Now, a couple things you should know before I expand on the glories of this recipe. This is not a fancy-schmancy dessert. So, if you are entertaining the queen, your boss, or Helen Mirren, choose something else to serve. But if you are feeding your family and/or friends, this is a simple dessert that looks beautiful and tastes really, really good.

The second thing I should reveal, is that making the raspberry preserve for this tart is a real pain in the patootie. (And yes, patootie is a real word.) But the good news is – you can replace the raspberry preserve with any kind of jam, jelly, preserve, compote, fruit butter, or curd that suits your fancy. Cool, huh?!

So, now that I have been perfectly frank with you about this dessert’s limitations, let’s get on to why you should make one of these tarts at your earliest convenience.

As I stated above, this tart is mighty tasty. And if you use an already prepared filling, like most rational and intelligent people would choose to do, this dessert comes together with very little effort.

But if you are as passionate as I am about preparing most of the food you eat, and truly believe that everything homemade is intrinsically of higher quality, then I hope you will make the raspberry preserve too. Because with the tartness and intense flavor the preserve brings to the mix, it provides a perfect counterbalance to the sweetness of the crust and crumble. But regardless of my pleading and high handed rhetoric regarding preparing the raspberry preserve filling from scratch, just make the damn tart. And make it any old way you want.

So, as always, have a blast in your kitchen. Keep trying new dishes. Keep striving for excellence. And above all, keep enjoying your life.

I know we all get hung up on the bad that is happening around the world. But please don’t forget to embrace the good that is happening too. Look around you. Most people are decent human beings. They care and they make sacrifices, just like you do. So, do what’s right. Lift them up in any way you can. Even if its’ just by offering up one of your beautiful smiles. You never know how much just that simple gesture can mean to someone in need.

Peace and love to all.  

Raspberry Preserve Filling:

4 c. fresh or frozen raspberries  

¾ c. granulated sugar  

2 tsp. lemon zest  

1 T. fresh lemon juice  

½ c. water, divided    

¼ c. cornstarch  

Place the raspberries, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and ¼ cup of the water in a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium high heat. Stir the mixture until it begins to boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the filling to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour the filling into a metal strainer suspended over a medium sized bowl. Using a spatula and a decent amount of pressure, push the liquid through the sieve. You should be left with a little over ½ cup of seedy pulp. Discard the pulp. Pour the strained liquid back into the pan.

In a separate small bowl, whisk the remaining ¼ cup of water with the cornstarch together until the cornstarch has fully dissolved in the water. Add to the strained raspberry filling; stir until well combined. 

Over medium heat, stir the filling constantly to prevent burning. Cook until the mixture begins to boil, then reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside while you prepare the other parts of this recipe.

Please Note: If you want to make the preserve ahead of time, remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.   

Oatmeal Crust (and ingredients for crumble) 

1 c. rolled oats, divided

1¾ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, divided

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

½ c. brown sugar, packed, divided

¾ c. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, divided

1 T. water

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix ¾ cup of the oats, 1¼ cups of the flour, salt, and ¼ cup of the brown sugar together. Melt ½ cup (1 stick) of the unsalted butter, then stir in the water and vanilla. Add to the oat mixture until well combined.

Press the mixture into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Make sure there is about a ¼-inch rim around the edge.   

Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 12 minutes or until a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

Spread the raspberry preserve over the bottom crust making sure there’s complete coverage. The filling should be about ¼-inch thick. Bake at 375-degrees for about 30-35 minutes. The outside crust should be a nice golden brown when the tart is ready to come out of the oven.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with the baked oatmeal crumble. (See recipe below.) Press the baked crumble gently into the hot filling so it will have a better chance of actually sticking to the surface of the tart.

Allow tart to cool before serving with Chambord Whipped Cream (see recipe below) or vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries for decoration.   

Oatmeal Crumble

While the tart is baking, mix the remaining ¼ cup rolled oats, remaining ½ cup flour, remaining ¼ cup brown sugar together. Using your fingers, cut the remaining ¼ cup (½ stick) butter into the oat mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Squeeze the crumbs together to form larger clumps before placing on a small, ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 375-degrees for 12 minutes. Then using a spatula, beak up the crumble and allow to bake for 3 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Use as directed above.  

Chambord Whipped Cream

1 c. heavy whipping cream

2 T. powdered sugar

2 tsp. Chambord (black raspberry liqueur), opt.

Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Add the powdered sugar and Chambord and whip until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve the tart.

Additional Note: If you should choose to use a different filling (jam, jelly, curd, etc.), you will need between 1½ and 2 cups.

