A Mother’s Day Treat: Tiny Strawberry Rhubarb Crisps

Strawberry Rhubarb CrispMature. Refined. Perfectly sweet, but not overly sweet. When I first came upon this teeny dreamy dessert at our spring recipe testing, it was love at first bite. Actually, my slight obsession with the sweet yet tart flavors of strawberry and rhubarb began early in the baking process. Shiny strawberries teased me with juicy promises, while the bright rhubarb whispered tart nothings. I was sure this crisp recipe would be a great treat for grown-ups. And I was not disappointed.

We’ll be making this fantastic recipe with the mamas and families at our fun Mother’s Day Brunch cooking class in San Francisco this weekend. Why not share this recipe with your mama, too?! If you’re lucky enough to live nearby, you can even whip up a batch for her!

Tiny Strawberry Rhubarb Crisps with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream Recipe
This recipe can also be found in our dessert recipe library!

Fruit Crisp In Progress

Ingredients
Filling:
4 cups fresh rhubarb, 1/4-inch diced (about 6 stalks or 1 pound)
4 cups fresh strawberries, (about 2 pounds) hulled and quartered, if large
1 cup demerara sugarJuicy Strawberry
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Parchment paper
Mini baking molds and spoons
or ceramic ramekins for a plated dessert

Topping:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (can sub brown rice flour)
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream:
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
Mint for garnish if desired

Methods/Steps
Preheat oven to 425°F.

Prepare Filling: Dice the rhubarb into 1/4 inch pieces. Hull and quarter the strawberries. In a bowl, toss fruit with the sugar and the orange zest. Dissolve the cornstarch in the orange juice, then mix into the fruit.

Fill molds: Place baking molds on a parchment lined sheet pan (you can use ramekins, if you prefer). Fill the molds 1/4 full and set aside while preparing topping.

Make Topping: In a large bowl, combine all the topping ingredients and pinch them together with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse sand. Evenly sprinkle topping over mini molds.

Whip Cream: In a medium bowl, beat cream, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt until soft peaks form. Place into a decorative bowl and chill until ready to serve.

Serve: Place the crisps and mini spoons on a decorative platter. Serve the whipped cream on the side. Garnish platter with mint.

Serves/Makes
Makes 25-30 Mini Crisps or 10-12 Full Size Plated Desserts

Recipe created by Parties That Cook® www.PartiesThatCook.com.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Style: Little Fish Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

Cinco de Mayo RecipeHappy Cinco de Mayo! Looking to celebrate with a few friends or even just the family this evening? Spice up taco night with these light Little Fish Tacos. The twist: we’re ditching traditional tortillas for thin slices of refreshing jicama! Try it. We dare you. Perfectly paired with light fish and crisp jicama is the bright and fresh Mango and Avocado Salsa. Minced Jalpeno is sure to wake up your Monday, but you can always scale back if you can’t stand the heat (like me!).

You can find this recipe in-action at our spring corporate team building events and private cooking parties!

Little Fish “Tacos” in Jicama Tortillas with Tropical Avocado Salsa
Fish Taco in Jicama "Tortilla"
This recipe can be found in our Appetizer Recipe Library!

Ingredients
Fish:
3/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 small red chili, seeded
Zest of 2 limes
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds white fish like tilapia, sole or bass fillets

Slicing Jicama

Jicama “Tortillas”:
2 softball size jicama
Mandolin (set on 2.0 setting)

Salsa (yields 2 1/2 cups):
1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded, diced
1 tomato, seeded, diced
2 green onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 jalapeño chili, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, diced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Lime wedges and cilantro for garnish

Methods/Steps
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Prepare Fish: Put cilantro, paprika, cumin, chili, lime zest, olive oil and salt in a blender and process to a paste. Toss fish with the paste and let marinate for 20 minutes. Place fish onto a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for 8-10 minutes or until opaque. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 32 strips. (It may break up and that is ok!)

Prepare Jicama Shells: Slice one end off of the jicama to create a flat surface. Peel the skin off (don’t worry about peeling the top of the bulb where you will hold it). Shave the bulb into rounds about one centimeter thick, about the thickness of a dime. The first few shavings can be experimental. The jicama will still yield plenty of rounds. Stop shaving about 2 inches before the jicama gets close to any fingers. OPTION: If the jicama is large enough, you may be able to stack the shaved rounds of jicama on top of one another and cut them into circles using a 3” ring cutter.

Make Salsa: Cut the mango and tomato into 1/4 inch dice. Place fruit into a bowl. Add the sliced green onions, minced chili, cilantro and lime juice and mix to combine. Carefully dice the avocado and gently mix into the salsa. Don’t mash avocado by over mixing the salsa!

Assemble: Place a strip of fish onto a jicama “tortilla”. Top with a heaping teaspoon of the salsa. Place little tacos onto a platter and prop them up by nesting them closely together. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.

Serves/Makes
Makes 32 3″ Mini Tacos

This recipe was created by Parties That Cook!