Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

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Hi, friends!  It’s been a while since I’ve posted….  sorry about that!  Mr. Allie and I took the kiddos to Disney for a week!  It was so much fun and so exhausting!  Lol.  We had four days just outside of Orlando (one day per park: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom), and then two days were dedicated to travel.  It was a fabulous trip and we did it on a tight budget.  I’m thinking about maybe devoting a post to it if you think that’d be interesting???  We know lots of people who do Disney pretty frequently, and they plan everything to the nth degree, but the idea of that just totally freaked us out!  This was only my second time there since I was a kid, and I just had no idea where to begin.  Mr. Allie and I kept remarking to each other that it felt like such a rite of passage for us to be there with our children.  I think we may have been more excited about it than the kids were!  After having been there, and experienced what it was all about, we now know how we’d maybe do things differently, that is, plan it a little more.  Not that we had a bad time or anything!  It was truly a blast and the only possible improvement would have been to do less backtracking around/walking and riding more rides!

I had every intention of coming home and jumping right back on the blog train, but once we settled back in and unpacked/washed everything, I decided to take a little time just to recharge my batteries.  I think I really needed it!  Just before we left I was feeling like I was spinning my wheels, but over the last week I’ve gained a lot of clarity and a lot of inspiration.

One of the main sources of inspiration came from the folks at Chobani.  Shortly after we arrived home, we received a shipment that contained mass quantities of Chobani Greek Style Yogurt!  I’ve loved Chobani for a while now, and have used in it lots of recipes.  But now that my fridge is bursting with the stuff, I knew I needed to come up with some more great ways to use it.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

I make oven fries all the time, and I especially love to do them with sweet potatoes!  They are super-nutritious (read more about that here) but I particularly love them for their flavor.  I always prefer to pair them with more savory flavors, to contrast with their natural sweetness.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

If you toss the sweet potato fries with some heart-healthy extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle them with sea salt, and roast them on a lined baking sheet, they come out so crispy-caramelized and roasty!

Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

They are perfect for dunking in this flavorful horseradish dijon dipping sauce!  I also add a little garlic powder and agave nectar, to fat-free Greek-style yogurt, along with a big bunch of fresh chives.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

I just love how that sharp flavor plays against the caramelly sweet potato!

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

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Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce
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Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4
 

Ingredients
  • 4 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup fat-free Greek-style yogurt
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives
  • 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon agave nectar
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Cut the sweet potatoes into ¼” sticks and toss in olive oil and sea salt to coat.
  3. Arrange in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast for 20 minutes.
  4. Flip with a spatula, and roast for another 15 minutes, or until evenly browned and crisp.
  5. In a medium bowl, combine the Greek-style yogurt, chives, horseradish, Dijon, agave, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  6. Serve the sweet potato fries alongside the horseradish Dijon sauce, for dipping.

 

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

These make a great low-fat snack, especially at this time of year, when we are all looking for a way to slim down for the summer!

**Disclosure:  Although I was gifted Greek-style yogurt by Chobani, the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.**

 

Mimosa Macarons

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If everything goes according to plan, then by the time you are reading this post, I’ll be in sunny Florida, living vicariously through my kids as they take in all the magic of Disney!

In preparation for this family vacation, my kitchen and I worked some serious overtime!  I wanted to be sure to bring you this recipe today, because Mother’s Day is one of my favorite holidays (naturally ;) ), and y’all know how much I love to give a home-baked gift.

Mimosa Macarons

This one’s gonna be short and sweet, 1) because I have made macarons so many times before on this blog (scroll down and you’ll see), and 2) because I’m trying to pack up a family of four for a week in Florida, people!

The idea is simple: when I think of Mothers Day, I think of mimosas!  I’m not sure how it came to be, but in my family, it’s tradition to head out for brunch.  I don’t make a habit of imbibing before lunch on any other day of the year, but for some reason on Mothers Day I feel like I have a free pass to get looped on o.j. and champagne….!

Mimosa Macarons

These macaron shells are infused with a healthy helping of orange zest, and it perfumes the pastries so beautifully!

