Rhubarb, Apple and Rolled Oats Crisp

Rhubarb season is finally here, and I was lucky enough to find some beautiful, fresh stalks to put into good use.
One of my favorite ways of using these tasty stalks is to prepare a crisp with it. All that is needed is to mix the sliced stalks with sugar and some cornstarch, top it with a coarse mixture of butter, sugar and flour, and bake it in the oven until it is bubbly and crisp, and its wonderful aroma fills the kitchen.
Here I’ve added apples to the rhubarb and rolled oats to the topping layer. I also experimented with Jaggery, a special type of sugar (see notes), which added wonderful aroma and unique flavor to the crisp. Try it and enjoy.

Notes:
* I found Jaggery mentioned in blogs about Indian cuisines. This unique sugar is made by evaporating unprocessed sugar cane juice. It used to be sold in blocks that were then grated before using, but now it is also available in the form of a coarse powder, which makes it easier to use. Jaggery is not as sweet as regular sugar, which I actually prefer.  If you can’t find it, brown sugar can be used instead. Just remember to adjust the level of sweetness according to your liking.

Makes: 16
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
For the fruit layer:
7 cups of thinly sliced rhubarb (from about 8-10 stalks)
4 cup medium sliced peeled crispy apples (from about 3 large)
1 cup Jaggery sugar (see notes)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger powder
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup cornstarch
For the topping:
¾ cup Jaggery sugar (see notes)
¾ cup flour
¾ cup rolled oats
1 stick (115 grams) butter, cold, cut into cubes
¼ tsp salt
For serving:
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 355F (180C). Line an 8”X11” (20cmX28cm) baking pan with baking paper.
2. The fruit layer: in a large bowl, mix the sliced rhubarb and apples with the jiggery sugar, cinnamon, ginger powder, cornstarch and salt. Transfer the mixture into the lined pan.

3. The topping: place the Jaggery sugar, flour, rolled oats, butter and salt in a food processor bowl, fitted with the metal blade. Process briefly to a coarse mixture and sprinkle evenly over the fruit layer.

4. Bake for 1 hour, or until the fruits are soft, and the topping is golden and crisp.
5. Place on a rack to cool to warm temperature. Serve as is, or with a scoop of ice cream.

Lemon, Poppy Seeds and Cornmeal Cookies

Due to another hectic week, I didn’t have the time to prepare a new post, so I’ve decided to re-post this recipe, from the earlier days of the blog. Many of you probably haven’t seen it, and those who did will hopefully enjoy a reminder for this tasty recipe. See you next week with a new recipe.
These thin and crunchy cookies, are perfect for a summer day: their fresh lemony flavor, combined with the crunchiness and taste of poppy seeds, goes great with cold iced tea or lemonade, with ice cream or sorbet.

Chicken Thighs with Lemon, Fresh Herbs and Potatoes

Chicken thighs are my favorite part for roasting; once roasted, the meat is flavorful and juicy, while the skin turns crispy and tasty.

Lamb with Onions, Parsley, Tomatoes and Golden Raisins

Winter is still with us, and I was planning on yet another stew, this time of lamb. However, as the weather was not as chilly, and as lamb is quite heavy in itself, I wanted a lighter stew with lighter ingredients in it.

No knead Multigrain Bread

This tasty bread is very easy to make: it only requires a bit of mixing – and waiting in between. If you have a day around the house, this is the project to choose.

Leeks and Cheeses Filo Bake

Leeks are at their best in the winter, and when I saw some fresh and plump ones, I immediately grabbed a few. I used a couple of them to make leeks and potatoes patties (recipe can be found HERE), and with the rest I’ve decided to prepare a filo bake.

Butternut Squash and Orange Muffins

Continuing the butternut squash saga of last week, I still had one more package of thawed butternut squash that I needed to find use for. As I’m very fond of using vegetables in cakes (see below list), I’ve decided on making breakfast muffins with it.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Butternut Squash

After defrosting a few packages of butternut squash, I ended up not using all of them as planned.

Pistachio and Orange Cookies

Pistachios are one of my favorite nuts, and I’ve decided to use them as the main ingredient in these easy to make cookies.

Dried Fruit and Nuts Rolled Cookies

These tasty cookies are another version of rugelach, the traditional Eastern-European-Jewish rolled cookies, that combine flaky dough with dried fruits and nuts filling.

Cranberries and Blueberries Almond Cake with Cranberries Lemon Zest Compote

I baked this cake last year after Thanksgiving, with leftover cranberries and blueberries. It came out so tasty and festive, that this year I plan to make it for Thanksgiving dinner itself.