STRAWBERRY RHUBARB YOGURT CAKE

I don't have a lot of "food memories" from my childhood.   I didn't have a grandmother who taught me her famous pie crust, or a mother who made fresh pasta every week.  There wasn't that kind of connection to food, or as far as I can remember.  We were average, like most - just trying to feed ourselves well enough.  

I do remember Summers though.   As I kid, the warmer months could be memorialized by my constant stomach aches from too many plums (we had a tree - ugh, California..) or too many strawberries.  My mom would buy huge crates of fruit from some farmstand & I would eat most of it before my sisters even saw it.  I'm not sure I ate much else between the months of May-August.

Fruit desserts are my actual favorite to this day.  There's something so refreshing & lovely about them in the warmer months, especially when you can't (physically) eat any more fresh fruit.  I can still put down almost half a moderately-sized watermelon if I wanted, but for the most part - I bake.  Curbs the Summer aches & is much better for sharing with others.

Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Cake  - Adapted from Cannelle et Vanille (gluten-free)

| This cake can be made with any seasonal fruit - It would be great with Sour Cherries or red currants! |

  • 1 cup almond meal or flour
  • 3/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 3/4 cup sorghum flour
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
  • 4oz. rhubarb stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 4 oz. strawberries, chopped
  • 2 oz. raspberries
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
  • 1/4 cup ghee or butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all flours, baking powder, and salt until well combined.  In another mixing bowl, mix together lemon zest & 1/2 cup sugar with your fingers until mixed well & fragrant.  Add rhubarb stalks & berries to stir & gently macerate.  In a small bowl, stir together lemon juice & yogurt and set aside.

Add eggs, butter and yogurt to whisked flour mixture.  Stir until mixed well.  At the last minute, mix in berries & rhubarb until well combined.

Grease an 8-inch springform cake pan well.  Pour cake batter and spread top evenly with a spatula.  Sprinkle remaining sugar over top.  Bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean & the edges are golden brown.  Let cool for 25 minutes before removing from pan.  

This post was originally shot for H&M!

CELERY ROOT & PINK LADY APPLE SOUP WITH YOGURT, TOASTED HAZELNUTS & MICROGREENS

In New York, it's been a cold, cold winter this year with no end in sight.  Just a few days ago it snowed again, just 24 hours after the "first day of Spring." While I've been subsisting off brothy, meaty soups (obviously comforting in freezing temps), I'm searching for something a little brighter.  This soup is just hearty enough for a cold night, but has the freshness of Springtime – or more specifically, Spring weather - is hopefully just around the corner.  

If you've never cooked with celery root (or celeriac) – this is your time.  It's a root vegetable with the essence of Spring.  I know it appears pretty gnarly on the surface, but once you shed its knobby skin, it has such a light, fragrant celery taste that anyone would love.  Enjoy this soup warm with good, crusty bread.

CELERY ROOT & PINK LADY APPLE SOUP WITH YOGURT, TOASTED HAZELNUTS & MICROGREENS (Gluten-free, grain-free, vegan opt.)

SERVES 6-8

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 leek, cut into half-moons
  • 1 small sweet onion, roughly chopped
  • 2-3 pink lady or honey crisp apples, peeled & diced
  • 1 3/4 lb. celeriac, peeled and diced (about 4 cups chopped)
  • 1 medium parsnip, peeled and diced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3-4 sprigs of thyme
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk, or about 1/2 can
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
  • Freshly ground white pepper
  • Greek yogurt, to serve
  • Microgreens, to serve

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Heat a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat with olive oil.  Add garlic, onion, leek, apple, celery root and parsnip.  Sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until onions and leeks begin to soften.  Stir in bay leaves, thyme, nutmeg, broth and coconut milk. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer over low heat until celery root, apples & parsnips are completely softened.  Season as you go with sea salt and freshly cracked white pepper.

In the meantime, add hazelnuts to a small baking sheet.  Cook for 10-12 minutes or until your kitchen smells nutty and hazelnut skins begin to flake off.  Set aside to cool.  Once hazelnuts are cool enough to touch, rub them between your hands to remove skins (this step can be skipped, but the hazelnut skins will flake off easily and no one wants that in their soup!).  Once most of the skins are removed, roughly chop and set aside.

Once soup is soft, use a hand blender or actual blender to puree soup until smooth.  Season each bowl with flaky sea salt, white pepper and hazelnuts.  Then top with a dollop of yogurt and a handful of microgreens.  Serve immediately. 

This post was originally shot for H&M !