Late spring and early summer brings tart rhubarb to supermarkets and farmers’ markets around the country. How about making something other than pie with it? Few things pair better than rhubarb and ginger and here I’ve combined the two in a refreshing carbonated drink: Rhubarb ginger ale. The recipe is very easy. Juice your rhubarb by passing it through a juicer or pulsing in a food processor and squeezing through a damp towel. Dilute slightly with water and add fresh, grated ginger and sugar to taste. Finally add a pinch of salt and strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove any ginger fibers. Pour into an iSi siphon and charge with C02 for at least one hour. After an hour release the C02, pour over ice, and enjoy.

Photo by Justin Kern.

The orange is actually two fruits for the price of one. The sweet juice and the bitter zest both have unique tastes and a myriad of applications. All too often, however, we use oranges and discard the zest. Here both the zest and the juice are used to their full potential to make a bitter-sweet candied orange zest. Flavored with cloves and vanilla, this candied orange zest is great as a garnish for dessert, a topping for ice cream, or a spread on your morning toast. Held in the refrigerator, it will keep indefinitely. The best part is how simple it is to make. This is a subscriber only recipe. Subscribing is easy though! Simply click the link below to sign up for the Garrett’s Table newsletter and I’ll include the recipe for candied orange zest in my next mailing (July 1). I mail twice monthly and you can unsubscribe anytime.

Photo by Justin Kern.

The orange dreamsicle is the inspiration for this mousse tart. Orange and vanilla create a frozen popsicle treat that’s as satisfying as it is classic. Those flavors have been upped a few notes here. In this dessert, a tender orange tart shell is filled with a cold orange and vanilla mousse. The mousse is made with fresh orange zest and juice, vanilla extract, and a whole vanilla bean. A spiced rhubarb sauce adds some extra moisture. Finally, candied orange peel and an oatmeal praline cookie are the two flavorful garnishes.

Want the recipe? It’s for subscribers only. Subscribing couldn’t be easier though! Simply click the link below and enter your email address. I’ll include the recipe in my next mailing (July 1). I email twice monthly and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Photo by Justin Kern.

The flavor of vanilla is hard to describe. It’s dark, robust, fruity, and absolutely unique. Vanilla beans owe their flavor to a very long and labor intensive fermenting process and a special flavor compound called vanillin. The “vanilla” flavor most Americans know is actually not vanilla but vanillin extracts derived from guaiacol or lignin, which are wood pulp byproducts of the paper processing industry. Doesn’t sound very tasty to me. Real vanilla beans are the fruit of the vanilla genus of orchid native to mexico. Bitter, green tasting, and nearly inedible when picked, the green vanilla beans are meticulously picked and laid carefully on woolen cloth to bake under the hot sun. At night, workers roll up the sacks and the beans begin their fermenting process. This process is repeated day by day and, once dark, the beans are dried for several months where chemical reactions finish creating the dark and robust vanilla flavor. The entire process can take up to a year. It certainly justifies the hefty price tag on whole vanilla beans and forces you to savor and admire the incredible flavor unique to whole beans.

To use a fresh vanilla bean carefully split it in half lenthwise using a sharp paring knife. This will expose the dense and dark filling of seeds. Using the back of the knife, scrape the seeds from the pod and use them to flavor your vanilla ice cream (and to add those nice black flecks).

Of course you’re then left with the question of what to do with the bean’s hull. It’s probably not very nice to chew on but you paid top dollar for that tiny bean. There are two common practices which are equally delicious. The first is to make vanilla sugar. To do this simply pour some sugar into an air tight container, a mason jar for example, and bury the bean in the sugar. Allow the bean’s flavor to permeate the sugar and add more beans as you use them. Vanilla sugar is great used to sweeten your coffee or tea or used in your favorite baked good.

The other option is to start your own vanilla extract. True vanilla extract is grain alcohol that has been steeped with vanilla bean scraps. As it turns out, the vanillin is extremely soluble in alcohol and the result is an intense vanilla liquid. For this application I used Vodka. Simple place your used vanilla beans into a bottle of vodka and allow to steep for a few weeks or up to a year. For this picture I used a whole vanilla bean but I’ve been chopping up the beans I’ve added since to extract the flavors more quickly. Instead of waiting a year, use the extract as needed and add more vanilla and vodka as the weeks pass. The vodka will turn a dark brown and smell richly of vanilla. The best part about this extract is that you can use it to flavor your cookies and you’re cocktails without feeling the unpleasant burn of grain alcohol.

