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.

Green Grape & Strawberry Elderflower Sparklers

We all know that staying hydrated is essential to good health, and this is especially so as the days get longer and warmer and we’re more active. Are we all getting eight glasses of water a day? I know that I, for one, struggle to get this minimum recommended amount of water on a daily basis. So, here’s a refreshing, hydrating drink that makes it all easier: fruity elderflower sparklers! Consider this less a recipe and more of a little tickler to spark your creative ideas on how to stay hydrated and enjoy some refreshing drinks! What’s your favorite way to hydrate?

Come check out Fiesta Friday #10 (it’s an especially rocking party this week) and Happy Friday, everyone!

Strawberry Phyllo Tartlets with Lemon Mascarpone Cream

Crispy phyllo shells, lemony mascarpone filling, fresh strawberries — and the best part is that these little treats couldn’t be simpler. Great for a spring get-together, and you can mix up the topping with other seasonal fruit for an even more colorful presentation. Enjoy!

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!

Summer Fruit & Herb Smoothies

I’ve been thinking lately about fruits and herbs, and their compatibility, after reading the intro to The Flavor Bible. The book describes how scientists can now analyze the cell structure of foods and determine whether they pair well together. It turns out that popular pairings like tomato and basil, or lamb and rosemary, have similar cell structures. Funny how science just confirms what the human palette intuited.