Mimosa Macarons

And the filling is a lovely champagne pastry cream.  I found the recipe on SprinkleBakes.com.  It comes together beautifully and the subtle champagne flavor is actually quite perceptible.  I did make a few minor tweaks to her formula (I prefer my desserts less sweet), so if you have a real sweet tooth you might want to click on over to Heather’s beautiful page and follow her recipe.  She meant for it to be eaten on it’s own, as a verrine, but I felt that since the macaron shells are so sweet, I should try to balance that.

Mimosa Macarons

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Mimosa Macarons
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Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: about 20 pastries
 

Ingredients
  • Filling:
  • ½ cup heavy cream, divided
  • ½ cup sparkling white wine
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 whole egg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Macaron shells:
  • 100 grams almond flour/meal (approx. 1 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
  • 155 grams confectioners sugar (approx 1 cup)
  • zest of one orange
  • 3 egg whites
  • pinch of cream of tartar
  • 55 grams superfine sugar (approx. ¼ cup + 2 teaspoons)
  • rose pink & lemon yellow gel paste food coloring (optional)

Instructions
  1. Make the Filling: Combine ¼ cup cream with cornstarch, yolks, and egg; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining cream, sparkling wine, and sugar, and place over medium heat. When just beginning to simmer, add a third of the wine mixture to the egg mixture, whisking vigorously. Add the warmed egg mixture to the pot, and heat over a low flame, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer, into a heat-safe bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and chill.
  2. Make the Shells: Sift the almond meal and confectioners sugar together, discarding any large bits. Add the orange zest. Whip the whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whip until soft peak stage. Slowly add in the superfine sugar. Tint with gel paste color, if desired. Continue to whip until stiff peaks are achieved. Fold the almond mixture into the whites until the batter drops from the spatula in a long ribbon. Pipe one-inch diameter rounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Allow the shells to dry and form a thin membrane/skin for about 20-30 minutes. Drop the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet.
  3. Assemble the Macarons: Pipe about two teaspoons of filling onto half the shells and sandwich.

I do want to take a moment to give a little macaron tip: if you would like to tint your shells with gel paste food coloring, as I have done (I used Wilton Rose Pink and Wilton Lemon Yellow), you want to be careful about when you add it.  Folding the batter to the proper consistency is so critical to the proper end result.  If you wait to do it after the almonds have been folded in, you’ll risk over-mixing, and your macarons will come out flat.  Add the color to the egg whites when they are at the soft peak stage, bearing in mind that it will fade out a bit when the almonds go in, and again when the shells are baked.

Mimosa Macarons

I hope you’ll whip up a batch of these for your Mom this holiday!  They are a wonderful way to celebrate that special woman who loves you so very much!

If you are a macaron fiend, or would just like more info on the macaron-making process, check out a few of my other macaron iterations:

Nutty Irishman Macarons
Mexican Chocolate Macarons
Orange Chocolate Macarons
Sesame Macarons with Pomegranate Lime Buttercream
Green Tea and Mandarin Macarons
Red Velvet Macarons
Chai Spiced Macarons
Macaronnage by a First-Timer

Great Skin Giveaway with Sibu Beauty!

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seabuckthorn

I have a confession. Big surprise, right?

I am completely ridiculously inconsistent. I change my mind at the drop of a hat. My husband frequently says, “you sure don’t mind changing your mind” .

All throughout my life, I was CERTAIN that when the time came for me to get older, and start getting wrinkles and flab, I would accept it. I would grow old gracefully. (I am not afraid, however of a little preventative maintenance, and also not opposed to surgery if I can afford it and do it in moderation.) So I’ve never really been overly afraid of looking older.

Well, that is until about 2 months ago. I turned 34, and it’s like something switched inside of me, and I found myself terrified at the prospect of
aging.

Suddenly I’m frowning at my frown lines, and worrying about the way my jaw is starting to look a little different, more like my grandmom’s, who is BEAUTIFUL let me just say, but… grandmom’s…

So the dabbling began. I did research. I am into natural stuff. I hate gross artificial fragrances.  I have skin that starts out dry and gets oily by the end of day. Sometimes it’s a little flaky and oily at the same time, which is the WORST.  I wear makeup, and I want to be able to wash ALL of it off without hurting my skin.

