Jennifer's Rhubarb Crisp

THIS IS A REPOST FROM DECKONFOOD.COM.  http://deckonfood.com/?p=475

When it comes to summer time food, there is nothing that says summer to me more than rhubarb.  Every summer, my grandmother would turn her rhubarb into a plethora of delicious dishes from pies to jams to breads.  I was excited when I found out that Jennifer is a rhubarb fan as well.  In fact, when we first into our house, one of the first things we planted was rhubarb.  And while we've not been very successful growing much in our garden, the rhubarb is currently flourishing.

I'm definitely not the only one in the house that can cook.  While Jennifer doesn't cook a lot, there are some things that she does really well.  And one these things just happens to be one of my favorite rhubarb preparations.  The tartness of the rhubarb combines so well with sweet fruits and a nice crumble on the top.  Add a little vanilla ice cream and it's a wonderfully simple summer dessert.

Jennifer's Strawberry Rhubarb Crips

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:

• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 2-3 cups fresh chopped rhubarb
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup sweet cream butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Step 1:  Cut the rhubarb and strawberries into bite-sized pieces.  You should have 4-5 cups of fruit.  Place all of the fruit into a 2-qt casserole dish or 8" square baking dish.
Step 2: In a separate mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients.  Using your hands, mix everything together until it forms into a nice crumble.  It should be falling apart, not forming into a dough.

Step 3: Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes until the crumble is golden brown on the top, and the fruit is bubbling around the sides.  Serve in a bowl with some vanilla ice cream.

Deck's Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Fellas, pay attention to this one because this one is for you.  If you want to earn some brownie points, pull this one out.  It's perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, or any other morning you want to be a little extra special.  This recipe is sure to please your wife, girlfriend, or girl you are interested in, and is incredibly easy to pull together.  It's not overly sweet, and surprisingly light.   This is the recipe I tried a week ago. I tweaked it a little bit and broke it out again this morning getting very favorable reviews.  And ladies, feel free to pass this on to your guy and tell him he can thank me later.

Deck's Strawberry Stuffed French Toast


Serves 2


Ingredients:

1 loaf Brioche bread (or some other soft, light bread such as French or even Challah)
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup strawberry jam or preserves
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh strawberries, diced

Step 1:  Slice the break into about 1 inch wide slices (should be just wider than 2 slices of sandwich bread).  In the side of each slice, cut a slit that goes almost all the way through, and almost all the way end to end.  You basically want to create a pouch for the filling.

Step 2: Mix the cream cheese and jam together.  Then using a spoon or small, thin spatula, put half of the cream cheese mixture into each slice.  You want to try and get it as evenly distributed within the slice as possible.  Next add the fresh, diced strawberries to the slice, again using a spoon or spatula to distribute them throughout the pouch.

Step 3:  In a skillet or griddle, melt the butter slowly over medium heat.  While the butter is melting mix together the eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla in a bowl or shallow dish large enough for the entire slice to fit into.

Step 4:  Take the brown sugar and sprinkle on the outside of each slice.  Work the brown sugar into the bread with your fingers.  Flip each slice over and repeat.

Step 5:  Dip the slice of french toast into the egg mixture, coating it completely.  Flip it over and coat the other side.  Add to the skillet.  Repeat with the second slice.  Cook for about 5 minutes on each side until a nice golden brown.

Finishing: I like to serve this with some powdered sugar and additional sliced strawberries over the top.  You can add a flavored syrup or regular maple.  Cooking this in the butter will give it that nice butter flavor without having to add any later.