|
Chef2Chef Recipe Club - Volume 6 Issue 70 - April 9, 2004 Chef2Chef Recipe Club Member Forum: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- Hello Recipe Club, Rhubarb is a vegetable with a unique taste that makes it a favorite in many pies and desserts. Rhubarb is often commonly mistaken to be a fruit but rhubarb is actually a close relative of garden sorrel, and that makes it a member of the vegetable family. Rhubarb is rich in vitamin C and dietary fiber. Rhubarb is a perennial plant (the kind that comes back every year) with large leaves with long, thick and tasty stalks. Rhubarb stalks are commonly found in supermarkets, Fresh rhubarb is prized by gourmet cooks and chefs. and is available from early winter through early summer. Winter rhubarb is commercially produced in forcing houses in Michigan and Ontario. IMPORTANT TO KNOW: Rhubarb leaves grow from the ground in early spring. The leaves can grow up to a foot or more in width and length and the plant may grow to a height of several feet. The green leaves of the plant are poisonous. They contain high concentrations of oxalic acid crystals, these crystals can cause the tongue and throat to swell, preventing breathing. The edible stalks are up to 18 inches long, 1 to 2 inches in diameter, generally somewhat hemispherical in cross section, like celery. These stalks are cut and used in pies, jams, jellies, sauces and juice. Our rhubarb is always ready for picking just as soon as the strawberries are ready for harvest. It freezes well as do the berries, so a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie can show up on the table year round, and that is a good thing! Next week our host Jules Silver from Gateway Gourmet will teach us to make restaurant quality sauces at home. Have a joyous weekend and if you are celebrating a holiday, may it be a special one for you. -------------------------------------------------- Recipe Club, You can always win cool stuff at Chef2Chef.net Chefs, Caterers and Personal Chefs…No More Masking Tape! Win a New DayMark Label Applicator and 6000 dissolvable labels. A $131 value. Four winners each month. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=408 Do you need a brand new Chef Knife? Chef Revival is giving away five 7 inch Santoku-Granton Knives on April 30th to some lucky Chef2Chef.net Recipe Club members. Register for a chance to Win! http://ads.chef2Chef.net/goto.php?id=36 Register to win a copy of the Chef of the Month, Mario Batali's cookbook, Babbo. A must have for your cookbook collection http://marketplace.chef2chef.net/sweep/ Sign up for a FREE Subscription to Food Arts Magazine. The Magazine for the Foodservice and Hospitality Industry. U.S. residents only. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=242 -------------------------------------------------- Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade Makes about 6 Servings Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups water 1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups) 3/4 cup sugar, or to taste Two 3-inch strips of lemon zest removed with a vegetable peeler, plus additional for garnish 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups sliced strawberries 1 cup fresh lemon juice Preparation: In a saucepan stir together the water, the rhubarb, the sugar, 2 strips of the zest and the vanilla, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and simmer it, covered, for 8 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the strawberries and boil the mixture, covered, for 2 minutes. Let the mixture cool and strain it through a coarse sieve set over a pitcher, pressing hard on the solids. Stir in the remaining 1 cup strawberries and the lemon juice, divide the lemonade among stemmed glasses filled with ice cubes and garnish each glass with some of the additional zest. -------------------------------------------------- Welcome to Simply Saffron. Saffron is the dried stigmas of the flower ‘crocus sativus Linnaeus'. Its vibrant colour and beautiful aroma provides the perfect complement to all cuisine. Simply Saffron specializes in the sale of Sargol saffron, the finest and purest saffron in the world. If you are interested in acquiring any other specie of saffron then please contact us and we will endeavour to help you. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=411 -------------------------------------------------- Arugula Salad with Strawberry Rhubarb Vinaigrette Dressing: 1 cup chopped fresh rhubarb 1 1/4 cups chopped fresh strawberries 3 large shallots, coarsely chopped 1 tbsp. sugar 1/3 cup red wine vinegar Preparation: Simmer in small non-reactive saucepan until tender, about 10 minutes. Purée, strain into large bowl and cool. Whisk in: 3/4 cup canola oil and 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard Salad: 1 bunch arugula, 12 whole strawberries and 4 oz goat cheese Arrange on plates and drizzle with the chilled Vinaigrette -------------------------------------------------- Pepper-Passion.com "Pepper-Passion is a source for gourmet Sea-Salt and Peppercorns including our exclusive "Talamanca De Caribe" organic Black Pepper. We are also the creator of the Aphrodite Salt & Pepper Mill and other unique signature designs handcrafted from rare and exotic tropical hardwoods. A perfect gift with lasting value for any occasion." http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=401 -------------------------------------------------- Easter Ham with Rhubarb Sauce Ingredients: 4 lb Ham, boneless and fully cooked 3 cups Rhubarb, fresh OR 16-oz frozen cut rhubarb 1 1/4 cup Sugar 1/3 cup Orange juice 2 tsp. Orange peel; grated 3/4 tsp. Dry mustard 1 Cinnamon stick Preparation: Do not preheat oven. Place ham, straight from the refrigerator, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Add 1/2 cup water. Insert an ovenproof meat thermometer into the thickest part of the ham. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, leaving the thermometer dial exposed. Roast in a 325 oven until thermometer registers 135 degrees, about 19-23 minutes per pound. Meanwhile, combine rhubarb, sugar, orange juice, orange peel, dry mustard and cinnamon stick in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cinnamon stick. Remove aluminum foil from ham and spoon a small amount of sauce over the ham 15 minutes before end of cooking time. Remove ham when meat thermometer registers 135 degrees. Allow ham to stand, covered, about 10 minutes, or until the thermometer registers 140. Serve remaining sauce with ham. Makes 2 1/4 cups sauce. -------------------------------------------------- Revolutiontea.com A Revolution in Taste and Quality. Revolution Tea is proud to offer an assortment of the highest quality full-leaf tea crafted to suit the taste of today's palate. Our premium teas are available loose or in the nylon Infuser and Pyramid Tea Bag(TM). These innovative brewing systems combine the convenience of a traditional tea bag with the flavor quality of full-leaf tea, enabling even the most discriminating tea drinker to enjoy loose-leaf tea in a bag. Drink it in(C). http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=393 -------------------------------------------------- Orange Rhubarb Muffins Ingredients: 2 cup flour 3/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup chopped pecans 1 large egg 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoon grated orange peel 3/4 cup orange juice 1 1/4 cup rhubarb, fine chopped Procedure: Preparation: Combine all dry ingredients. Beat egg and oil, add orange juice. Add to flour mix. Add rhubarb. Bake in greased and floured (or use paper muffin liners) muffin tin at 350F for 25-30 min. -------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS, Comments, Technical Support: http://forums.chef2chef.net |