I found a few really lovely things that I plan to share (and offer for a giveaway, below!), starting with a cleanser.  I can honestly say this cleanser has solved a lot of problems for me. It’s made by Sibu Beauty, and it makes me happy.

facial_cleanserBeing the natural-product-making mad scientist that I am, I really like the fact this one is natural. I get requests to make facial cleansers, and I’d like to someday, but do you know much work and money goes into new product development? OMG Let me tell you, it’s a lot. I can’t just wave my magic wand and POOF, cleanser (YET, we’re doing some R&D on a magic wand, which will soon be available on Etsy… just kidding).

But I digress. This stuff has a few ingredients that I had to Google, but from what I found the preservatives and agents pretty much come from corn, coconut, fruit sugars and/or fennel, and are considered generally safe, bonus!

I also really like that it has Sea Buckthorn Berry in it, because that’s actually one of my favorite skincare ingredients. This berry contains a large concentration of Omega 7′s, which are incredibly beneficial for skin. You can read about Omega 7′s on the Sibu website, here: http://www.sibubeauty.com/omega_7.php

Lastly, and importantly, it works well. It has little beads of something nice that give a very gentle exfoliation, it smells nice, it doesn’t quite foam, but doesn’t quite not foam. It feels good, and my skin looks clean, shiny and smooth, and not irritated in any way. It looks healthy, like you just had a good run. I like it.

It’s helped me to change my mind again, I don’t mind getting older. Yes I do. No I don’t…

SO, now for the important part. You can win one of your very own. There are multiple ways to enter, which you will do with this handy-dandy little widget from Rafflecopter, below.  You MUST either like Sibu on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter. The tweeting option gives you a bonus chance to win. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

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Even if we weren’t coming up Cinco de Mayo, I think I’d still want to be eating something Mexican-y this week.  Something about this time of year, with the warmer temperatures beckoning al fresco dining, I just can’t help but crave the intensity of those kinds of flavors.

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

This is not the kind of Shrimp Cocktail that typically comes to my mind.  And it’s not really the kind of Mexican food that comes to my mind, either!

About ten years ago I enjoyed the trip of a lifetime, to Cancun in January (!).  It was glorious!  We stayed in a beautiful resort, where a sliding glass door led us from our suite right onto the white, sandy beach.  There were wild peacocks roaming the gardens.  And in the afternoons, we’d wander over to the pool deck and order lunch while basking in the warm sunshine.  This dish quickly became my favorite, and once I had discovered it, I had to have it every last day we spent on that amazing tropical island.

I was so thrilled when, years later, I came across the recipe in my local newspaper!

It comes together in a heartbeat and it can totally be made ahead.  In fact, it gets even better as it sits.

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

It’s meant to be an appetizer but once I have it in front of me, I lose all self control and make a meal out of it.  Mr. Allie and I often enjoy it as a light supper.

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

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Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
Author: 
Prep time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4 as an hors d’oeuvre
 

Ingredients
  • 1 pound peeled, cooked shrimp
  • ½ sweet onion, chopped finely
  • ¾ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup hot sauce (I used Sriracha)
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • juice of 1½ limes
  • salt, to taste
  • 2 ripe avocados, pitted, flesh scooped from skin, and sliced
  • 8 to 12 ounces tortilla chips
  • 2 limes, cut into wedges

Instructions
  1. Combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  2. Serve in small bowls topped with avocado, accompanied by chips and lime.

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

The original author recommends serving it with saltine crackers (evidently very authentic), but I just can’t resist scooping it up with a crisp corn tortilla chip!

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Definitely give this one a try!  It’s light and refreshing yet full of big, bold flavors!

