Rhubarb and custard hand pies

500g puff pastry

200g rhubarb

50g sugar

1 tbsp cornflour

Slice rhubarb, put in a saucepan and sprinkle the sugar on top. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes, sugar starts to melt and juices start to run. Turn on the heat and let it come to a light simmer, mix in the cornflour. Take it off the heat as soon as the juices have started to thicken.

pastry cream

3 egg yolks

60g sugar

20g flour

250ml milk

vanilla

Combine egg yolks with half of the sugar and whisk to a light ribbon consistency. Next mix in the flour, no lumps please.
In a saucepan scald milk with vanilla and the rest of the sugar. Pour hot milk over the egg yolks, stirring all the time. Mix well and return to the saucepan.
Bring the mixture to boil over medium-low heat, stirring continuously. Allow to bubble for about two minutes then tip into a bowl. Cover with cling film to prevent a skin from forming.

Now that we've got our prep done, roll out the pastry. Every 50g of pastry should be enough to get a base and a lid for one hand pie. Do use your rolling pin, even if you are using ready-rolled pastry.

Drop a spoonful of pastry cream, followed by a heaping of rhubarb, on every pastry base. Cut holes in the centre of the lids, to let steam escape and to add extra cream later. Cover the bases with lids, using a fork to really squish those halves together. Brush with sweetened milk or egg wash and bake in a 210C oven for 10 minutes.

Now, you should have some pastry cream left over (unless you ate it all..). It would be a good idea to pipe this extra cream inside the pies, the hole on top is great for that.

Roasted rhubarb that I previously blogged about is great for all sorts of uses, like why not wrap it in a buttery flaky blanket?

A rich flaky croissant with a tart soft centre. Of course it would be even better using home-made dough if one has the time. Indeed.

I suppose you could attempt this with raw rhubarb as well but it will not be as enjoyable. Somehow you'd have to sweeten that rhubarb without causing the juices to run all over the place making everything soggy. The rhubarb might even be a bit stringy if it's not the youngest of stalks.

Rhubarb croissants

400g ready-rolled croissant dough
8 pieces of roasted rhubarb (9cm in length)
4 squares of white chocolate
egg wash for brushing

Ideally you should be able to cut the dough into eight identical triangles, about 18cm tall and with a base of about 9cm to 10cm. The dough should not be rolled any thinner than 4mm.
Place the triangles on the table with the bases towards you. Cut a 1cm slit in the middle of the base of each of the triangles. Place a piece of rhubarb just above the slit, sprinkle with some chopped white chocolate (about half a square's worth) and roll it up tightly.

Brush gently with egg wash, don't let it drip much, cover and let rise in a warm place for about a hundred minutes or slightly more. Just look at them and when they seem all puffed up and chubby then very gently brush with egg wash once more and bake in a 190C oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Oven roasted rhubarb and coconut tapioca pudding.

Roasting rhubarb in the oven is very easy and it gives great results. Roasted rhubarb is tender and aromatic but not mushy as often happens during stewing.

1kg rhubarb
200-300g sugar
orange zest
knob of ginger, sliced
vanilla

The amount of sugar depends on the use, if you are going to use it on top of a cake, use less sugar.
Cut rhubarb into desired lengths or into thick slices. Scatter on a roasting tray and sprinkle the sugar on top. Let sit for about 20 minutes or until juices start to run. Now add all the other ingredients as well and roast in a 220C oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

about 600ml water or enough to fill two thirds of your saucepan
80g tapioca pearls
50g sugar
150ml double cream
150ml coconut cream
pinch of salt
500ml rhubarb, roasted or stewed

Divide rhubarb among four larger glasses or six smaller glasses, set aside.

Bring water to a simmer, add the tapioca (check the instructions on the package, some pearls require soaking), stirring with a spoon to prevent the pearls from sticking. Simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat until they look translucent, stirring occasionally. Drain and refresh in cold water.
In a saucepan melt the sugar with cream, coconut cream and salt. Add the pearls and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes. Divide between glasses, cover and let cool.

About two weeks ago, the big chill rolled in and unfolded its fluffy white blanket.
The temperature dropped from a rather tame -8°C to a toe-curling -25°C (even colder on the mainland), and on clear days the air was literally sparkling, as if filled with diamonds! Right now it's snowing, again.

If this continues as it has done thus far, we should be able to visit our neighbouring island by driving across the frozen sea. In a couple of weeks, perhaps. It is always great fun! Especially when the ice moves due to the wind and therefore develops some bumps, cracks and splits along the way. People will then place wooden boards over the largest splits to avoid losing their cars to the bottom of the sea. As sometimes does happen.

I find ice ferns on the windows mesmerising. Found these gorgeous creations on the eastern window in the sitting room. Keep gazing at them every day. Checking the progress. Sadly, ice flowers are becoming quite rare in this day and age since more and more people opt for hermetic plastic windows.

Art director at work. Showing me the ropes.

Tehumardi apple juice from Saaremaa.

Probably my favourite juice. Apple juice, produced right here on the island, from specially selected apple varieties.
I could ramble on and on about its superior taste with hints of meadows and peaches. And it looks fab as well!

I had a bit of marzipan left over from December (really!) and with the help of some glamorous rhubarb, turned it into muffins.

Rhubarb marzipan muffins


120g flour
1 tsp baking powder
60g sugar, plus extra
60g butter, melted
120ml buttermilk
1 egg
120g rhubarb, chopped
80g good quality marzipan, not the overly sweet stuff


In a bowl toss together flour, baking powder and sugar.
In a jug mix together melted butter, buttermilk and the egg.
Line a 6-hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Cut 50g of the marzipan into small dice, toss it in a spoonful of caster sugar, just enough to cover the bits with some glittery sugar granules. Measure the rest of the marzipan (30g) into 5g pieces and roll these into six perfectly round balls.
Sprinkle rhubarb with about two teaspoons of sugar and toss to cover evenly.
Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Pour wet ingredients from the jug into the dry ingredients in the bowl. Mix a little. Add rhubarb and mix through. Don't fret if it looks a bit lumpy, it's fine, you don't want to overwork it. Drop two fat spoonfuls of dough into each of the six cases, then sneak in a ball of marzipan and cover with the rest of the dough. Sprinkle the sugared marzipan bits on top and bake for 25 minutes, lowering the temperature by 15 degrees after the first five minutes.

I have been very busy, baking!
The rush will continue for yet another week.

Apple, rhubarb and raspberry pies, baked in small pots.

A spur of the moment poppy seed gugelhupf for breakfast. And a new mug!

Apple, rhubarb and raspberry pies

For the shortcrust pastry
100g flour
50g butter, room temperature
1 tbsp water
salt and sugar

3 apples
1 tbsp butter
about 200g rhubarb, finely sliced
about 125g raspberries
sugar
cornflour

Sieve the flour into a bowl. Add a pinch of sugar and salt. Cut butter into cubes and add to the bowl.
Work the butter into the flour, while trying to keep it light, until the texture resembles breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle some cold water into the bowl and mix through with a fork. Use your hands to bring the pastry together into a ball. The sides of the bowl should come clean.
Wrap the pastry in cling film and let rest in the fridge.

Clean, peel and core the apples. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat and melt a spoonful of butter with about 3 spoonfuls of sugar. Heat until a light caramel starts to form. Cut the apples into medium dice (parmentier) and toss into the saucepan. Turn the heat down a notch and cook until apples start to soften, remove from the heat.
Toss the rhubarb slices and raspberries in a mixture of sugar and cornflour. The cornflour is needed to bind the juices.
Bring out the pastry and roll it into a thickness of about 3mm. Cut into four fitting circles, make a hole in the centre of each. Take four ramekins* and fill with the fruit mixture, cover with the pastry lids and bake in the oven at 190°C for 20 minutes.

Serve with custard or ice cream.

*When using larger pots like I did, it will only yield three.

Rhubarb and custard. It's a classic and deservedly so.

Rhubarb and custard dessert with curd cheese mousse.
A swiss roll with rhubarb and custard filling.
These are the leftovers.

I find the simple version to be the best - cool and warm, tart and sweet - rhubarb rose kissel with vanilla custard.


4 egg yolks
250ml milk
75g sugar
20ml Grand Marnier
a pinch of powdered vanilla or vanilla paste

Whisk egg yolks with sugar, Grand Marnier and vanilla until pale. Scald milk and pour onto the yolks in a thin stream while whisking. Whisk the custard mixture over a bain marie until thickened, take off the heat and cool.

500g rhubarb
250g sugar
900ml water
2 tbsp rose water
2-3 tbsp potato starch

To make the kissel, wash and chop the rhubarb into 15mm chunks and toss into a saucepan with sugar, water and rose water. There should be enough water to loosely cover the rhubarb and then some. Add sugar according to taste, you might like it sweeter or tarter.

Simmer on a low heat until rhubarb is just tender but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Gently strain the liquid and return it back into the saucepan, saving the lovely rhubarb chunks for later.

Return the saucepan to the heat. Mix the starch with a couple of tablespoons of cool water and pour this into the saucepan. Mix well and let it come back to boil, take off the heat, cover and let cool. Put the rhubarb chunks back into the kissel or serve separately.

Preserve some of this year's gorgeous rhubarb in a jar as a luscious gelée.


Cook rhubarb with a good splash of water and vanilla in a pot until completely tender and juicy. Strain through a sieve lined with a cheesecloth or just purée it. (Straining will give you a clearer result but will also produce some wastage unless you use the leftover pulp in a pie or cake.)

Bring back to boil and add jam sugar according to packet instructions, otherwise it might not set properly. Boil for a few minutes and fill up the jars. Now you're all set for winter!

Four different varieties of rhubarb growing in my garden. Hopefully I will be able to collect some soon, for a cake or two.