Rabarbrikook kondenspiima ja beseekattega / Rhubarb Cake with Condensed Milk and Meringue

Jah, ma tean, rabarbrihooaeg on juba ammu kinni kuulutatud. Mina aga sain paar nädalat tagasi naabrinaiselt suure posu rabarbrit, mis vajas ära tegemist. Ei raatsinud kõike kiiruga moosiks ega kisselliks teha, panin muist külma, kindla plaaniga see võimalikult kiiresti ära teha. Ei, talveks ei raatsi jätta.

Selle koogi retsept jäi mul kohe alguses silma, leppisin iseendaga kokku, et seda peab veel enne rabarbrihooaja lõppu proovima. Kel viimane rabarber juba ammu sügavkülmas, sel soovitan see retsept kõrva taha, või siis bookmarks'idesse, panna, et talvel hinnalist kraami just selle koogi jaoks kasutada, sest see on seda väärt.

Retsept on Siit nurgast ja sealt nurgast. Vaid kliki kaugusel, seega ei hakka seda siia ümber kirjutama ega kleepima. Küll aga lisan, et poole ehk 1.5 dl põhja jahust panin täisteranisujahu ja teen seda kindlasti ka järgmine kord. Siis panen põhja veidi vähem võid, arvatavasti vähendan ka suhkru kogust. Täidis küpses mul küll kauem kui 30 minutit, siis oli ta veel vedel ja oleks vormist välja võttes laiali valgunud. Küpsetasin seda kuni tahke ehk 45 minutit.



I am fully aware that the rhubarb season is over or ending, in Europe at least. A few weeks ago, however, my neighbour, who had plenty in her garden, and probably still does, gave me a generous bunch of stalks. I was overwhelmed, because the new mower guy had not even noticed our rhubarb bush and ran over them all. Well, you can't blame him, as the grass was so high at the countryside, he couldn't even tell something had been planted there. So that was that with my rhubarb. With a few recipes in mind, I didn't want to turn what had been given by my neighbour into jam, so I froze it.

This recipe caught my eye the first time I saw it and I promised myself I would try it out this rhubarb season. Those who have already frozen the last of their rhubarb should keep this recipe in mind or in their bookmarks and use the precious stuff during winter for this cake, as it's really worth it. The condensed milk layer was exceptionally delicious :)

The recipe is from this Estonian food blog. She does actually have two recipes in English too, both hits.

This cake is for a bigger springform or pan, half the size of a baking sheet. I made it in a 24 cm springform and had some batter left over that I used to make 3 individual cakes in muffin tins. The end result was quite sweet, so next time I will probably reduce the amount of sugar in the base as well as the butter.


You'll need:

Base
3 dl flour (I used 1.5 dl whole wheat - worked just fine)
1 tsp baking powder
150 g butter, at room temp
1,5 dl sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg

Filling
3 egg yolks
400 g sweetened condensed milk
1 dl sour cream or 10-20% crème fraiche
350-400 g chopped rhubarb

Meringue topping
3 egg whites
1.5 dl sugar

For the base, Integrate the flour and baking powder. Whisk the butter and sugar until light yellow and creamy. Add the salt, egg and flour-baking powder mixture. Spread the batter on a prepared baking sheet or springform. Make sure the edges of your baking sheet are at least 3 cm high to avoid spilling. Bake at 200 degrees for 10 minutes. Take the cake out and reduce the temperature of the oven to 180 degrees C.

For the filling, whisk the egg yolks and mix with the condensed milk and sour cream. Combine with the rhubarb. Pour on top of the base and bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes. (Mine was still very runny after 30 minutes so I baked it for 45 minutes, until solid but tender). Take the cake out of the oven but leave it on.

For the topping, whisk the egg whites with the sugar until solid. Add the sugar to the egg in three parts during whisking. Spread on top of the cake and bake at 180 derees for another 10 minutes or until the meringue starts turning golden.

Let cool and cut with a wet knife, this way you won't break the meringue.

