rhubarb beignets

This recipe is my ode to two people I heart.

Marysol Foucault (Edgar & Odile) and Patricia Larkin (aka Trish) (The Black Cat Bistro).

I heart them both.

Marysol will sometimes just send me a link to a blog or a recipe with a note that says “i thought of you”.  As a girl who loves loves LOVES food – especially baked goods – it’s like getting a virtual hug.

I’ve been hanging out with Trish a lot recently … she’s taught a few LCBO food events and I’ve been her assistant … I just heart being able to listen to her talk food and share her ideas and her tips to people.  Plus she shares her recipes (and is as equally in love with Downton Abbey as I am).  Loves it! 

So … you might wonder … how does a rhubarb beignet recipe become an ode to two people?

Easy!

Marysol introduced me to, and makes, the MOST INCREDIBLE lemon beignet in the ENTIRE world.  That’s right people.  Edgar, in Gatineau, Québec has the greatest lemon beignet in the entire world.  And Trish introduced me to, and makes this insanely amazing rhubarb curd.  Rhubarb AND curd … LOVES. LOVES. LOVES.  Absolutely brilliant.

I decided that since I heart the two things (and people) so much … I needed to combine them.

Hence … the rhubarb beignet.  A light fluffy cupcake, stuffed with rhubarb curd, bathed in lemon juice and coated in cinnamon sugar.

DEE-LISH.  Seriously tartly delicious.  With a hint of sweetness.  I am totally in love with this recipe.

The rhubarb recipe is thanks to Trish and the cupcake recipe is thanks to Marysol (she also shared it when she appeared on must.love.food. the *lemon* episode).

rhubarb curd

ingredients:

3 c. chopped rhubarb
3/4 c. sugar handful of strawberries or raspberries for colour (optional – I have also used cranberries)
juice from 1 lemon
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
7 egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
pinch of salt

Place the rhubarb, juice of the lemon, sugar and water in a small pot and simmer gently until the rhubarb is soft.  Keep an eye on your saucepan and stir the fruit from time to time … the first time I made this, the heat was a little high and the fruit stuck to the bottom of the pot.  Once cooked down and thickened, remove from heat and blend into a smooth purée.

Whisk egg yolks, sugar and salt in a bowl that can be used for a double boiler (either a glass or metal bowl).  Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, whisking the egg mixture until warm.  Gradually add the rhubarb purée, stirring vigorously between each addition.

Once the consistency is rich and thick, remove from heat.  Put through a sieve immediately and cool with plastic wrap directly on top of the curd.  Set aside in the fridge while you bake the cupcakes.

Marysol’s basic cake recipe:
 
ingredients:
 
1 egg
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. oil
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
  
Heat your oven to 350 F.  Spray your muffin tin with non-stick spray … no need to use cupcake liners for this recipe. 

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, using a whisk attachment, beat the egg, sugar and oil.  Start at a low-speed and increase the speed, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy.  

In a measuring cup, mix the buttermilk and vanilla.  
 
Alternating between the flour and the milk mixtures, add them to the oil – egg – sugar batter (flour / milk / flour / milk / flour).
 
Increase the speed of the mixer once the flour is completely incorporated, creating a smooth batter.  Once smooth … stop mixing!

Spoon the batter into your muffin tins.  Bake for about 17 minutes for large cupcakes.

Once baked, remove the pan from the oven, and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack immediately.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Time to pull out your rhubarb curd.  This is when I spoon it into a squeeze bottle.  A piping bag works too.  Basically … you just want something with a tip that you can stick into the bottom of your cupcake, allowing you to fill the centre with rhubarb curd.

Once the cupcakes are full of rhubarb curd love (that’s right … rhubarb curd is LOVE) … you need to bathe them in fresh lemon juice (I used 2 lemons for this … obviously this depends on how much juice your lemons yield).  Marysol taught me that the *best* way to do this is to put your hand into the lemon juice (palm side down); wet it, and then pat the entire cupcake surface with your wet hand.  The perfect amount of lemon juice gets soaked up … without overly saturating the cupcake.

Then roll the *lemon juiced* cupcakes in some cinnamon sugar.  The sugar will hold thanks to that lemon juice … plus it adds an extra zing to the cupcakes.

I heart these beignets.  Actually … I LOVE them.  I purposely didn’t use up all my rhubarb … I need to be able to make another batch of curd soon.  It’s just too good to resist.

must.love.lemons.

I think at this point in our relationship we all know how I feel about lemons.

I love them.  I don’t just heart them … I.LOVE.LEMONS.  They make me happy.

Which is why … I very obviously could not do must.love.food. and not include an episode about lemons.

I found some other folks who love lemons … almost as much as I do.

Marysol.  You all know her.  And if you don’t actually know her … you know of her … or you know of Edgar … the greatest little café around … only to be joined by Odile … it’s equally stellar little sister.

I heart Marysol and her lemon beignets.

I actually believe that Marysol’s beignets are the stuff happiness is made from.  Totally, ridiculiously cheesey.  But oh so true.

Then there’s Michael. aka Twitch.  I called him Twitch during the filming of the show.  I couldn’t help it.

So I figured when I apporached Michael about being on the show that he would show me how to make his lemon poppyseed pancakes.  He did.

Plus he showed me how to make maple poached eggs.  Amazing? Heck YA!

We also have this bonus clip of him teaching me how he makes his grapefruit hollandaise sauce.  Equally amazing.  You’ll have noticed … I wasn’t whisking quite fast enough … it’s something I’m gonna have to work on me thinks…

Add to all of that some big boy bacon soaked in maple syrup … which is … (as said on the show) … “it’s like bacon went to heaven and was happy” … whatever that means!

This entire episode makes me happy.  I loved watching it.  I loved filming both segments.  I love love love lemons.  And Marysol and Michael too.

Remember to tune in to reruns on Wednesdays at 8 am and 4:30 pm, and on Saturdays at 1 pm.  RogersTV channel 22.

kelp records winter warmer

Street. Food. Is. GREAT.

Especially when it’s paired with beer.

That’s how we do a food festival in Ottawa.  Street food and beer.  In a Polish Community Centre.

A-MAZ-ING.

8 chefs all presented their version of street food.

I didn’t get to try all of it … I was on-site on behalf of Edgar (working with the HILARIOUS Michael) … but I was lucky enough to get to sample some of the fares.

Mother. Of. Pearl.

It started with the Whalesbone Oyster House Catering’s deep fried mac & cheese.

It was … SPECTACULAR.  I mean … it’s deep fried mac & cheese.  You kinda have to love it.  But you also love it because it was so cheesy and delicious … crunchy exterior and hot creamy interior.

Loves.

Then I wandered over and sampled Ryan Janssens’ (of DISH) chorizo pogo with bacon jam.

It was hot and spicy.  And although it was deep fried – it wasn’t greasy.  It was that perfect pogo batter (you know the one I’m talking about … you can remember it from your youth)… and with the chorizo filling … it was THE BEST POGO OF MY LIFE. I honestly wanted to go back and get another.  And then another.

Brilliant.

Edgar was paired with Beau’s – and so Marysol came up with a porchetta dish … creamy mashed potatoes, topped with aged cheddar.  Then we generously piled on the pork belly and ham, a veal gravy and a sprinkle of crispy celery root chips.

It was delicious.  Hot and creamy.  Salty and fatty.  It was everything comfort food should be … all in one mouthful.  I LOVED it.  And not just because it was from Edgar’s table … but because it tasted so darn good.

My pictures honestly don’t do the plate justice.

Oh … and it went really well with Beau’s bitter ;0)

I had a chance to wander a little (between plating our dish) … and so although I didn’t sample the Hintonburgh Public House dish, or anything offered by the Manx … I was able to snap some quick pictures.

Pressed and  Seed to Sausage were two another food stands I wanted to sample … but it just didn’t happen.  I actually didn’t even get a picture of either their brisket sandwich (Pressed) or their gourmet hot dogs (Seed to Sausage).  Boo to me … but everyone I asked about loved both.

My afternoon finished off with a sample of the Mill Street brew (delightful) and Murray Street’s Meat Cone.

I LOVE the meat cone.

What isn’t to love?  Pulled pork. Check. Cheese curds. Check. Sausage. Check. Mustard. Check.  All piled in a cone … I was able to grab my fork and dig right it.  A-MAZ-ING.  My only regret is that it has taken me this long to finally sample Steve Mitton’s version of the meat cone.

My favourite part of this event though wasn’t the food (although I totally loved everything I ate) … it was the fact that so many people turned out to eat, drink and be merry.

It certainly was a true winter warmer.