Rhubarb ...

For all the rouge growth in our tangle of a yard in the half decade of our absence, there are one or two bright spots: the lilacs have doubled in size; the boxwoods are {finally} a nice shape and size; and the rhubarb... oh the rhubarb!

Rhubarb is one of Mr Johnson's favorites. (Although he recently confessed that he doesn't like it in crumble or crisp form). Last summer we ate our fill over home leave. And there is a possibility that some sour stalks may have been wrapped in newspaper before we departed Vancouver last summer and slipped into a duffel bag. It is possible that they were not detected by customs or security, and we may or may not have feasted on that impossible import twice .... stretching three chopped cups into two different recipes. That might have happened.

Our oldest turns twelve today. Our oldest who has a mature palate for her age and an interest in a variety of flavour combos. So for her birthday she's not getting a cake, but a clafoutis. She sampled the still bubbling, not-too-sweet goodness after school, and confirmed what I guessed when I perused this first-time-recipe ... she loved it.

So, because it's so yummy, and because you might have your own rhubarb patch out back, I'll include the recipe here (with apologies to all my friends in QD who cannot get rhubarb ... if it makes you feel any better I can't get pomelo or Korean pears here, or reasonably priced or locally grown cherries ).

Spiced Strawberry Rhubarb Clafoutis
from the Interweb on a google search

Fruit
1 lb ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
1 cup rhubarb (about 2 stalks), diced
4 tbsp butter
1/3 cup sugar

Batter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp fresh-ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch cake pan or casserole dish.

In a sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the rhubarb and place the strawberries on top, cooking for about five minutes and giving an occasional shake to make sure it’s not sticking. (The goal is the reduce the fruits’ juices to create a bit of a syrup without turning the strawberries to mush.) Sprinkle the 1/3-cup of sugar over the berries, stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for a few minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly. Pour the fruit into you baking dish and let cool while you make the batter.

In a medium-sized bow, whisk the sugar, salt and eggs together until it is light. Slowly add the flour, whisking until combined. Stir in cream, vanilla, cardamom and pepper. Pour the batter over the fruit. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the cake is puffy and browned on top. Dust with powdered sugar or serve with whip cream or ice cream.

(further apologies to my international friends for the Fahrenheit temperatures and non-metric measurements. You'll have to do the reverse google searches I had to do whilst in China! I can tell you that 350 F is 177 C!)