 

Sugar & Slice Link Party #25

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Before we get to the party, I’d like to just take a minute to thank everyone for hopping on over during the month of April, to party with me!  I’m so very happy to have had the opportunity to make some new bloggy friends!  I really enjoy looking at all of your gorgeous posts every week (and drooling, lol).  Thank you all for the follows and likes!  I will continue to visit you on your blogs and I hope you’ll do the same.

And big thank yous also go out to Lisa for allowing me to co-host.  It’s truly been a pleasure!

It’s Sunday!

Welcome to Sugar & Slice Sunday Link Party

The only place where you can party on a Sunday and feel fresh on a Monday! ;)

 

I Was Featured - Sugar & Slice SundaySweet 2 Eat Baking

Features:

The most popular submission…

Strawberry Lemonade CupcakesStrawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

And some of our favourites…

Lemon Meringue Delight Cake | Caramelized Almond Nougat Ice Cream{1} Lemon Meringue Delight Cake by A Sweet Baker
{2} Caramelized Almond Nougat Ice Cream by A Finn In The Kitchen
Strawberries and Cream Crunch Parfaits | Strawberry Muffins{3} Strawberries and Cream Crunch Parfaits by SteakNPotatoes Kinda Gurl
{4} Strawberry Muffins by Simply Sweet ‘N Savory
Butterfinger Muddy Buddies | Red Velvet Rose Cake{5} Butterfinger Muddy Buddies by Crumbs and Chaos
{6} Red Velvet Rose Cake by Cath’s Cookery Creations

If you were featured, grab the ‘featured’ button code above and proudly display it on your blog post. :)

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Follow your host and co-host via:

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Follow on Twitter

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Follow on Google+

Subscribe via RSS, or BlogLovin’

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Follow on Twitter

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  • Subscribe to your host and co-host via the links above. If you’d like, you can also follow us on our social networking links too.
  • Link up to your dessert posts only, not the homepage. No giveaways please.
  • Place the button code (above) either on your specific linked post or on a specific link party page. Link the button back to http://www.sweet2eatbaking.com/
  • This is a party, let’s rock n’ roll folks! Spread the love by visiting other links, commenting and if you desire, pinning their creations on Pinterest.

Let’s party!!

Come back next week and see if you were featured! :D

Tandoori Chicken Salad

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Do you guys remember a whiiiiiiiiiiile back when I posted a two-fer recipe for roast chicken? Both of those recipes are phenomenal, btw, and if you are looking for a great way to gather friends and/or family around the supper table, roast chicken is IT!

A-henny-who, at this time of year I am always in the market for something light, cool, and refreshing, and kinda healthy, for lunch or for a light dinner.  With my oldest now in tee-ball, it’s nice to have something we can pack up and eat at the game, or just quickly stuff in our faces after we get home.

So, I thought it might be nice to share a kind of offshoot recipe, inspired by my “Faraway Place” chicken, in cold salad form!

Tandoori Chicken Salad

If you’ve ever enjoyed curried chicken salad, then you’d probably like this one too.  It’s similar in that it has that earthy spice flavor, but in this preparation it’s even more pronounced.  Rather than using a pre-made spice blend (such as curry powder), this dressing relies on a mixture of individual dried spices and fresh herbs.  And, it’s lower in fat and calories, with mayonnaise being replaced by low fat, high protien Greek-style yogurt.

That being said, again I must now give a disclaimer:  I am not Indian.  I am no expert on Indian cooking.  I did not grow up eating Indian food.  Even now, as an adult, I do not eat much Indian food (there just aren’t a whole lot of Indian restaurants in my neck of the woods;)).  I first discovered what I’ve titled “Faraway Place” chicken in a local publication a few years back.  Unfortunately, the author was not cited, so I am unable to credit him or her.  It was not titled “Tandoori Chicken.”  I did not know what it was, or where in the world it was from, until I googled the ingredients!  So, as you can see, I make no claims that this recipe is authentic in any way.  I just know it’s really tasty, and different, and the flavors are super exciting!

Start with some cooked chicken.  You could use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, or just some leftover cooked chicken, or, I just poached up a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in simmering, salted water, for about 30 minutes, or until no longer pink inside. You can dice the chicken, or try this fabulous method, which works perfectly and I am totally in love with.

Shred Chicken In A Mixer

source

Today I decided just to dice, because I wanted big, meaty chunks.

Now whip up the dressing!  I love Chobani because it is so high in protein, low in fat, and it gives such a gorgeous, creamy texture and subtle tang.

Tandoori Chicken Salad

The “Tandoori Spice” comes from lemon, garlic, ginger, paprika, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon.  It is complex and totally delish.

Toss the chickeny chunks in that fragrant dressing, along with some crunchy, toasted almond slivers, and some sweet, golden raisins.

You can also add in some fresh, chopped flat-leaf parsley for an herbal note.

Tandoori Chicken Salad

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Tandoori Chicken Salad
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Prep time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4-6
 

Ingredients
  • 2 cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
  • 1 cup plain 2% Greek-style yogurt
  • ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • ⅓ cup golden raisins
  • 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder (not garlic salt)
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • zest of half a lemon
  • juice of half a lemon
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, agave, lemon juice & zest, ginger, and spices.
  2. Add in the chicken, almonds, raisins, and parsley, and toss to coat.
  3. Serve in lettuce cups, whole wheat wraps, or on a croissant.

Tandoori Chicken Salad

There are any number of ways this can be served: on a croissant, in a lettuce wrap, in a whole wheat tortilla wrap, or straight outta the ol’ mason jar if you are on the go.

Tandoori Chicken Salad

Garlicky yogurt, spiked with bright citrus, warm paprika and ginger, and earthy cumin, cinnamon, and turmeric, contrasted with crunchy almonds and sweet raisins, with a fresh hit of verdant parsley!  No matter how you slice it, this chicken salad is like no other!  So light and healthy, and full of such interesting and complex flavor!

What’s Cookin?

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I have not faded away, I am still here, remember me?

mixin

Oh my gosh you guys. It’s been a strange couple of months. Strange, wonderful, and eye opening. Turns out, starting a new business, when you’re already working full time, takes up a lot of your energy. Who knew? It’s been really wonderful though, and it feels good to be challenged by new things.

So, what’s new? Well, the Etsy shop is steady. I’ve done a few local events as a vendor, and it was amazing to get out into the world (away from the computer, whah?) and talk to real people. People who are interested in the same things as I am. People…who want to give me money! Wow! What a concept…

So, this is a short and sweet post. But I just wanted to say hi, and also welcome all the people who are taking part in Allie’s link parties. I am so excited to be getting a chance to know all of these other talented bloggers. Life is good!

Also I wanted to mention, there are going to be a few giveaways from a couple of different vendors coming up in the next month, so stay tuned, this is stuff you will LOVE!

xoxo,
Mere

Sugar and Slice Link Party #24

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You know my new bloggy friend, Lisa?  From Sweet2EatBaking.com?  Well, the more I get to know her, the more fabulous she becomes.  Not only is she an amazing baker, with a beautiful blog, but evidently she’s also some kind of a programming wiz….

Last week she was having some behind-the-scenes kinda issues with her blog, and so she was pretty busy trying to smooth all that out.  In the midst of all that difficulty, she decided to give her page a complete overhaul!  You have to go check it out because it is bee-YOU-tiful.  Great work, Lisa!

The more I blog, the more I am realizing that I am in so far over my head with some of this stuff.  I love to come up with content, but all that computery stuff leaves me dazed and confused….

I want need to learn more!  I just don’t know where to begin!?!  Anybody out there have any suggestions for me?  A good book?  An e-course?  Anyone?  Help!

Ok, well, now it’s time for the fun stuff.  Actually it’s well past time!  With Lisa’s programming issues and an unexpected illness that left me sprawled on the bed for 18 hours or so, our Sunday link party has been quite delayed.  Let’s not waste any more time!  Let’s party!

It’s Monday!