Rabarberitrühvlid / Rhubarb Truffles

Need rabarbritrühvlid on, jällegi, ideaalne magusa-hapu ja pehme-krõmpsuva kombinatsioon, sest haput rabarbrit tasakaalustab suussulav valge šokolaad samal ajal kui pähkel hamba all krõmpsub. Nii peabki.

Retsepti leidisn Bounteous Bites blogist, kus on nõutud roosivett. Minul seda aga polnud, seetõttu kasutasin apelsiniõievett. Panin vist seda liiga vähe, igastahes maitset tunda küll ei jäänud. Kuid kommid olid nii külluslikud, et millestki puudu küll ei tulnud. Seega võib selle koostisosa soovi korral välja jätta.

Minu väljamaine rabarber oli vist magusamat sorti, kui see, mida Eestis müüakse/kasvatatakse, seega, kelle rabarber on jumal-teab-kust, sel soovitan suhkru kogust veidi alandada, nii poole detsiliitri võrra.

Vaja läheb:
300 g rabarberivarsi (2 suuremat või 3 väiksemat)
2 dl suhkrut
2-3 spl roosi-, aplesiniõie- või tavalist vett
umbes 100 g valget šokolaadi
umbes 150 g hakitud mandleid

Koori rabarbrivarred (noored varred võib ka koorimata jätta) ning lõika parajateks ampsusuurusteks lõikudeks. Pane need paksupõhjalisse potti ning lisa sinna otsa suhkur ja roosi, apelsiiniõie- või tavaline vesi.

Kata kaanega ning kuumuta, kuni suhkur ja mahl on moodustanud siirupi. Keeda madalal tulel, kuni rabarber on pisut pehme, aga mitte veel katki. Mina keetsin neid 4 minutit ja mõni pisem tükk hakkas juba lagunema. Kuid algretseptis on küsimärgiga soovitatud neid keeta kümme minutit. Seega hoia pilku peal, kui neid keedad. Vahel sega väga ettevaatlikult või keera tükke pea alaspidi.
Lase rabarberil siirupis jahtuda, eelistatult üleöö.

Patsuta rabarber köögipaberil natuke kuivemaks, siirup jäta hilisemaks kasutamiseks kindlasti alles. Sulata šokolaad vesivannil ning surka iga tükk šokolaadi, pärast seda ka mandlipurusse. Komme võib mandlipurus veidi kõvemini suruda, et nad ümarama kuju võtaks. Siis tõsta kommid fooliumile või küpsetuspaberile tahkuma. Hoia külmas. Mulle meeldis neid süüa külmkapikülmalt, sest siis oli valge šokolaad mõnusalt krõbe.



These rhubarb truffles are yet another excellent example of how well sweet and sour and crispy and soft work together. The sour rhubarb neutralises the sweet white chocolate as the crispy nuts break under the tooth. This is what an ideal sweet is.

The recipe is from Bounteous Bites, an Estonian food blog in both Estonian and English. The original recipe calls for rose water that I didn't have so I substituted it with orange blossom water. However, I couldn't taste that in the result at all. But it didn't feel like anything was missing so leaving the rose water out wont do any harm.

My rhubarb seems to be of a different, sweeter, type than the ones sold and grown in Estonia. So if your rhubarb is from whoever knows where then I suggest reducing the amount of sugar by about half a deciliter. Also mine took a lot less time to boil. As a comparison, Estonian rhubarb is usually pink whilst mine was green.

You'll need:
300 g rhubarb stalks (two bigger ones or three smaller ones)
2 dl sugar
2-3 tbsp rose, orange blossom or regular water
about 100 g white chocolate
about 150 g almond meal

Peel the rhubarb stalks (you may skip the peeling part if the stalks are young) and cut into bite-size pieces. Place the pieces into a saucepan with the sugar and (rose) water.
Cover with a lid and heat until a syrup forms (about 2 minutes). Boil at low heat until tender, but not broken (three to ten minutes), occasionaly gently stirring or turning the pieces around.
Let the rhubarb cool down in the syrup, preferrably let them soak overnight.

Pat the pieces on a paper towel to remove any excess syrup. Reserve it for later as you can make a juice out of it by adding water. Melt the white chocolate over a waterbath and dip each piece into it before rolling in the almond meal (feel free to press them a little harder for a round shape), then place the sweets on a cooking paper and refrigerate. I liked them best right out of the fridge as the chocolate was crispy then.

