Creating from a Recipe -- Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble

Taking off from my last blog, this will give you an idea of how I work.

I love Strawberry-Rhubarb anything: pies, jam, etc. so As it is Rhubarb season, I bought some and some strawberries and decided I wanted to make a crumble -- which in my mind is a sort pie filling with a coffee-crumb-like mixture on top. If you want to get technical, look up: buckle, crumble, crisp, cobbler, etc. Different cooks describe these differently and have a variety of recipes, its all good!

So, just to be sure I got things more or less in the ballpark, I looked up Rhubarb in James Beard. Now James doesn't get real specific with some recipes, so he tends to group 'berry' pies, cobblers, etc., under a general recipe and gives some extra notes relative to a specific berry or fruit. What I wanted to see in his recipe was the general ingredients and amounts for a berry pie or cobbler. For example: the amount of sugar one adds to the pie filling depends on the berry. Rhubarb requires more than most.

After glancing at the recipe, I simply went from there and did my usual 'dumping.' I had about a cup and a half to two cups of rhubarb and two cups or so of strawberries.I chopped these into manageable pieces (1/2 inch or so) tossed them in a bowl with 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar (I did not include the recommended cinnamon or any other spices as I did not want anything to interfere with that great strawberry-rhubarb flavor.), and tossed with 1/2 a stick of melted butter and four tablesppons flour (thickener, can also use Tapioca). [You can use more, but this is plenty and you know -- fat, calories, etc.] I put all in a lightly greased heavy casserole.

I didn't have a 'crumble' recipe, but I knew the general ingredients and I knew what I wanted, so I created. I tossed in a large bowl: about 3/4 cup of flour, 1/3 of a cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of white sugar (you can use all brown, but I ran out), and about 2/3 of a stick of melted butter. Mix thoroughly with a Foley Fork. [HEY! anyone out there remember the Foley Fork -- what happened to those guys? I've been looking for one for fifteen years at garage sales -- those who still have them must covet them, as I would. My son finally found a substitute which is labeled a "Granny Fork": http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp?pn=BE1123&bhcd2=1274797805. It's for mixing pie dough, etc.] Then sprinkle mixture evenly over pie ingredients.

Bake in 325-350 oven for 35-40 minutes or so until bubbly. YUM!

Serve with vanilla ice cream, even yummier!

Best,

Joe Koob

On Recipes, Cookbooks, and Magazines

I am often asked where I get my recipes, what cookbooks I use, magazines I read, and so on. So here is a brief answer to those questions.

First I have lots of cookbooks. I use them mostly for ideas, and yes, irreverent as I am, I rarely follow any recipe exactly as written. I even am so bold as to change a Julia Child or James Beard recipe -- sacrilegious, I know. I'm not sure, but I would guess that James Beard was flexible in his creations and hopefully, so was Julia.

So which books do I use the most? I find James Beard's "American Cookery," has great basic recipes to jump off from. I have an very old Betty Crocker looseleaf cookbook that's good for some old-fashioned basic things like biscuits and pancakes. For bread, I cut my teeth on "Bake Your Own Bread," by Floss and Stan Dworkin and I still refer to it today. I have others -- Child's famous book; "The New Basics;" and an old Greek cookbook; and lots of modern things that have great pictures and interesting recipes, e.g. "The Beautiful Cookbook" series. Truthfully there are many things I just dream up, and I can do so because I have so much in my head already, for example, I know how to make a souffle, so I simply think about what I want the souffle to be and I create it with no recipe at hand. I also love to look up things in "Larousse Gastronomique" -- that's getting down to the basics!

The best cooking magazine I have found is "Cooks Illustrated," which scientifically trys, experiments, and creates 'the best' way to make 'X'. Truthfully, there is rarely a 'Best' way to make anything, because your tastebuds are always a factor; but what is great about "Cooks" is you learn all about ingredients, processes, and techniques by reading about what they create. I have yet to read one of their magazines (which I do almost cover to cover), and not learned at least several interesting things I can apply to my own cooking. I also get "Bon Appetit," which is good for a recipe or two and there are a few great ideas in most issues, though I do tire of the theme issues, like -- how many ways can you recreate Thanksgiving Turkey.

One thing that drives me is eating. When I have something that is truly outstanding at a restaurant I imagine recreating it, or even, making it better. This is particularly challenging and fun when it is an ethnic cuisine [Maybe I'll talk one day about restaurants and my pet peeves with them!]

One great advantage these days is the web. Want to make sushi -- google it. I did, and I studied five or six basic recipes and then started in on my own. By looking at several descriptive websites I was able to get a good feel for what the fundamentals and ingredients were, and then I could take it from there. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm off and running in a new direction!

The bottom line on recipes -- know what you want, know the ingredients and how they will change things, create from there. The better handle you have on the basics, the better and more freely you can create. You also have to have a bit of the rebel in you.

Have fun cooking!

Joe Koob