Whether you make vanilla sugar or extract, please don’t throw away those beans!

Photo by Justin Kern.

Last year I posted a recipe for cucumber and vegetable rolls. I was happy with the recipe but nevertheless thought it could use some refining. Since the weather is finally warm again I decided to give these cucumber rolls an overhaul. These rolls include poached shrimp, marinated carrots, creamy avocado, and fresh cilantro all wrapped inside sliced cucumber. The sauces are sesame vinaigrette and cilantro oil. This unique appetizer is essentially a salad and a fun way to start any summer meal. Here’s a recipe for 8 servings:

SHRIMP AND CUCUMBER ROLLS WITH SESAME VINAIGRETTE AND CILANTRO OIL

Cilantro Oil:

• 1 bunches cilantro
• Salt and sugar to taste
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 Tb. toasted coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. lemon zest

Bring a pot over water to a rapid boil. Season the boiling water with salt and sugar. It should taste salty like the sea and sweet like cola. Season and ice bath similarly. Rinse the cilantro and cut away the large heavy stems at the bottom. Blanch the cilantro for 30 seconds and shock in the ice bath. Gather the blanched cilantro and squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Place the cilantro in a blender with the vegetable oil, coriander seed, and lemon zest. Blend on high for 3 minutes. Pour the oil into a strainer lined with cheesecloth, a grease filter, or a coffee filter and allow to drip for several hours. Discard the solids left behind.

Sesame Vinaigrette:

• 2 tsp chinese spicy mustard
• 2 tsp. pickled ginger
• 2 Tb. mirin
• 2 Tb. soy sauce
• 2 Tb. rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1/4 c. sesame oil

Place the mustard, ginger, mirin, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar in a blender. Blend on high while slowly adding vegetable oil. After the vegetable oil, drizzle in the sesame oil. If the oil is not emulsified add a bit more mustard or some mayonnaise and blend once more.

Poached Shrimp:

• 1 lb. 16/20 shrimp, raw, shell on
• 1 quart water
• 1 celery stalk, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 slices fresh ginger
• 2 Tb. rice wine vinegar
• 1 lemon
• Salt to taste
• Cilantro oil, to taste
• Chili paste, to taste

Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the shells. In a medium saucepan combine the shrimp shells with the water, celery, onion, garlic, ginger, vinegar, and zest and juice of the lemon. Bring to a simmer and season heavily with salt. Add the shrimp and drop the heat to low. Poach for 7 minutes and cool the shrimp in the poaching liquid.
When the shrimp cool, drain them well and cut into large pieces. Toss with cilantro oil and chili paste to taste.

To Assemble:

• 2 English cucumbers
• kosher salt
• 2 large carrots, fine julienne
• 1 Tb. mirin
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 avocado
• Poached shrimp
• Cilantro oil
• Sesame vinaigrette
• Cilantro and black sesame seeds for garnish

Cut the ends from each cucumber and wash well. Cut each cucumber in half and, using a mandolin, slice 1/16′’ thick planks from the cucumber, stopping when you reach the seedy middle. Repeat on the other side of the cucumber. Lay the slices out of a piece of paper towel and salt lightly.

Toss the julienne carrot with the mirin and soy sauce and slice the avocado into long pieces. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on a flat work surface and lay 4-5 cucumber slices on top, overlapping slightly. Place some carrots, a few pieces of avocado, and a few pieces of shrimp at the end of the sheet of cucumber. Carefully roll the cucumber around the filling using the plastic wrap. Wrap the roll tightly in the plastic wrap and twist the ends. Using a sharp knife cut each roll into 3 or 4 pieces and carefully remove the plastic wrap. Pour some sesame vinaigrette on a plate, place the rolls on top, and drizzle with cilantro oil. Garnish with cilantro and black sesame seeds.

Photos by Justin Kern.