oh hello there ruby red stalks, have we got uses for you!
new on bbs
Oatmeal Rhubarb Bars
Two layers of a chewy cinnamon & brown sugar oatmeal cookie sandwiching a homemade rhubarb jam. The jam can be just rhubarb or made with a berry.
more rhubby
Blueberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars
Buttery shortbread base, a little shortbread crumble on top and in between a blueberry rhubarb jam.
also
Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
Supersoft brown sugar muffins with crunchy bakery-style domes, dotted with bits of vanilla poached rhubarb and sweet strawberry.
updated
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is one recipe I’ve promised myself to never fiddle with: it’s perfect perfect, perfect. Sure, bakery style cccs are always big and the good ones usually have good texture; crispy edges and chewy centers… and these have both those qualities but these, these have such excellent flavor (and there’s no need to brown butter to get it!).
reader review
“This is such a perfectly yummy and lemony cake! It’s delicious as is or paired with Sam’s lemon cream cheese whipped cream from her icebox cake recipe. So good!” - Ana on Everyday Lemon Cake
weekly reads & notes
“‘Our ancestors had figured out how to use salt judiciously to survive in famine, in difficult places and during seasons of scarcity, Dugaid says. “Salt needs to be respected and revered.” Uttarakhand’s flavoured salts are more than mere condiments. They celebrate relationships, create memories, inspire stories and songs, and commemorate the beloved people who make them: grandmothers, mothers, sisters and wives.” The legendary flavoured ground salt from India: Pisyu loon, Al Jazeera.
“…most bakers aren’t thinking, “How do I attract Gen-Z influencers on TikTok” during their R&D process. In fact, the creators of today’s most ubiquitous croissant innovations never considered virality at all.
That Petite Croissant Céréale from L’Appartment 4F in Brooklyn Heights? It was created as a reward for people who supported the bakery’s early Kickstarter campaign. The round, cream-filled Croissant Suprêmes at Lafayette Bakery? They were invented as a way to draw passersby to the pastry counter after being closed during the pandemic.” - Are Croissant Trends Getting Out of Control? Food & Wine.
“We are getting people asking not just about the food but about the culture and about who we are as people. Folks are coming in just to say that they are thinking of us; they want us to know we are supported. Yes, business is fine, but having a line out the door doesn’t give me joy when it took these innocent lives for people to open their eyes.” - It's 'Not Just a Middle Eastern Restaurant.' It's Palestinian, Bon Apetit.
Anita of Wild Thistle Kitchen recently shared her rhubarb curd recipe. It looks so smooth and delightful, I can’t wait to try it.
I took a day this week and said I’ll make three things I’ve never baked before: a chess pie, a buttermilk pie, and some ‘dream bars’ (shortbread crust and a meringue-like topping with fruit in between). I adapted them as I made them to my tastes and I ended the day grimacing at two and very much in love with one of them. That one will become a recipe I’ll remake and share later this summer (hint: it’s not dreamy).
I always share the ‘good’ reviews with you in the ‘reader review’ section above and it’s usually really kind and positive comments. If it’s not and it’s clearly on me, I’ll go back and see what I missed in writing the recipe. But sometimes… well, here’s some that should give you a chuckle =)
“This was not as flavorful as it should have been. The brown butter over powers the vanilla, and becomes very strong.” (on Brown Butter Cheesecake)
“what can you use as a replacement for black cocoa?” (on Black Cocoa Cake)
“Why did I think this was a roast beef cake for a second....” (on Flourless Red Velvet Cake)
“Thank you for the recipe. But please roll up your sleeves and NO nail polish.” (on Pistachio Cheesecake)
“Foliated metamorphic rock cookie.” (on Zebra Cookies)
and for members
Vanilla & Berry Rhubarb Sorbet
Creamy smooth rhubarb sorbet made with vanilla bean and fresh raspberries. While the overwhelming flavor is rhubarb here, the undertones are berry and there’s a sweet vanilla flavor in every bite.