OK, I know most of you already know how to make strawberry shortcake. But for those of you who have yet to master this classic American dessert, have I got a simple yet exceedingly delicious recipe for you. The biscuits themselves are yummy without being too sweet. And the bit of turbinado sugar baked on top of each biscuit gives them just a lovely little crunch that is super appealing. And the orange liqueur is just heavenly combined with the strawberries and as an additive in the whipped cream. Transforms the whole dessert from ordinary to amazing. And the best part – this entire dessert is totally easy to prepare. Even for a complete novice. And each part (the biscuits, berries, and topping) can be prepared ahead. So, when it comes time to serve the dessert, all you have to do is split the biscuits, heap on lots of berries and juice, and dollop the whole mess with the flavored whipped cream. Nothing could be easier or produce yummier results. And since strawberries are at their finest right now, I say – go for it.  

As always, have fun preparing food. And don’t ever be intimidated by any culinary skills you feel you lack. None of us was born knowing how to do anything in the kitchen, even a supposedly simple task like frying an egg. But please consider, we all had to break that first egg and plop it in a pan. And then get it back out of the pan without breaking the yolk. If you figured out how to do something as skillful as frying a perfect over easy egg, you are going to have no trouble developing other culinary skills. Because most recipes, even though they may contain a lot of ingredients and at first glance appear to be difficult, take much less finesse than getting that egg you fry every morning on a plate intact.

Peace and love to all.

Shortcake Biscuits:  

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1 T.  baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 T. granulated sugar

½ tsp. kosher salt

6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 c. buttermilk (I use full fat Bulgarian style buttermilk)   

turbinado sugar (or any coarse finishing sugar)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, and salt.

Add the pieces of cold butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within. Add the buttermilk and stir with a regular table knife until the dough comes together into a sticky, shaggy mess. Do not overmix.

Using a #24 (1.75 oz.) ice cream scoop, form the dough into balls (really shaggy blobs) and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. (If you don’t have an ice cream scoop, use a large serving spoon. The blobs should be bigger than golf balls but smaller than tennis balls.) Don’t worry about making them perfect. It’s best if they are a little rough around the edges. (That gives the baked shortcakes more nice crispy bits.) (And do not be tempted to pat the blobs down. They will flatten nicely as they bake.) Sprinkle the tops liberally with turbinado sugar.

On the middle rack of your oven, bake the biscuits for 16 to 18 minutes in a pre-heated 425-degree oven. The biscuits will be a nice golden brown when they are done, and the internal temperature should register between 205-210 degrees.

Remove from oven and place the biscuits on a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.  

Strawberry Mixture:

2 T. granulated sugar

2 T. Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur, or more to taste

6 c. sliced fresh strawberries

Combine the sugar and Cointreau in a covered bowl. Add the strawberries, cover the bowl, and place in your refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Whipped Cream:

1-pint heavy whipping cream

3 T. powdered sugar

1-2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

1 T. Cointreau, or more to taste

Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Whip in the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and Cointreau. Cover the mixing bowl and place in refrigerator until needed.

Put it all together:

Using a serrated knife, split the biscuits in half horizontally and transfer the bottoms to rounded dessert plates or bowls. Spoon the macerated berries and their juice evenly over the biscuit bottoms. Let some of the berries spill out onto the plate or bowl. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and cover with the biscuit tops. Spoon more berries and whipped cream over the tops and serve immediately.

Now as much as I love me a good pie, I don’t bake pies very often because they are a lot of work, and then it only takes about 5 minutes for a small group of diners to consume an entire pie. That is, if I still baked regular sized pies. (Which BTW, I never do anymore.)

Because about 25 years ago, I was lucky enough to find a potter who made wider and deeper than normal pie plates. Not only are these pie plates lovely to look at; they are constructed of heavy clay. So, my pies always bake evenly. And they hold a lot of pie. Which for us is imperative. Because basically I don’t bake pie unless it’s a holiday or I’m having company. But back to my wonderful pie plates.

I bought 3 for myself and gave several away as gifts. Because of the size of these masterpieces, the pies I bake are almost half again as large as a regular sized pie. So, with that in mind, I have provided you with the same recipe, only proportioned to fit both my need and the needs of those of you who are normal and only make reasonable sized pies.

But regardless of the size of the pie you plan to build, you are going to love this recipe for a simple rhubarb pie. But if you want to build a fancy rhubarb pie, this is not the recipe for you. There are no unusual ingredients in the filling, and the filling always sets up beautifully. The bottom crust is not soggy, if that is something you strive to achieve. The filling isn’t too sweet, again an attribute I appreciate, but may not be to your liking. And there is a lot of top crust, which BTW is pretty darn tasty. But those of you who don’t particularly like crisp and flaky crust might want to look elsewhere for something a little less perfect.

