Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Alarm Testing, Rhubarb, Honey.

Alarm bellMatt and I are being driven mad today, the alarms are being tested and they ring every few minutes. We have nowhere particular to go today so we are putting up with it but I am at the point of screaming. We go through this every year, I think, but this year it seems particularly aggravating for some reason. We have a bell right outside our apartment which doesn’t help of course. I'd not long finished writing this and they stopped, about 2 hours earlier than estimated. Hurrah.

I finally cooked my rhubarb, not the best I have ever seen but I have rhubarbno doubt it will taste just fine. I used Splenda to sweeten not wanting to turn it into a high calorie dessert. I have enough for two servings. I got some for a friend, hope hers is OK as well.

Spring has left us, it is cold and windy today. Matt has gone from shorts yesterday to long pants today and said he actually needed a coat when he went out this morning.

I just read an interesting article about crystallised honey. It is one way to tellcrystallised honey that you have got the really good stuff from a local apiary rather than processed stuff which doesn’t have such a good taste and nor is it as pure and good for you. You can de-crystallise it by standing the jar in warm water, but if you do this too often you end up with a tasteless product. I actually love the crystallised form anyway. It is much easier to handle and I don’t have to watch for honey drips when I spoon it from the jar onto my toast. Just might add a little to my rhubarb too.

I actually don’t like roasted asparagus as much as steamed or boiled although certain dishes it works better. This one looks pretty good so I thought I would share it. Some of you may remember I have been making baby kale smoothies. I was wondering how kale compared with asparagus and I find that the main difference is in the Vitamin A component. Otherwise they are very similar in nutritional value.
 
Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise


Recipe courtesy of Food Network KitchenAsparagus Hollandaise
 
Yield:4 servings

Ingredients
Asparagus:
1 pound medium asparagus
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce: 1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Trim the woody ends from the asparagus. Spread the spears in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roll to coat thoroughly. Roast the asparagus until lightly browned and tender, about 10 minutes, giving the pan a good shake about halfway through.
Meanwhile, put the egg yolk, lemon juice, and cayenne in a blender. Pulse a couple times to combine.
Put the butter in a small microwave proof bowl and heat in a microwave until just melted. With the blender running, gradually add the melted butter into the egg to make a smooth frothy sauce. If the sauce is really thick blend in a teaspoon of lukewarm water to loosen it up. Season with the salt and serve immediately or keep warm in a small heat-proof bowl set over hot (but not simmering) water until ready to serve.
Spread the roasted asparagus on a serving platter. Grind a generous amount of pepper over the top.
Cook's Note: This recipe can be easily doubled. If you double the recipe, be sure to place the stems on the baking sheet so that the tips are pointed toward the center, and the bottoms are pointed out, toward the edges of the pan. Since the tips are thinner than the stems, they tend to cook faster. However, when roasting, items at the edges of the pan cooked more quickly than those in the center. Taking the time to lace them this way helps the asparagus cook evenly.

Have a great day
Jo

33 comments:

  1. Hi Jo, It's good to see the rhubarb appearing again - it's very sour at the minute though. We tried using honey to sweeten it but it's not enough, it needed the sugar too - must try Splenda next time. Have a good week.

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    1. You are right Fil, it is sour. The Splenda worked OK though. What kind of honey were you using. I find the shop bought not sweet enough.

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  2. I had rhubarb pie once as a kid and didn't care much for it. All this time I thought Hollendaise sauce must contain cream or some other decadent ingredients. Egg and butter? Not even some flour to thicken? Is the cayenne absolutely necessary? We're not a fan of anything hot and spicy.

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    1. It seems like people either love rhubarb or hate it JoJo. As for the Hollandaise, if you don't want cayenne, leave it out. Now I love hot and spicy.

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  3. I enjoy roasted asparagus, but steaming is so much easier. As for alarms, they test the tornado alarms on the first Saturday of every month. I was driving home this month when they went off. There was one on the road I was on and when it aimed toward my car the sound was deafening. I do not know how folks live with them that close to their home.

