Strawberry & Rhubarb Recipe Roundup

Another recipe roundup featuring some of spring’s tart and sweet bounty: strawberries & rhubarb! What’s your favorite way to enjoy them? Here are 8 ideas …

Rhubarb-Strawberry-Ginger Sorbet

Photo by James Ransom

I entered this recipe in a Whole Foods Market Cooking contest for “Your Best Rhubarb Recipe” and won! One of the best things about winning was having my sorbet tested and then photographed so beautifully by the talented James Ransom (above photo). I’m thrilled, and grateful to fellow blogger Suzanne @ A Pug in the Kitchen for encouraging me to enter the contest! Here’s my original blog posting:

Rhubarb Bellinis, To Love and To Cherish

My husband and I got married during rhubarb season, and as our anniversary approaches, rhubarb seems a fitting ingredient to celebrate our marriage. The rhubarb plant is a hardy one, but requires space, patience, and a cooler climate to flourish. Awaiting harvest season can seem like an eternity, but given time to grow roots throughout the colder months and extend its reach under ample direct sunshine, the harvest is often abundant. The subtle sweetness and tenderness of rhubarb reveals itself over time and effort, through slow cooking to melt the fibrous stalks into a soft and delectable richness. Combine rhubarb with extra doses of sweetness, and it achieves an even more delightful balance of flavor. Get a little bubbly with it, and it sparkles. Here’s a toast to our marriage, which gets sweeter and richer and more tender over time.

Norwegian Rhubarb Cake with Cardamom

I started daydreaming about this Norwegian Rhubarb Cake, or rabarbrakake, the moment I saw it on Outside Oslo, a lovely Scandinavian food blog. The beautiful photos drew me in, and the description of its simplicity had me hooked. Norwegian? Rhubarb? Cake? Sounds like a perfect treat to celebrate the homecoming of my part-Norwegian husband who loves rhubarb. I love that this is not overly sweet, and the cake stays moist and buttery on the inside, with little jewels of tart, soft rhubarb, and a golden, slightly crisp edge. I added my own touch of cardamom to the batter, because I usually associate Scandinavian baking with a good excuse for a dash of my favorite spice, and have to say this cake lived up to my daydreams. Maybe too much so, because, waking from my reveries, I realized the cake was half gone before the hubby came home… Oops! Welcome Home, Honey!

Rhubarb & Strawberry Parfaits with Mascarpone-Yogurt and Shortbread Crumble

We have eaten well this week. Heart-healthy veggie salad? Check. More veggies, fresh herbs and whole grains? Check. Now time for something just a bit sweet for our Fiesta Friday virtual get-together over at the Novice Gardener. I’ve missed the last two parties, and there’s no way I’m going to miss out on the amazing eats and conversation this time around. Spring has sprung over here in Germany, and the rhubarb is out. That alone is enough reason to party. I’ll be bringing mini-parfaits of stewed rhubarb, fresh strawberries, a whipped mascarpone yogurt, and some shortbread cookie crumble. Now to find my dance shoes and I’m good to go. (They don’t call me L-Boogie for nothing.) Thanks to Angie once again for her fabulous hosting. Happy Fiesta Friday to everyone!