But if you want a recipe that shouts rhubarb with every bite, then stick with me on this one. Because this pie is all about the rhubarb. And since its still fresh rhubarb season, I say build a rhubarb pie while supplies last. There is simply no other dessert that smacks of good home cooking like a rhubarb pie. Or any pie for that matter!

I can still remember walking into my grandmother’s kitchen and seeing a pie on the counter that I knew we were going to be enjoying that evening. I always felt like the luckiest little girl in the world. And I still feel that way. Even if I am far from being a young girl and the pie is on my own kitchen counter, and I’m the one who expended all the effort to prepare the darn thing! Seeing, and of course smelling a homemade pie, simply makes me exceedingly happy.

As always, keep thinking of great ways to bring your family joy. Even a simple pan of brownies can help a kid whose had a rough day feel better about the world. I cannot remember a day when the first thing out of my teenager’s mouths when I walked in the house after work was – what’s for dinner? There must have been some connection in their minds between feeling safe and secure because I was home, and the fact that they probably had escaped starvation for yet another day. Whatever triggered this feeling of being loved and feeling safe, I know it had a lot to do with food. And good food is such a simple way to prove your love. So, take time in preparing the food for your family. Believe me, your adult children will remember their childhood with a great deal more fondness if good food was the standard in their childhood kitchen.

Peace and love to all.  

Pie Crust: (for 10 to 11-inch pie pan)

6 T. very cold water

3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ tsp. kosher salt

heaping 1 c. Crisco

2 T. granulated sugar (for use later), plus more for the top crust

Step 1 – Pour cold water into a small bowl. 

Step 2 – Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl. 

Step 3 – Take ½ cup of the flour back out of the mixing bowl and stir it into the water. Make a paste. Set aside.

Step 4 – Add the Crisco to the flour and salt mixture. Mix together. (I use my KitchenAid mixer.) 

Step 5 – Add the water/flour paste to the flour/shortening bowl and mix just until blended. Do not over-mix.

Filling: (for 10 to 11-inch pie pan)

8 c. diced rhubarb

1 c. granulated sugar

¼ c. brown sugar

½ c. flour

1 tsp. vanilla

2 T. unsalted butter

Combine the diced rhubarb, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, and vanilla together in a bowl. Let sit for about 10 minutes.  

Put the Pie Together:

Roll out ½ of the dough and place in your pie plate.  Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (shown under pie crust) evenly over the bottom and sides of the crust. (You will have to gently pat the sugar into place on the sides of the pie plate.)  Scoop the rhubarb mixture into the pie pan. (And yes, it will seem like too much rhubarb, but it will be fine.) Dot the rhubarb with butter. Roll out the top crust. Place over the rhubarb and dotted butter. Crimp along the top edge as desired. Cover edge of crust with thin strips of aluminum foil to prevent edges from getting too brown. Make a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with a bit of granulated sugar. Not too much. Just a light sprinkle.

Please note: If you don’t want a top crust on your pie, roll out some of the remaining pie dough fairly thick. Cut out fun shapes with cookie cutters. Lightly sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place on top of the pie.

Place the pie on a rimmed cookie sheet. (The hot filling might escape over the sides of the pie pan. Probably not, but just in case…… Believe me, it’s a whole lot easier to clean a baking sheet than the bottom of your oven!)

Bake in a pre-heated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350-degrees and continue baking for 45 to 50-minutes more, or until a bit of pink juice bubbles up through the slits or around the decoration pieces on the crust. Remove the aluminum foil covering the edge of the crust and continue baking for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving. Great topped with vanilla ice cream.      

Pie Crust: (for 9-inch pie pan)

4 T. very cold water

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

heaping 2/3 c. Crisco

2 T. granulated sugar (for use later), plus more for the top crust

Step 1 – Pour cold water into a small bowl. 

Step 2 – Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl. 

Step 3 – Take ⅓ cup of the flour back out of the mixing bowl and stir it into the water. Make a paste. Set aside.

Step 4 – Add the Crisco to the flour and salt mixture. Mix together. (I use my KitchenAid mixer.) 

Step 5 – Add the water/flour paste to the flour/shortening bowl and mix just until blended. Do not over-mix.

Filling: (for 9-inch pie pan)

5-6 c. diced rhubarb

¾ c. granulated sugar

3 T. brown sugar

⅓ c. flour

1 tsp. vanilla

2 T. unsalted butter

Combine the diced rhubarb, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, and vanilla together in a bowl. Let sit for about 10 minutes. 

