Extra Schmaltz!

Hooray! We finally got a grill and we put it to use immediately. Crisp, succulent cauliflower seems to be in season around here so we threw some on the grill. I make this in the winter too, using the oven. Simply cut up a cauliflower into fairly large chunks, brush with oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Roast it in a hot oven (450) with a run under the broiler, if need be, or on a charcoal grill. It may take some time, so be patient. The steaks simply had salt and pepper on them and were fantastic. There may be hope for my steak-making skills yet. Look forward to more grill recipes! *** In other news, I finally found some rhubarb at one of the farmers' markets around here and I set out to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie. It sure looked good when I finished baking it... ...but, alas, it didn't thicken up enough and was also rather tart! Reflecting upon what went wrong, I realize that I only used 3 Tbsp. of thickener instead of 4 because I lost count, and I probably...

After all that talk about pie, here's another family classic that's perfect for when you have a ton of rhubarb and you don't want to make pastry crust or wait for it to chill. This dessert has a buttery shortbread crust and a creamy, custardy filling with the tang of rhubarb. Crust: 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter) 1 stick butter, soft but not melted Filling: 4-5 c. rhubarb, chopped into 1/2" pieces 1 c. sugar 4 eggs, beaten 2 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. vanilla 1/4 tsp. salt Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13" baking dish. Crust: Stir the flour, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl and then cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until the butter is well-distributed in fine crumbs. Press the crust into a greased 9 x 13" baking dish so that the crust goes halfway up the sides. Prick with a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. Filli...