Three Things

Strawberry-rhubarb crisp, how to make your salads sing, the season's best cookbooks

Good morning! Hope you all had a nice long weekend — we cooked like crazy (continue to love this series so much), watched the Champions League final, and tried an iconic NYC slice for the first time ever. Here is your weekly trifecta…

1. Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Abby is her father’s daughter when it comes to expressing her enthusiasm about food. So when I made this crisp for her and my niece, Amanda on Saturday night, the groaning and ohmygod-ing coming from the two was hilarious, but not exactly shocking. Quote of the night: “This is what tasting good should taste like.” I realize that the magic of strawberry and rhubarb is not breaking news, but I feel a contractual duty as a food writer to remind you of it this time of year, when you can find the ruby red stalks at the farmer’s market by the bushel. More reviews from the girls: “The acid and the sweetness and the crunch and the darker toasty buttery topping with the brightness of the fruit….Mom! How good would this filling be on top of pancakes or waffles tomorrow morning?” Unfortunately, there were zero leftovers, so I guess we’ll just have to make another one this weekend to find out. (Pinterest people: This recipe will also be posted on Dinner: A Love Story.)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
As usual, I started with my mother-in-law’s tried-and-true cobbler-crisp for the basic formula, then added a little orange zest to the filling — I stole that idea from Ina Garten.

Filling
4 cups fresh rhubarb, diced (4-5 stalks)
4 cups fresh strawberries, de-stemmed, halved
1 teaspoon orange zest
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch kosher salt

Topping
1 cup flour, whisked
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 beaten egg
5 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, toss together all filling ingredients. Let sit 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the fruit into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. 

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the topping ingredients. Add the egg, tossing with fork or your hands until the mixture is crumbly. (It should not be dry or mushy.) Sprinkle flour-egg mixture all over fruit — it will feel like a lot, but get it all in there — then drizzle the whole thing as evenly as possible with melted butter.

Bake at 350°F for 1 hour. Let it cool slightly so it sets. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

2. The Greens to Stuff Ratio

I’m obsessing a little over my salads these days, in other words, happy June! I’ll post a few new recipes I’m excited about soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to re-up this one very important rule about salad composition: Keep in mind that there doesn’t necessarily have to be a dominating base in your salads. Think of the greens (or the grains) as just one more component, as opposed to the king bed on which everything else lies. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love fresh spring greens — especially after a long winter of the tasteless bagged variety — but, to me, the best salads are the ones where you don’t have to work too hard to get a flavorful forkful. You should get a contrast of textures and flavors going in every bite without even paying attention. Here, I tossed about a cup and half of farro with generous handfuls of cranberries, feta, pea shoots, parsley, and shallots. I can’t remember the dressing I used, but likely just something simple (like a red-wine based vinaigrette) because those pea shoots were so fresh and I didn’t want to overwhelm anything. Check out more rules for better salads.

3. Best Cookbooks of Spring

If you’re in the market for some warm-weather cooking inspiration, might I direct you to the cookbook round-up I compiled for the Times? I know I say this every year, but this 2021 crop is my favorite ever. On top of great recipes, there is a wealth of personal history here, which, in my opinion, always makes the food taste better.

P.S. Speaking of round-ups, thanks to Modern Farmer for naming The Weekday Vegetarians as one of the top 5 “cookbooks to dive into” this summer and it’s in great company. Woo hoo! Have your pre-ordered yet? :) 

Housekeeping

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