Put the Pie Together:

Roll out ½ of the dough and place in your pie plate.  Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (shown under pie crust) evenly over the bottom and sides of the crust. (You will have to gently pat the sugar into place on the sides of the pie plate.)  Scoop the rhubarb mixture into the pie pan. (And yes, it will seem like too much rhubarb, but it will be fine.) Dot the rhubarb with butter. Roll out the top crust. Place over the rhubarb and dotted butter. Crimp along the top edge as desired. Cover edge of crust with thin strips of aluminum foil to prevent edges from getting too brown. Make a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with a bit of granulated sugar. Not too much. Just a light sprinkle.

If you don’t want a top crust on your pie, roll out some of the remaining pie dough fairly thick. Cut out fun shapes with cookie cutters. Lightly sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place on top of the pie.

Place the pie on a rimmed cookie sheet. (The hot filling might escape over the sides of the pie pan. Probably not, but just in case…… Believe me, it’s a whole lot easier to clean a baking sheet than the bottom of your oven!)

Bake in a pre-heated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350-degrees and continue baking for 35 to 45-minutes more, or until a bit of pink juice bubbles up through the slits or around the decoration pieces on the crust. Remove the aluminum foil covering the edge of the crust and continue baking for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving. Great topped with vanilla ice cream.      

Helpful hint: Use a pastry cloth to roll out your pie crust. It really makes a difference when you go to move the rolled-out crust onto the pie plate. You can find pastry cloths in almost any kitchen wares shop. Well worth the $10 or so.

  

Because I am always trying to find an even better (insert name of culinary item here), in this case the crisp part of this crisp, I learned once again, another valuable culinary lesson. DO NOT MESS WITH A GOOD THING! (The good thing here being the crisp topping recipe I have been using for the last 30 years or so.) So in full disclosure, the topping you see on the picture above is not what the recipe below produces. Oh, it looks the same, but the end result is quite different.

The new recipe I tried simply did not turn out as good a product as my old standby. It was OK, but for my taste it contained way too many oats and not enough butter. And I know. Oats are better for us than butter. But for an occasional indulgence, I say go for it. Do it right! But don’t get me wrong. I like oats in my crisps, just not so many that all you notice are the oats. And the new recipe didn’t have that lovely crunchy brown sugar flavor I love. So, that too was a contributing factor in deciding to go back to my original recipe. But as the old saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. (In this case the gain was knowledge. Positive affirmation that my original crisp recipe was by far the superior product.)       

Now if you are expecting this rhubarb crisp recipe to be a new and exciting take on an old standard, then get ready for a disappointment. There are no new tricks, novelty ingredients, or special enhancements (except of course caramel sauce in the whipped cream) that make this recipe unique. It is just a great recipe for rhubarb crisp. But if you are new to rhubarb or have never turned it into a crisp, you are in for a treat. Or even if you have been making rhubarb crisp since God was a child, I believe this simple crisp is about as good as it gets. Because, in my opinion, rhubarb dishes don’t require as much sugar as is often suggested in other recipes. Rhubarb is inherently tart. And that tartness should be highlighted rather than disguised. So, you may wonder that I only use ¾ cup sugar for 8 cups of rhubarb. But trust me, it is the perfect amount. Because the topping has plenty of sugar in it and so does the whipped cream. And when you take a bite of the crisp, you want to taste the tartness of the fruit in combination with the sweetness of the topping and whipped cream. In other words, a perfect combination of tart and sweet in every bite. And this crisp delivers that wonderful combination in spades. So, give this recipe a try. You will love it and so will your family.  

As always, play with your food. Try new things, but don’t ignore the dishes or parts of a dish you know are fabulous. And make this rhubarb crisp while rhubarb is still in season. And yes, you can freeze rhubarb. But for a dish like this, fresh rhubarb is still your best choice.

Peace and love to all.

1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ c. brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 c. + 3 T. unbleached all-purpose flour, divided

1 c. rolled oats

8 c. diced fresh rhubarb

¾ c. granulated sugar

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

Cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the cinnamon. Mix in the 1 cup flour and rolled oats until crumbly. Set aside. 

Stir the rhubarb, granulated sugar, the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Spread the mixture in a buttered 13×9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the rhubarb.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven on the middle rack for about 40 minutes or until the topping is browned and the rhubarb is bubbling. 

Remove from oven and let cool at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the rhubarb mixture to set a bit. Serve the crisp dolloped with Caramel Whipped Cream or if you must, vanilla ice cream.

CARAMEL WHIPPED CREAM

2 c. (1 pint) heavy cream

¼ c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 T. caramel sauce

Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Whip in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and caramel sauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve.