rhubarb more. . .

After I posted rhubarb tart, I wanted to make more rhubarb dessert. I rushed to the store to get this season's rhubarb. There were just a few left (sigh).

rhubarb mousse



serves 4

8 ounces rhubarb, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons sugar, Florida Crystals
1 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons kuzu
1 teaspoon agar powder or 1 tablespoon agar flake
2 tablespoons agave nectar

In a pot, combine chopped rhubarb and sugar, set aside for over night or until sugar melt and rhubarb release some liquid.

cook over low heat until rhubarb getting out of shape. it will be 1 cup of cooked rhubarb.
In a small pot mix kanten and kuzu. Add 1/4 cup soy milk, stir until dissolved.
Add remaining 3/4 cup soy milk, keep stirring, cook over low heat until it has become thick and a little bit bubbling.

Put the rhubarb and soy milk into a blender and blend well.
Rinse a mold or bowl with cold water and pour in the rhubarb mixture. Set aside and chilled until firm.

Serve garnish with chopped pistachio nuts.




rhubarb kanten

serves 4

8 ounces rhubarb, chopped 1/4 inch cube
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon agar powder sprinkle in 1 tablespoon water or 1/2tablespoon agar flakes,sprinkle in 1 tablespoon water, set aside.

In a pot combine rhubarb cubes and sugar set aside over night or until sugar melt and rhubarb released some liquid. Cook over low medium heat, just 3 to 5 minutes or until rhubarb soft it will be 1/2 cup or less/more. In a small pot combine 1/2 cup water( make 1cup of water and cooked rhubarb) and agar, simmer over medium low heat, stirring, occasionally until kanten is dissolved. Pour rhubarb into kanten and simmer just 1-2 minutes, stir.

rinse a mold or small bowl with cold water and pour in the hot rhubarb kanten mixture. Set aside, and chill until firm.

from apple to rhubarb to ......

I got This fabulous dessert recipe from my friend and my friend got this recipe from her friend. Now I would tell you. My friend said that this recipe was German and she said the name "りんごのグース”but I can not spell it in English so just say "tart".
original recipe use apple, but I think it is great to use seasonal fruits. Of cause now is Rhubarb! and will be strawberry, blue berry, apricot, plum, peach,and pear .....I am looking forward to trying to use all seasonal fruits to make a "seasonal fruits tart" with this recipe. Thanks to my friend for this recipe.

Apple tart



















for the crust
1 and 1/4 cups flour
6 tablespoons Earth Balance, Margarine
4 tablespoons sugar, Florida Crystals
2 tablespoons soy milk

Whisk margarine and sugar until creamy with a stand mixer, add soy milk, mix until light and fluffy. Add flour to creamed mixture, to form a dough that gathers into a disk. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F

Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and place on the pie/tart pan. Prebake 20 minutes or until dough become dry ( not need fully baked ). take out from the oven and set aside.


for the filling

2 apples
2 tablespoons sugar,Florida Crystals
100 cc soy heavy cream*
120 cc soy milk
2 tablespoon flour
2tablespoon sugar, Florida Crystals

Core apples and cut into ～16 slices or coarsely chopped. Cook with 2tablespoons sugar with medium heat, until apple become slightly soft and moist ( not need to cook completely). Place the apple slices in the prebaked pie shell.

In a bowl, whisk together soy heavy cream, soy milk, sugar and flour. Strain through mesh strainer, and pour the mixture over the apples.
Bake 350F oven for 40 minutes or milk mixture become firm.

* I could not find Soy heavy cream in my neighbourhood stores(no US company make soy heavy cream, I think). What I used here was soy heavy cream from japan. I did not try though, soy sour cream could be a substitution.
Rhubarb tart















for the crust ( I used Spelt Fillo Dough,from the Fillo Factory )

8 sheets fillo
1/4 cup canola oil

Layer 8 fillo sheets, brushing each with canola oil. Cut circle from fillo using cutters slightly larger than tart pan diameter, in order to fillo circle is large enough to go completely up the sides. Pre bake 350f for 8-10 minutes.

for the filling

8 ounce, 2-3 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/4inch slices
2-3 tablespoons sugar

Combine the rhubarb and sugar in a medium sauce pan, cook until the rhubarb is soft.
Do not over cook. Place the rhubarb in the prebaked fillo crust and pour the milk mixture over the rhubarb.
Bake 350 F for 40minutes or milk mixture become firm.








