Rhubarb Tart With Cashew Frangipane

Workshop update: there are 3 spots available in the workshop I am teaching May 16-20th in Charleston. Right on the beach, with lots of hands on demos, practice times, all around great food and meals! All details HERE.

I know better than to stock the fridge before a photoshoot but I could not resist the Spring produce in front of me at the market. I loaded up. Greens, radishes, okra, lettuces, herbs, rhubarb, eggs, milk, etc... I got worried on my way home that my food stylist would have a fit with that much valuable real estate taken up for her own groceries. On the other hand I know that if one eats as many vegetables as we do, the volume/space occupied in the fridge seems to be gone in a matter of a couple of days anyway.

I almost panicked when I thought the rhubarb was lost in the deep dark spaces of the refrigerator, somehow fighting its way between the baby radishes and cherry tomatoes. As soon as rhubarb appears at the store I stock up, load up and cook up. It's probably one of my favorite things. It reminds me so much of home. My mom used to cook big pots of rhubarb compote or make rhubarb jam galore. I like to poach just until slightly soft but not mushy and add it to yogurt for a snack, make candied rhubarb or lots of rhubarb simple syrup for cocktails all through Spring and Summer. 

And then there is always a rhubarb tart or galette. This time I used some leftover puff pastry I had from a previous tart, made a cashew frangipane and layered some quick poached rhubarb batons (pieces) on top. Not too sweet and super buttery. The perfect little piece for an afternoon snack.

 

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Brown Butter Lemon Yogurt Cake

You have no idea how excited I am to have our farmers' market start again next weekend! It's my weekly stop for all things locally harvested as well as eggs, raw milk, fish and meats. Unfortunately, I'll be missing the first weekend which makes me a little sad but I'll be with a fantastic group of ladies shooting the last increment of Skinnytaste's second cookbook. It's been a joyful, wild and busy ride (another cookbook fell right in the middle and one other starts 5 days after we wrap up) but you can bet I will be showing up as much as possible until December that the market ends.

I haven't had much time to cook and photograph for this blog lately but one thing I did take time to bake and shoot was this Brown Butter Lemon Yogurt Cake because I knew with the two sweet toothed people in the house that I would not have much time to do so before it was all gone...! Except I think I ate most of it! Call it editing deadlines, planning nerves. I'm just putting it on a case of "Spring is here! Give me lemons! Give me cake!".

 

This cake is a slight departure from my usual olive oil cake. I cook butter on the stove until its wonderful nutty aroma filled the kitchen and used Bulgarian yogurt instead of regular yogurt. It adds an even tangier flavor and enhances the lemon kick in the cake. This recipe makes one large loaf or two smaller loaves if you want to make the goodness last. We obviously can't resist that long...

Happy Spring!

 

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