Christmas in July

Last week I had the pleasure of going home to Colorado to take in a bit of mountain air and spend some time with my family.

The air was perfect; lightly warmed by the sun and infused with the scent of pine trees, I'm pretty sure that's what heaven smells like. My family's appetite was just the inspiration I needed to get out of my BLET (Bacon, lettuce, egg, and tomato) sandwich (more on that later) and green bean cherry tomato salad rut. Although I made them eat both of those things while I was there, so I guess one foot is still firmly planted in that rut.

In Brooklyn I cook alot, though I tend to make lots of desserts and sweets which I neither can nor should eat all by myself. And unfortunately for me, my roommate has a sweet tooth the size of a pea. So it is with glee that I take any opportunity to use my family, and those who find themselves in the general vicinity of my oven, as guinea pigs and recipe testers.

Among the week's contenders were: Lemon Herb Chicken, Smitten Kitchen's Lemony Goat Cheese and Zucchini Pizza, a new and improved version of my Southwestern salad (to be discussed later), Blueberry Sorbet, Blueberry Scones, Brown Butter Cherry Bars, and Banana Bread, but the winner in my mind was the Rhubarb Crumble with Buttermilk Ice Cream.

One of the great things about living in a little town is that friends and neighbors bestow gifts of unwanted produce upon you. When I peered into my parents' refrigerator I spied a bag filled with rhubarb stocks given to my dad by a guy he bought a tractor from.

As stated in an earlier post, I am thoroughly opposed to using sub-par strawberries and thus was a little perplexed when it came to options for pairing with said rhubarb. Apple? Nah. Blueberries? Not feeling it. Peach? Maybe . . . Then it hit me. Why pair it with anything? Why do we all think of rhubarb as the underdog? Why do we try to couple it with a distracting mate?

And so it came to be. Rhubarb would be the star of my dessert. I thumbed through numerous cookbooks, seeking a simple recipe that would highlight and complement the natural tartness of these ruby red stalks, but to no avail. Next I turned to my new found recipe library, my fellow food bloggers. There were several delicious sounding recipes to be had and I settled upon a variaton on Molly's (of Orangette.blogspot.com) rhubarb crumble.

Next the quest for the perfect ice cream to top the crumble (or if you're me, to sit nicely beside the crumble). Don't get me wrong, I love vanilla. I advocate that it is it's own flavor, and is NOT the opposite of chocolate. But, alas, it is a little ordinary.

I browsed recipes for cream cheese ice cream, lavender honey ice cream, creme fraiche ice cream, and many more. As I ran the gamut of ice cream flavors I've been wanting to make I remembered the quart of buttermilk in the fridge leftover from making scones. If you're anything like me you buy a quart of buttermilk, use maybe a cup of it if you're lucky, and then let the rest sit in the fridge to mold so you don't feel so guilty when you throw it away.

With this I could kill two birds with one stone; tangy ice cream to pair with my crumble and no science experiments in the fridge. It was a win-win combination.

The crumble was quick, easy, and in the oven in a matter of minutes. As it baked the kitchen filled with the scent of orange and cinnamon sweetened with a kiss of brown sugar. It smelled delicious, but tasted even better. The tart rhubarb played nicely off the brightness of the orange zest and the comforting warmth of the cinnamon; it tasted like Christmas smells. The buttermilk ice cream was smooth and rich, with just the right amount of tang to make your taste buds wake up and say "howdy". The cool creaminess of the ice cream, the tang of rhubarb showered in buttery crumbles, for my mouth it was definitely Christmas in July.

I have to add that if at all possible, take your ice cream to a picnic in the mountains and churn it in an old fashioned hand crank ice cream maker just before you are ready to spoon a dollop over your crumble. I'm pretty sure this makes it taste at least 50% more delicious than it already does.

Rhubarb Crumble

1 1/4 c All Purpose Flour

3/4 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c rolled oats

6 Tbsp melted butter

pinch of salt

1# rhubarb, cut into 3/4" pieces

scant 3/4 c sugar

zest of 1/2 an orange

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix 1 c flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, and melted butter until combined and clumpy. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Combine 1/4 c flour, rhubarb, sugar, zest, and cinnamon. Pour into an 8x8 or slightly larger baking dish. Sprinkle crumble mixture evenly over top of the rhubarb and bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until crumbs are golden and fruit is bubbling. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Buttermilk Ice Cream

Yields approx. 1 1/2 Qt.

2 c heavy cream

1 1/4 c sugar

8 egg yolks

2 c buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

In a heavy bottom pot bring cream and 1 c sugar to a simmer. In a medium bowl whisk egg yolks and 1/4 c sugar until lightened in color and slightly fluffy. While whisking, slowly pour half of the hot cream into the yolk mixture. Pour yolk mixture back into the pot with the rest of the cream and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until it registers 180 on a thermometer or coats the back of a spoon. Take off the heat and strain into a clean bowl. Whisk in buttermilk, salt, and vanilla extract. Refrigerate until cold, preferably overnight. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instruction.