Polly's Rhubarb Pie and Crumbles

It's time to harvest the rhubarb.  There aren't that many dishes you can make that I know of but these pie and crumbles turned out really good.  I remembered from last year's experience not to cut them too small, bit in large chunks.   They cook fast and 'melt' quickly when exposed to heat.   

I will post the ingredients as soon as I can, but for now it's a photo journal. 

Puff pastry is placed on top for crumbles and baked.  Once it is piffed and browned, remove from oven and flip it over right away to serve.

 Normally puff pastry is used for fillings that are more 'solid' with body, but I wanted to try differently.   And having crumbled some left over trimmings of pie dough and prepared crumble mixtures on top worked as planned to release it out of the mold when flipped over to a different brownie pan of equal size. 

Pie in the front and rhubarb crumbles over puff pastry in the background.  

Kabocha Chiffon Cake (Japanese Pumpkin Chiffon Cake)

Everybody by now know how to make their special chiffon cake.  Tonight, I tried KABOCHA - Japanese pumpkin, Chiffon Cake.   I hope it will turn out okay.  The cake mold is turned upside down waiting for it to cool.

Prep:   Cut 1 KABOCHA into halves.  Scoop out seeds, etc.  Place a metal rack in the bottom of the roaster, if you have one.  So the pumpkin can be roasted on it. Put the bottom half of the KABOCHA in the roaster.  Add 4 Tbsp cut butter.  Place the pumpkin top back on the bottom half. Add 1 cup of water into the roaster.   Cover with the lid and roast for 40 min.   Test for doneness.   Remove from the oven. 

Let cool.  Scoop the flesh away from the skin and save 9 ounce and set aside.   Store the rest for other use.  

I roasted several squashes together.  And watch out.  If you roast them longer than they need to, the pumpkin would collapse.  

Ingredients:  

7 eggs, separated.   Place egg yolks in a large mixing bowl as you will be mixing whipped egg whites/meringue into it.

60 g sugar for egg yolk mixtures

110 g sugar for egg whites 

9 oz KABOCHA, mashed

125 ml EVOO (Light) or pure vegetable oil
80 ml Coconut milk

Shift flour and measure out 160 g Flour, then, add 1/4 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp Ceylon Cinnamon + pinch of ground cloves and Shift them together 3 times or use Whisk to whisk them together well.

Methods:

Whisk egg yolks with 60 g of sugar.  Add EVOO, mashed KABOCHA, coconut milk.  Fold shifted flour in with a spatula.   Set aside to rest. 

In a large bowl whip egg whites at speed #2 for 1 minute, then speed #4 for 2 min, and When it starts to foam/form bubbles during the 2 min. start adding 110 g of sugar in a steady slow shower over 2 min period.  Increase speed to #6 and whip for 2 min.   All sugar should be mixed in before now.  Increase speed to #8 and whip for 2 min or visually you can see stiff peak forming.  

Add some to egg mixture and fold them in.

Fold and cut, fold and cut with spatula.  Preheat oven to 325'F

Add 1/3 of meringue and fold and cut, repeat, add 1/3 more, then1/3 more.  Make sure all meringues are smoothed in.   

Pour into cake mold.   I used bundt cake mold.  Run the spatula thru to release trapped air.  

Bake for 45 minutes.  Check for doneness at 40 min (depending on your gas oven). 

Remove from oven and place it upside down on a baking sheet to cool completely.   Make your favorite cream cheese frosting.   Decorate and serve.

Make sure the egg whites are all mixed in and end with smooth batter.

Prop the pan up to allow moisture to escape to prevent soggy cake. 

When you can handle the pan after cooling a bit, place on cooling rack to cool down completely.

Can't wait to see how it turned out, but at least the blog is up.  Will update with picture later.  .....

Friday, 10/3/2014 - And here it is - KABOCHA Chiffon Cake.   It is heavenly light.   Pumpkin taste is gentle and spices are just right to compliment each other.   It turned out great!

Gently loosen the cake using plastic ware all around and don't forget  the center post part.   Flip it over on a serving plate.  

Serve. 

Oh, I didn't make the frosting, but it is so moist and tasty without it.   I'd hate to cover it.   Try it!  You will enjoy it just the way it is.

I can think of few other chiffon cake variation now.   Until next time, hope you will enjoy making this with my recipe. 

Eating Fresh Vegetables and Fruits in a Glass

This is so easy to make.   If you have Organic Kales, Spinach, and some fruits, then you are in the business.  Wash and rinse veges of your choices and chop them up or tear them apart.  Place them in a blender.  Add crushed ice as much as you like--1cup may be, add squeezed orange juice 1/4 Cup or lemon or lime juice; add sliced avocado if you like it smooth.  Top it off with cut fruits - apple, pear, 1 Tbsp of honey.  Blend until the desired consistency is achieved.  Serve.  

Alternative:  Freeze extras in the ice tray.   30 - 40 minutes before serving, place frozen cubes in the glass with a cover and allow to defrost.  Stir with a spoon. Serve snd enjoy your vege and fruit fir the day.