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Since this book was originally published in 2009, there’s a high likelihood of finding its recipes online, if you search “rustic fruit desserts cookbook” and the recipe name from Eat Your Books (the title link in the OP goes there).
I had declared myself done picking rhubarb for the season, but our plant appeared to be in great shape, and there were a few recipes from this book I wanted to make but hadn’t yet gotten to.
This is a decidedly simple and easy recipe which can be thrown together in minutes with pantry staples and a very few dirty dishes. I made a 1/3 recipe in a 1-quart gratin, and put a sheet-pan underneath “just in case”. It was not necessary. The crumble baked in 40 minutes.
Absolutely delicous, sweet-tart, and a keeper! If anything, I would increase the crumble topping by 50%.
This one done, I also held back just enough rhubarb to make a smallish version of the lemon buttermilk rhubarb bundt (P. 37) in the near future (looking at you, @nannybakes).
I wish rhubarb were as common here. One strawberry stand at the FM sometimes has (always green) rhubarb, and my local indie supermarket with the awesome produce selection is more liable to have PNW rhubarb. At least it’s not as rare as fresh sour cherries (and certainly more affordable).
This is 1/3 recipe in a one-quart gratin pan. I ended up using 300 g. pitted cherries, which is slightly more than called for, but just enough to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer. No other changes to the recipe.
This was OK, but I felt just OK. The filling was good, and I ate two servings trying to pinpoint why it didn’t wow me, but I think it was the biscuit. It needs a better biscuit, or a different topping all together. I’m tempted to try this filling with the crumble topping from page 30.
I’ve made the crumble, on P. 30, which has pecans. I’ve also made the cobbler on P. 23, which has no nuts. There is a crisp on P. 55, which I have not made, and calls for almonds.
I combined the best of all worlds this morning, and made the cobbler again, swapping sour cherries for the rhubarb. I added +1 t. of corn starch to account for the extra juice, and increased the crumble topping by 50%. Everything prorated to fit a 1-quart pan. Bingo! Winner! This is our favorite version yet, and the variation which I’ll keep in my notes.
(I think you could swap those pecans for pistachios, which I believe are your preference.)
I made a 1/3 recipe and baked in a 4 ½ c. Nordic Ware Anniversary Bundtlette pan. The only change to the recipe I made (other than downsizing) was to add ¼ t. limoncello to the reduced amount of batter. The bake took 27 minutes. I rested the cakes in the pan for 12 minutes before turning out and glazing.
These came out bright and lemony, with a tender crumb. I’m happy with the recipe, and I give the pan itself a 10 for making such a pretty little cake. We sampled one after they’d cooled about an hour. I think they’ll be even better after they’ve set up a little longer and are a little more toothsome.
I’m skeptical, however how they’ll hold up overnight (because…rhubarb). I don’t intend to cover them in any way, and will hope they don’t get extraordinarily soggy.
Now I truly am done baking with fresh rhubarb for the year (and fresh strawberries, and fresh sour cherries). Moving on to blueberries – yay!
I remember loving this cake. Yours turned out so pretty.
I have taken to adding storebought bread to containers of cookies that I wish to keep moist. I wonder if one could reverse this principle for baked goods that get too damp; that is, use something to soak up the moisture. I just found this, for instance:
On the flip side, in order to keep cookies crisper longer, use a device that will wick the moisture out of the air, leaving your baked goods perfectly crunchy. As blogger Jenny Can* *Cook points out, one simple hack requires no more than baking soda, a coffee filter, and a stapler. Simply fill a coffee filter full of fresh baking soda and staple it closed at the top with two staples, leaving the sides open to allow air to circulate through easily. Place the filter in your cookie container, and let the baking soda do most of the moisture-wicking work.
Now, you would have to have a cake in a container to do this (and I agree with you generally that I don’t cover rhubarb-containing things because they get so wet) but I wonder if it would work. I’m tempted to try it.