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    1. That alarm sounds awful Denise, but then so is a tornado. How would you know when it was actually a tornado and not a test? If it was a Saturday anyway.

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  4. I haven't had rhubarb since I was little. My grandmother grew it and would always give my mom a lot of it. My aunt would always make us a rhubarb pie. Congrats on your award from Alex.

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    1. It's nice if you can get really fresh rhubarb Susan. Thanks for the congrats.

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  5. I haven't done much with rhubarb; I might have to be daring down the road and try it in a recipe. I too would be annoyed with the alarms; it would I think get me as I was trying to work here at home.

    betty

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  6. I love rhubarb too. I've tried to grow it but haven't too been successful yet.

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    1. That's odd Helen, seems to grow like weeds here.

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  7. I love Rhubarb! I also love Hollandaise sauce. My mother made a wonderful Hollandaise but I never got her recipe and now she doesn't remember. I always wanted to make a rhubarb pie but i don't like it too sweet or too gooey like when one buys it in a supermarket.

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    1. I prefer home cooked rhubarb Birgit, home cooked most things really. Other than going to a really good restaurant of course.

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  8. I love eating rhubarb pie with crunchy delicious pastry combined with cream, usually. The honey idea is new to me so I'll have to give that a go next time. It sounds much healthier than cream.

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    1. I love cream though Spacerguy, especially the cream I used to get in Europe so much thicker.

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    2. Oh, rhubarb pie, how I love it. I had a recipe which incorporated a custard inside the pie. It involved egg, cream, sugar whipped up and then poured over the waiting rhubarb in the pie pan.

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    3. That sounds different Susan, and very good.

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  9. I didn't know heating the honey too much took out the flavor. Duly noted.

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    1. There is a lot to know about honey and its flavours Alex

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  10. Great tip about the honey. The other honey tip I have is to order local honey from the area you will be visiting and have a spoonful a day for a week prior to your trip. This will reduce or even eliminate allergies when visiting.

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    1. That is certainly a great idea if you are subject to allergies KAT, which, thankfully I am not.

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  11. My mom was having so many allergy problems this spring and everyone kept saying "local honey." Finding local honey where she lives isn't easy, though, since she's right in Nashville. The Farmer's Market doesn't start up until mid-May and by then, allergy season was well underway!

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    1. Couldn't find anything on the internet Stephanie? Often they will ship to you. Hope she can find something.

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  12. The asparagus looks delicious! I'm craving some fresh homegrown asparagus but since I don't have any here where we live I think I'll jst pick some up at the grocery store later this week.

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    1. What a pity you can't find fresh asparagus where you are Lily, it is so much nicer. Is your name Lily?

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  13. The alarms would drive me up the wall. They test them at school sometimes and you can imagine how silly the kids are about it.

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    1. Normally they don't worry me a lot Pinky, but this year, for some reason, they were driving both of us nuts. Yes, I can imagine how the kids were.

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  14. The rhubarb in our garden is very poor this year (early days yet). I think its because we had such a wet winter - rhubarb prefers the cold stuff! But there will be enough for David to enjoy a few baked rhubarb and custard desserts!

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    1. I think that's been the trouble here Sue. It tasted fine though. Didn't make custard, haven't had that in years.

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  15. Didn't know about the alarms and alarm tests, but it would make sense to practice. And it would have to be deafening to reach and warn. But, I'd hate it, too.

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    1. You are right on all counts Susan. It is best to plan to be out for the day. We slipped up there though.

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  16. We had to resist putting the heat on yesterday morning. But glad we did because later it warmed up.

    Okay, you are my last blog for the morning. I've got another pot of bone stock done and it's time to get it cooled down to temp.

    Wishing you the best weekend.

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    1. I would like too have put the heat on yesterday, and today come to think of it, but it's turned off. Lucky you, lots of stock.

      Thanks, you too Ivy.

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