joys of Jell-o" cookbook is on its way.

Custard Tarts

We went to Portugal and ate pasteis de nata every day. And at least 2 per day. They are delightful custard tarts dusted with sugar and cinnamon. I bought a cookbook in Lisbon so I could try to bake them at home. The first batch turned out OK--the pastry was a little under-baked but they were still delicious and reminded us both of a great trip. They are a bit fussy but with time I think they could be really good.

Roasted Rhubarb

Holy crap. This is probably the best thing I've ever eaten. Seriously. I made it for lunch tomorrow, to eat cold. But when I tasted it to check the flavors I had to force myself not to hoover the whole thing. It's from a great site called Orangette. I have never eaten anything bad courtesy of that author. And this recipe couldn't be simpler. I am going to try this tomorrow with a bit of Greek yogurt or sweetened crème fraîche. Perhaps a garnish of mint....

Roasted Rhubarb

Inspired by Canal House Cooking, Volume 3

2 lb. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths
½ cup sugar
½ cup crisp white wine
1 vanilla bean, split

Set a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the rhubarb in a Dutch oven or other deep oven-safe pot. Add the sugar, wine, and vanilla bean, and stir to mix. Bake (uncovered) for about 30 minutes, or until very tender, giving the pot a gentle stir about midway through to ensure that the rhubarb cooks evenly.

You can eat this cold or warm.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Easter Braid

Here is my annual Easter bread--a yeast bread braid. It is a family recipe so that means it's secret. I will say I added in orange zest and crushed anise seeds. My mom adds saffron threads. I still haven't mastered the recipe yet but at least it looks right.

Tagine

Not too much going on in these parts but I will put a stop to that. I got a tagine for Christmas. It is Le Creuset and red and beautiful and cooks like a dream. I christened it by cooking a little recipe out of, what else?, the instruction manual. Beef with olives, cinnamon, and cayenne. Delicious.

I am a true convert to cast iron. Stainless steel, copper, aluminum be damned.

Meat and Cheese Loaf

This is my favorite meatloaf recipe. It's from the New York Times Heritage Cookbook. 

2 pounds ground beef chuck (or a mixture of 1/3 ground beef chuck, 1/3 ground veal, 1/3 ground pork. This comes as a package in the grocery meat case as meatloaf mix)

1 1/2 c. grated swiss cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped green pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon celery salt

2 c. milk

1 c.  dry bread crumbs

4 slices lean bacon

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix all the ingredients except the bacon together. Pack into a large loaf pan (glass or metal). Top with the bacon and bake one and one-half hours or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees in the center of the loaf. Dad likes it best when you bake it with ketchup on the top.

Yield: Eight servings

Rhubarb Custard Cake

This cake is from my mom's friend Judy who is pretty much the best cook (after my mom of course). It's ridiculously easy and has been nicknamed 'crack cake' by friends of mine because once you start eating it, you cannot stop and always need more, more, more. Just like crack. So I hear, at least...

4 c. rhubarb (if frozen, thawed, I've used fresh when in season and it's great)
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. sugar
1 box of yellow cake mix

Mix the yellow cake mix according to the instructions. Spread in a greased 13x9 inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle the rhubarb over the cake batter. Then sprinkle the sugar over the rhubarb. Finally, pour the cream over the top evenly. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes until brown on top. Let it cool for a bit and then eat till you're sick.

What ends up happening is everything sinks to the bottom and forms this kind of rhubarb custard with a layer of yellow cake on top.