Sugar Cube (33 page)

Rhubarb is one of my all-time favorite flavors, so I love using it any chance I get. An easy way for me to work it into my desserts (and my breakfast and lunch) is to turn it into jam. It’s so easy to make and much more flavorful and fresh tasting than store-bought. Use it to top scones (see
Thugs-’n’-Harmony
), biscuits (see
Jammin on the One
), vanilla panna cotta (see
Black Cow Panna Cotta
), and sweet risotto (see
Vanilla Bean Risotto
). Or make the ultimate ice-cream sandwich: Split a slightly warm glazed buttermilk bar in half horizontally, slather the bottom half with jam, place a couple scoops of ice cream on top—
Cream Soda Ice Cream
, vanilla bean, or ginger are all awesome—and then replace the top. Come summertime, this is a serious customer favorite. Clearly there’s no end to this jam’s uses. The vanilla bean rounds out the flavor and adds lovely specks, so don’t skip it. The jam keeps in the refrigerator for several weeks, or you can process it in a boiling-water canner for longer storage.
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS

• 6 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb (
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  - to 1-inch pieces; see tip)
  
• 1
  ³
  /
  ₄
  cups sugar
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  teaspoon sea salt
  
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon (2 to 3 tablespoons juice)
  
• 1 vanilla bean
  

• IN A MEDIUM HEAVY-BOTTOMED SAUCEPAN
  , combine the rhubarb, sugar, salt, and lemon zest and juice. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Add to the pan along with the pod and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is tender and the mixture has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
  
• REMOVE FROM THE HEAT
  and let cool before transferring the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerating.
  

•
When shopping for fresh rhubarb, choose the stalks with the darkest red color; they’ll impart the best color, and, in my opinion, they also have a better flavor.

Do you really need to spend $5 on a 4-ounce tub of crème fraîche? No, not when you can easily make it yourself for half the price. It’s really just cream that’s been colonized by good bacteria, which you can duplicate by mixing cream with a cultured dairy product like buttermilk or yogurt and letting it sit in a warm place to encourage those good little bugs to get busy. Crème fraîche is great when lightened with whipped cream and used as a topping for pies and tarts or as a filling for cakes like the
Badonkadonk Shortcake
. Think of it as fancy sour cream. In summertime, when the air is warm, it’s effortless to whip up. In cooler months, you may need to experiment to find a warm enough place to keep it. Try leaving it on top of a stove with a pilot light, a heating pad, a water heater, or a radiator.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

• 2 tablespoons buttermilk or plain yogurt with live cultures
  
• 2 cups heavy cream (not ultra-pasteurized)
  

• IN A SMALL NONREACTIVE BOWL
  , whisk together the buttermilk and cream. Pour the mixture into a clean glass jar, place the lid slightly ajar, and leave in a warm place (at least 70°F) until slightly thickened, at least 8 and up to 24 hours. Stir, then cover and chill until thickened a bit more. It will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
  

•
If the cream doesn’t thicken within 24 hours of sitting out somewhere warm, toss it. There are several likely scenarios to explain what happened: Your buttermilk or yogurt didn’t have any live cultures, your cream was ultra-pasteurized, or the mixture got too hot and killed the bacteria.

At the cart, just about everything gets a hit of Fresh Whoop (Southern slang for “whipped cream”). I can’t help it. Everything tastes better with whipped cream. Besides, it’s what my mom always did. She was obsessed with the stuff and passed that trait right on to me. She never used the stuff in the canister or Cool Whip because they don’t count. Fresh whipped cream is just that—fresh cream whipped right on the spot. It tastes so much better than any of the commercial pretenders. Plus, it’s a blank canvas, so you can flavor it dozens of different ways. When I want to add depth, I use dark brown sugar instead of granulated. When I want to get boozy, I use spirits or liqueurs. You can also add a pinch or two of ground spices, or infuse the cream with herbs or whole spices: Heat the cream with them, allow to steep until it tastes the way you like it, then strain and chill before whipping.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

• 1 cup cold heavy cream (preferably 40 percent fat)
  
• 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or dark brown sugar
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or seeds scraped from
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  to
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  vanilla bean
  

• IN THE BOWL OF A STAND MIXER
  fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until medium-soft peaks form. (Alternatively you can whip the cream with a handheld mixer or by hand with a whisk, though it’ll take a longer.) If you want the peaks softer, whip less. If you want them sturdier, whip longer, but don’t overwhip or the cream will curdle and eventually turn into butter!
  

VARIATION:

I grew up on Nutella like most other kids grow up on peanut butter. My mom loved the stuff (she pronounced it “NEW-tell-a”), and I swear she put it on everything. Now I do, too. One of my favorites is whipping it into fresh cream for a most decadent chocolate-hazelnut whoop. It’s amazing on my
Milk Chocolate Pôts de Crème
, but I’m sure you can find dozens of other uses, too.

• FOLLOW THE PRECEDING RECIPE
  , but before you whip the cream, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of room-temperature Nutella to the bowl. Whip until medium-soft peaks form.
  

Almond flour

Jammin’ on the One (Biscuits ‘n’ Jam)

Almond paste

Le Almond

Almonds

Toasted-Coconut Panna Cotta with Aunti Shirley’s Chocolate Sauce

Apples

Apple-Apricot Crostatas

Pop Culture Frozen Yogurt

Apricot-Apple Crostatas

Aric-A-Strata with Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Fresh Dill

Aunti Shirley’s Chocolate Sauce

Bacon

Candied Bacon Crunch

Praline Bacon Crunch

Badonkadonk Shortcake