RHUBARB BUTTERMILK CAKE

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Baking time:  35-45 Mintues
Makes 1 9x13 cake, easily divided in half for an 8x8

 

CAKE
• 1/2 cup (1 stick,  salted butter, room temperature)
• 1-1/4 cups  brown sugar
• 1 large egg (1 egg works for a half cake too)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups rhubarb, cut in half-inch pieces (save a few pieces for the top, see TIPS)

TOPPING

• 4 Tablespoons Soft Room Temperature Butter
• 7 1/2  Tablespoons Flour
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts
  
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• Few pieces rhubarb

Heat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9x13 pan (full recipe) or 8x8 or 10-inch round pan (half recipe).

 

CAKE

 With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and combine well. Add the buttermilk and combine well. Add the flour and baking soda, mix in just until combined.

With a spatula, turn in rhubarb. Transfer to baking pan.

 

TOPPING

 Mix the soft butter, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon until crumbled.  Mix in Walnuts.  Sprinkle across the top. Insert a few pieces of rhubarb across the top.

BAKE Bake for 35-45 minutes until the cake begins to pull away from the pan’s edges and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

COOL Let cool until ready to serve. Keeps two to three days.

Yeasted Waffles

America's Test Kitchen

 

 

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

A tiny bit of planning makes our raised waffle recipe easy to have ready in the morning. Mixing the ingredients and letting the batter stand overnight was convenient; refrigerating the batter helped control the growth of the yeast in our waffle recipe and produced waffles with superior flavor.

   
SERVES Seven 7-inch round or four 9-inch square waffles
TIME:  30 minutes, plus 12 hours rising
 



GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS
1 ¾ cups whole milk, or low-fat milk, or skim milk
8 tablespoons
unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon
vanilla extract


BEFORE YOU BEGIN
The batter must be made 12 to 24 hours in advance. We prefer the texture of the waffles made in a classic waffle iron, but a Belgian waffle iron will work, though it will make fewer waffles. The waffles are best served fresh from the iron but can be held in an oven until all of the batter is used. As you make the waffles, place them on a wire rack set above a baking sheet, cover them with a clean kitchen towel, and place the baking sheet in a 200-degree oven. When the final waffle is in the iron, remove the towel to allow the waffles to crisp for a few minutes. These waffles are quite rich; buttering them before eating is not compulsory and, to some, may even be superfluous.

1
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat milk and butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat until butter is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool milk/butter mixture until warm to touch. Meanwhile, whisk flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in large bowl to combine. Gradually whisk warm milk/butter mixture into flour mixture; continue to whisk until batter is smooth. In small bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla until combined, then add egg mixture to batter and whisk until incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 12 and up to 24 hours.

2
Following manufacturer’s instructions, heat waffle iron; remove waffle batter from refrigerator when waffle iron is hot (batter will be foamy and doubled in size). Whisk batter to recombine (batter will deflate). Bake waffles according to manufacturer’s instructions (use about ½ cup for 7-inch round iron and about 1 cup for 9-inch square iron). Serve waffles immediately or hold in low temperature oven (see above note).

 

 

 Tuscan Shrimp and Beans

   America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper
1 pound large shell-on shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed, shells reserved
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans (1 can drained and rinsed, 1 can left undrained)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
¼ cup shredded fresh basil
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice

Instructions

1. Dissolve sugar and 1 tablespoon salt in 1 quart cold water in large container. Submerge shrimp in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove shrimp from brine and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to turn spotty brown and skillet starts to brown, 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Remove skillet from heat and carefully add 1 cup water. When bubbling subsides, return skillet to medium heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

4. Strain mixture through colander set over large bowl. Discard shells and reserve liquid (you should have about 1/4 cup). Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.

5. Heat 2 tablespoons oil, onion, garlic, anchovies, pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in now-empty skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

6. Add 1 can drained beans, 1 can beans and their liquid, tomatoes, and shrimp stock and bring to simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

7. Reduce heat to low, add shrimp, cover, and cook, stirring once during cooking, until shrimp are just opaque, 5 to 7 minutes.

8. Remove skillet from heat and stir in basil and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

9. Transfer to serving dish, drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and serve.