Welcome to Sugar & Slice Sunday Monday Link Party

text here

Strawberry Rhubarb BarsStrawberry Rhubarb Bars
I Was Featured - Sugar & Slice SundaySweet 2 Eat Baking

Features:

The most popular submission…

Oreo Cookies & Cream CakeOreo Cookies & Cream Cake by Bird on a Cake

And some of our favourites…

Apricot Jam Bar Cookies | Double Chocolate Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
{1} Apricot Jam Bar Cookies by Your Homebased Mom
{2} Double Chocolate Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats by Crumbs and Chaos
Strawberry Shortcake Tarts | Topsy Turvy Carrot Cake
{3} Strawberry Shortcake Tarts by Monster Mama
{4} Topsy Turvy Carrot Cake by Annie’s Noms
One Sharp Cookie! | XXL Death by Triple Chocolate Cookie
{5} One Sharp Cookie! by The Partiologist
{6} XXL Death by Triple Chocolate Cookie by What Smells so Good? (Yummy Smells)

If you were featured, grab the ‘featured’ button code above and proudly display it on your blog post. :)

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Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

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I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but I only recently tried rhubarb for the first time.

I know!  And I call myself a food nerd!  For shame.  I hope they don’t revoke my license!

For some reason it was just never really on my radar.  Maybe because fresh rhubarb is so fleeting.  I only ever see it in the produce section for a few weeks out of every year.

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

Well, once I finally did try it, I was instantly hooked.  My first taste was in the form of a thick, juicy slab of strawberry rhubarb pie, with a crumbly, sweet streusel topping, and after that, there was no looking back.  Strawberry rhubarb pie is now my absolute, hands-down favorite.

I had originally planned to share my own strawberry rhubarb pie, but when I spotted this recipe it sounded so good, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tinker around.

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

Oooooh, I’m so not sorry!  This one’s a winner, fo sho.

I started by cutting cold butter into flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest, to form the crust.  Most of that mixture gets pressed into the bottom of an 8×8″ square baking dish, and par-baked until just beginning to brown.

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

While that was going, I gave the rhubarb a rough chop.  Isn’t it so pretty?  I just love the jewelly red stalks against that chartreuse interior.  So striking!

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

I also diced up a few sweet, ripe strawberries.

IMG_5148edresized

And mixed up the custard: the original recipe calls for plain greek yogurt or sour cream, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I just used a container of Strawberry Chobani, and cut back on the sugar by 1/4 cup.

Once the bottom crust was slightly cooled, I topped it with the rhubarb, and the strawberries, and then poured the custard on top.

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

I sprinkled the remaining crust mixture all over the top, to make a little streuselly layer, and baked the whole glorious concoction  to golden perfection!

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

Don’t they look heavenly?  They really are…

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

The crust is so crumbly and buttery, it’s sandwiched around this creamy, custardy goodness, and the sweet and tart fruit is just like a mouthful of sunshine!

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Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 16 bars
 

Ingredients
  • For the Crust & Topping:
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • zest of half a lemon
  • ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cold
  • For the Filling:
  • 2 cups roughly chopped fresh rhubarb
  • 2 cups roughly chopped fresh strawberries
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 6 ounces greek-style yogurt (strawberry)
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • juice of half a lemon

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ baking dish with parchment, and lightly grease.
  2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and zest in a bowl and cut in the butter until crumbly. Press ¾ of the mixture into the prepared dish, and bake for 20 minutes.
  3. Whisk the eggs, sugar, yogurt, salt, vanilla, and lemon juice together.
  4. Top the cooled crust with rhubarb and strawberries, and pour the egg mixture over.
  5. Sprinkle the top with the remaining crust mixture, and bake for one hour.
  6. Cool completely, remove from baking dish, and cut into bars.

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

If you’ve never had rhubarb before, I can tell you it has kind of a tart and floral flavor.  But what I really love most about it is the way it seems to intensify the strawberry flavor.  Somehow, when paired with rhubarb, strawberries taste even more strawberry-y.  Strawberry-ish?  Strawberry-like?  The strawberries taste awesome.  Strawberries good.  Derp….

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

The bars come together quickly and easily, and they cut so nice and cleanly!  They are a lovely Springtime dessert, and would be perfect to bring to a barbecue or potluck.