Nothing says early summer like rhubarb. 3 weeks ago, the farmer’s market stalls were packed with the stuff.
Of course, I have been delinquent with posting, so this recipe comes a little late in the season. The good news is there was still rhubarb at my farmer’s market last weekend – so maybe it’s not too late!
If you are a fan of this eternal combo, you’ll like these muffins. And like most of my recent original recipes, this one’s gluten free.
What can I say? Who doesn’t love a good flourless chocolate cake. Well, me I guess. But I understand that most people really do love chocolate.
It is Hubby’s favorite food this time of year (really anytime of year). This cake is rich, chocolatey, and dense. And since it’s flourless, it’s perfect for passover and the gluten intolerant. Best of all, it’s super easy to make and only has a few ingredients.
I’ve topped it several ways over the years, but this year I decided to test out several of them at once for a real taste test. I made a simple dairy free ganache, a (dairy free) salted caramel, and a strawberry coulis. I also dusted one cake with cocoa (for unadulterated chocolate flavor). The winner? It was hard to tell because they all received high praise; though not surprisingly, Hubby voted for the extra chocolate of the ganache.
These little beauties were inspired by a wonderfully generous gift: a giant set of little tart pans. I was so excited I started baking right away!
Oh man, I’m glad I was inspired. If you make only one dessert for passover (or your next dinner party), this should be it. After sampling these tartlettes yesterday, Hubby claimed they were the best thing I’ve ever made. And I have to admit they are quite tasty, not to mention easy to make.
The crust, reminiscent of my favorite passover treat, is made by simply stirring together ingredients – no fussy doughs here. The filling, though it has a few more steps involved, comes together quickly as well. At first I was worried that the almond paste flavor would come through too strongly; I was wrong. It is just right. I couldn’t resist going back for seconds.
Alas, the woes of a baker.
I modified the original recipe and for a first, made it not vegan. Perhaps I was avoiding one more “soy bomb,” as my friend Steve loves to call it. If you are vegan or keep kosher and want to serve this after brisket, you can can easily sub in soy milk and vegan cream cheese.
So it’s Valentine’s day. As opposed to eating out tonight, hubby and I are going to sip champagne and cook dinner together. That may not sound revolutionary, but it is. I live in my kitchen and am not good at sharing it – but what better way is there to show my love than challenging myself to change? We are going to get creative with our new purchase: the Vitamix 6300. We are even making a spicy green soup with it. Yes, you heard me correctly: we will be making soup in our blender.
Even though we will be cooking together, I couldn’t help making these decadent pink desserts. They were just too beautiful. They take about 25 mins to put together and another 1-2 hours to freeze (they are no-bake), so you still have time if you want to whip some up tonight.
vegetarian epicurean 