“Maailma parimad rabarbrimuffinid” martsipaniga / "The World's Best Rhubarb Muffins" with Marzipan

 

Lugesin, et nii paljulubavat pealkirja lugedes ei teki eestlastel soov retsepti mitte maitse pärast järgi proovida, vaid selleks et tõestada, et tegelikult ei ole need sugugi parimad muffinid. Minu puhul küll nii ei olnud, mõtlesin pigem, et kui on maailma parimad, siis peab ju järgi proovima, sest millestki nii heast ei saa ju ilma jääda. Kuna ma pole oma elus väga palju rabarbrimuffineid saanud, siis ei osanud millegagi võrrelda, head olid nad aga küll, seest mõnusalt mahlased, kuid mitte liiga magusad.

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As I read, most Estonians wouldn't try out a recipe with a name like this for the taste but to prove the author wrong, that no these are not the best after all. Indeed, a name like this is quite provocative but I made them to try out the best of the best as you wouldn't want to miss something like this. I haven't had many rhubarb muffins in my life so I didn't have anything to compare them to even though they were yummy, moist and not to sweet.

Rabarbrikook kondenspiima ja toorjuustuga / Rhubarb and Cream Cheese Cake with Condensed Milk

Minu jaoks täiesti uut moodi toorjuustukook, milles on kõik veidi teisiti, kuigi lõpptulemus on väga maitsev. Esiteks pole ma kunagi söönud toorjuustukooki rabarbriga, teiseks pole ma kunagi teinud juustukooki kondenspiimaga ja kolmandaks ei ole ma valmistanud ise algusest lõpuni nii head koogipõhja. Viimane maitses just nagu Digestiivi-küpsised. Selles koogis on kõik maitsed omavahel tasakaalus nagu magus-hapu ning pehme (lausa siidjas) ja krõbe. Just nagu mulle meeldib!

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This cake has quite a different take on cheese cakes, but the result is delish. First off, I have never baked a cheese cake with rhubarb, neither have I ever put condensed milk in one or made such a tasty, Digestive biscuit-like, base from scratch. All the tastes are balanced in this cake, like the sweet and sour as well as silky cream and crispy base.

Toscakattega rabarbrikook / Tosca-rhubarb cake

Tänase emadepäeva puhul tegin oma emale tema lemmikut - Toscakooki rabarbriga. Sellest rootsi koogist ei ole raske sõltuvusse jääda, kuna krõbedad ja magusad mandlilaastud, hapukas rabarber ja pehme põhi tekitavad tõesti maitsva kombinatsiooni. Vanillijäätisega lausa sulab suus.

It was mother's day a week ago in most of the world, but the Estonian one is today. So I got up way too early for a Sunday and made my mother her favourite - the Swedish Tosca cake. The combination of crunchy, sweet almonds, sour rhubarb and the soft base is irresistible, especially with vanilla ice cream.

Rabarbri-beseekorvikesed / Rhubarb- Meringue Tartlets

Selle hooaja esimese rabarbrikoogi tegin ma tegelikult juba ammu ära. Enam pole mul õrna aimugi, kust need rabarbrid pärit olid, kuid tosca kook sai väga hea. See-eest mäletan ma väga täpselt, et need maksid 7 eurot kilo! Kahjuks ma seda kooki üles ei pildistanud nii, et sellest räägime kunagi hiljem edasi.

Kuigi rabarbri-hooaeg on veel kauges tulevikus olen ma juba päris mitu kooki sellega teinud ja seda tänu poes müüdavale külmutatud rabarbrile. Kunagi suhtusin ma külmutatud puu-ja juurviljadesse skeptiliselt, kuid tuleb välja, et need on vitamiinirohkemad kui kuskilt teisest maailma otsast kohale loksunud "värsked tooted". Seda selle pärast, et kuskil Lõuna-Ameerikas kasvatatud viljad korjatakse ammu enne valmimst ära, et nad pahaks ei läheks ja nii nad siis "küpsevad" transportides, samal ajal kui nad oma maitset, värvi ja vitamiine, mida neil juba algusest peale tegelikult ei olnud, kaotavad. Külmutatud marjad, aga korjatakse ära just siis kui nad valmis on ja külmutatakse kohe, seega säilitavad need tooted oma värskuse, kui nii öelda saab. Ja neid transporditakse oluliselt vähem, mis säästab ka loodust. Kuid otseloomulikult on kodumaine toit ikka hulka parem kui mistahes külmutatud versioon. Siiski, Saksamaalt toodud on usaldusväärsem, kui teiselt poolt maakera, eriti kui sa elad kõigest mõnikümmend kilomeetrit üle piiri.