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polenta & beans

I cooked a black bean chili today. But recently I have been little bit tired of "brown rice", so I picked broiled polenta instead of brown rice...... very good!





serves 2 - 3

chili
3 cups cooked black turtle beans
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup canned whole tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced
salt to taste
2 tablespoons or more, fresh coriander, chopped

In a large pot, heat the oil, saute garlic and onion over medium heat, until onion become translucent. Add cumin, paprika, and pepper, and saute until fragrant.Add tomatoes and beans ( some bean-liquid ), stirring to blend. Add the salt and simmer, stirring, until mixture is thickened and beans are tender, about an hour. Serve, garnished with chopped coriander.


polenta/broiled (from the natural gourmet institute for food and health)

2 cups cornmeal
5-6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Toast cornmeal in a skillet over medium high heat, stirring constantly until it has a nut like fragrance. Remove cornmeal from pan and let cool to room temperature. In a 3quart sauce pan mix cornmeal, salt and 4cups water, whisking until smooth. Over high flame, bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thick.Add the remaining water, alittle at a time, stirring well to mix thoroughly. cover pot and simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat and let stand 15minutes with lid. Poor cooked polenta into a wet cooking sheet. let cool to room temperature , or until polenta is firm( it is better put polenta in the refrigerator, over night )Cut polenta in 3 inches square ( or desire shape and size) place on baking sheet and brush top side with olive oil. Broil until golden and crisp. Flip over, brush olive oil and broil until golden and crisp.

marmalade cake

The end of this March my friend of highschool classmate sent me her marmalade in the Ziploc bag by EMS( Express Mail service). This was made from natsu orange(extremely sour!!) in her garden. It was excellent marmalade, such a full of fresh orange taste and nice bitterness, and clear orange color .... I am looking forward to having her marmalade next year again, please send me.
I love marmalade. I reminded the marmalade cake my mother made,when I was young. I wanted to have one so I baked it.




for 6inches x 10inches baking pan

3 cups flour (1 1/2 cup white and 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour )
1 tablespoon baking powder(aluminum-free)
1 1/2 teaspoon egg replacer
1/2 cup Earth Balance, margarine
1 cup sugar,Florida Crysatals, or less ( I used 2/3 cup)
7 tablespoons soy milk,or more or less, depends on your flour combination ratio
1 cup home made marmalade, if you use commercial one reduce the amount.


Combine the flour, baking powder, and egg replacer, and shift.
In a bowl, put the margarine and sugar, use stand mixer to mix until creamy, add 4 table spoons of soy milk, continue to whisk until airely.
Add flour mixture to the creamy mixture, mix until wet sand like texture. Add remaining soy milk 1table spoon at a time to form a dough that gathers into a ball.
Put dough in the plastic bag and chill for 1hour.

preheat oven 350F

Divide the dough in half. Take one of them, roll out on the lightly floured surface to fit your baking pan, and replace on the bottom of the pan. Take another dough and roll out, 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 1/2 wide to make long strips. Pour the marmalade over the first dough in the pan and spread evenly. Over the marmalade, use long strips to weave a basket pattern. Bake 30 minutes or cake cake tester come out clear.

for marmalade
This is the simplest way, because use whole orange.
I used 2 minneola orange, cut quarter lengthwise, and cut into thin slices. Soak in the water (double amount of sliced orange ) and let stand 3 hours, put on the heat and simmer 30 minutes, add sugar ( 50% of orange weight) and keep simmering until liquid reduced and become nice consistency.

tempeh, cashew, celery, & green pepper

serves 1-2

Heat the sesame oil in a wok/skillet over high heat and simply stir-fly tempeh and vegetables. Make sure put minced ginger first into a wok.

1/2 package of tempeh, sit in salt water (1/2teaspoon salt+1cup water) for 1hour,cut into 1/2inch square
2 celery, cut into 1/2inch square
1 green pepper, cut into 1/2inch square
1/3 cup cashew nuts, roasted
1/2inch peace of ginger, minced
salt, pepper to taste