How to Make White Asparagus

White asparagus in Europe is plentiful right now. Having just taken a road trip through Eastern France and Western Germany - you see it being harvested everywhere. The true herald of Spring!

I love how delicate and silky white asparagus can be when cooked correctly...but never having made it before (because it costs an arm and a leg and your first born child in North America) I did some research on various French sites and came up with the below cooking instructions.

Enjoy this amazing vegetable while it lasts - its availability is so very fleeting!

What You'll Need:

• Heavy-bottomed deep pan
• Carrot peeler
• Fresh white asparagus 
• 1 lemon
• Dash of salt

What You'll Do:

• Going from base to tip, peel off all the harder outer bits of the skin
• Gently hold the stalk in each hand and push up lightly with your thumbs, where the stalk naturally snaps indicates the portion of the stalk that is the best to eat (from tip downwards). Though this may seem like a waste of asparagus, the bit that has snapped off will taste bitter - you can always save these bits and use them in asparagus soup!
• Add water to your pan and let boil
• Squeeze the juice of your lemon into the water and sprinkle in your dash of salt
• Wrap your asparagus bundles up with twine - depending on their length, you may want to tie them twice - once at the bottom and once near their tops
• Place your asparagus bundles into the boiling water and let boil for 30 minutes
• Yes - this amount of time may seem crazy as a lot of recipes say boil for just five minutes - but, trust me, the French research says 30 minutes
• Once boiled, they will be extremely hot and soft - remove them very carefully and let drain
• Serve immediately with some form of fat - the French often use Hollandaise sauce with lemon, or drizzles of olive oil and salted butter with a twist of fresh pepper. I choose Hollandaise sauce every time!

Rhubarb, Strawberry, Raspberry Crumble

Nothing beats rhubarb crumble...except rhubard, strawberry and raspberry crumble!
Those three tastes combined with a dollop of vanilla icecream is a symphony.
Summer in your mouth. A Rhuberry Crumble!!

This recipe is easy, super tasty and something I know Martha would be proud of.

What You'll Need: The filling

• 1 large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid
• 6 medium-sized stalks of rhubarb
• 1 cup strawberries (I used frozen as that is what I had on hand, but fresh or frozen work perfectly well)
• 1 cup raspberries (either fresh or frozen)
• 3 Tbsp whiskey (optional)
• 1/2 cup of golden caster sugar

What You'll Need: The Crumble

• 1 medium-sized corningware dish (either round or square)
• 1 cup of white flour
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of white sugar
• 1.5 cups quick rolled oats
• 1/3 cup of un-salted, room temperature butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional, but highly recommended)

What You'll Do: The Filling

• Chop the rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces
• Add the rhubarb pieces, strawberries and raspberries into your saucepan 
• Add in your sugar and whiskey, stir 

• Cover and simmer on a very low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
• When soft (but still holding its shape), pour the rhubarb into your medium-sized baking dish

What You'll Do: The Crumble

• Pre-heat your oven to 200C (325)
• To make the crumble topping, rub the flour, oatmeal and butter together with your fingers until you have a soft, crumbly topping

• Now add the sugar and cinnamon, mixing together with your hands until combined
• Loosely spoon the topping over the rhubarb mixture and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. I like to gently shake a little cinnamon for good measure over the top before I place in the oven
• Let cool for five minutes
• Serve hot with a lovely dollop of vanilla icecream (or custard, if that is your thing).

The STEWART SCORE:
Appearance: 1.5
Taste: 2 (My husband said this is my best dessert ever made. No joke).
Ease: 1.5

No Bake Chocolate Haystacks

A great recipe for summer picnics or Christmas cookie sales, these no-bake chocolate haystacks are versatile, tasty and hit the mark when you have a chocolate craving.

The below recipe makes around 3 dozen table spoon sized portions but is easily doubled or tripled. Below you can read how to add a peanut buttery kick!

What You'll Need:

• 1 medium saucepan
• Wax paper/tin foil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup un-salted butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 -2 cups rolled quick oats
• 1 cup flaked coconut (I liked mine un-sweetened)

What You'll Do:

• Spread a large sheet of either wax paper or tinfoil out on your work surface
• Add in your sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa into your saucepan
• Heat until it is gently boiling, stirring frequently
• When it has reached a gentle boil, cook for five minutes - don't stop stirring
• Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in your vanilla
• Stir in your oats and coconut
• You don't want the mixture too runny - if you feel it is, shake is some more of your oatmeal until it is a dense consistency
• Working quickly, drop tablespoon-sized amounts of hot mixture onto your paper-lined work top. Try to make the mixture dense by squishing it into the spoon so, when cooled, the haystack does not crumble apart
• Let cool and enjoy

This recipe is super easy and a great treat for summer picnics or if you have a chocolate craving.
Some people use Chinese noodles in place of the oatmeal, but I like the oatmeal version. You can also add in peanut butter, if that is your type of thing (stir in 1/4 cup once the mixture has been removed from the heat). Lately I have been adding in flaked quinoa in place of 1/2 cup of the oatmeal - delicious and hardly noticeable.
 

The STEWART SCORE:
Appearance: 1
Taste: 2
Ease: 2

Easy Chocolate Brownies

This recipe couldn't be easier, or tastier! These chocolate brownies turn out exactly how brownies should be - soft in the centre with a crispy crust on top. This recipe is definitely not low fat but they are super chocolatey, so a little goes a long way! I usually half this recipe as there is just two of us and a full batch is a lot of brownies!

What You'll Need:

• Cake tin - 12 x 9
• Electric mixture or hand mixture and medium-sized bowl
• 1 cup softened un-salted butter
• 1.5 cups white sugar
• 4 Large room-temperature eggs 
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup self-raising white flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (this is optional, but I find it makes this recipe go above and beyond...the way Martha likes it)

What You'll Do:

• Pre-heat your oven to 350F
• Grease your cake tin with butter or oil
• Using a large bowl and hand mixer (or ideally a mix-master) combine all the ingredients and mix until smooth and well combined
• Spread the mixture evenly in your baking tin
• Bake for 30
• Do not over bake as you want the centre to be ever-so-slightly soft and under-baked
• Let cool a little bit (as nothing beats a warm brownie) and serve with ice cream or whipped cream

The STEWART SCORE:
Appearance: 2
Taste: 2
Ease: 2 - the easiest recipe! Trust me.