Ah, ja seda ka, et hapukad koogikesed läksid vabariigi aastapäeval külalistele peale nagu soojad saiad.

Tegelikult lubasin ma endale nii pikka pläkutamist tänu sellele, et retsepti leidsin ma siit. Seega ei pea ma seda ümber kirjutama. Mina kasutasin neid samu fabrikaat-korvikesi (mida mul kulus selle koguse peale 7), mida eelmises retseptiski nii, et koogikesed valmisid hõlpsasti. Kel aga soovi need ise meisterdada siis järgmine retsept, millega tegin ka sidrunikoogikestele põhja, peaks sobima.

Põhi:
100 grammi võid
2 dl jahu
3 supilusikatäit suhkrut
näpuotsatäis soola

Sega kõik ained kokku. Lisa vajadusel veel jahu. Suru tainas lahtikäiva koogivormi (26 cm) või muffinivormide põhja ja äärtesse, tee sellesse kahvliga mõned augud. Küpseta 160 kraadises ahjus mitte rohkem kui kümme minutit.



Just like the previous desserts, I made these sour rhubarb tartlets for the Estonian independence day. The rhubarb season is just starting and the prices are still ridiculously high - 6 euro a kilogram(!) compared to the 7 about two months ago. However, I noticed some cut up frozen ones in the supermarket and only had to mention them to my mother when they miraculously appeared in the deep fridge.

And a short lecture on why deep frozen is better than what you'll find in the "fresh" fruit area. A lot of the "fresh" fruit and vegetables are grown south of the equator as it stays warm there for longer than here, in Europe. However, to save them from going off during transportation they are picked way before they are ready as they are supposed to ripen while being transported. They are also covered with various things like wax to keep them from going off. This is why all the bananas sold here are absolutely green when they arrive. However, while transported the fruit loose their taste, smell, colour and vitamins, that they anyways lacked at first place.
On the other hand, the frozen fruit you can buy here, is usually grown in Europe. As it doesn't have to be transported for thousands of kilometers  it can be picked when ripe and frozen right away. This way the taste, colour, smell and vitamins are preserved and the amount of money spent on transport is reduced, making the prices of these goods considerably smaller (the frozen rhubarb was half the price). However, if given the opportunity to buy fresh local foods then they are better than anything frozen.

These tartlets were easy to make and the guests liked them, even though not as much as the lemon ones, so they were a success.

I used the same store bought tartlets as in the previous recipe, however, if you want to make your own, the pastry used in the lemon meringues should do.



Pastry base:
100 grams butter
2 decilitres flour
3 tablespoons sugar
a pinch of salt

Mix everything together and add more flour if needed. Cover the base of a greased round springform cake tin (26 cm, removable bottom) with the pastry dough and make a few holes with a fork. Bake for less than 10 min in a 160 degree oven.

For the filling you'll need:
300 g of chopped rhubarb
150 g of chopped strawberries
80 g of sugar
3 spoonfuls of amaretto

1 egg white
3 spoonfuls of sugar
almond slices

Mix the chopped rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and amaretto in a saucepan and heat at a low temperature for 10 minutes. To save the structure of the fruits, don't stir a lot. Pour out the liquid (I didn't have anything to pour out though), you can use it as sirup and mix it with water for some "juice". Divide the jam between you tartlets (I got 7).

For the meringue whisk the egg white with the sugar and place on top of the rhubarb jam. Sprinkle some almond slices on top and bake at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.


Source: Siit nurgast ja sealt nurgast.