pink greyhound

when i walk our dogs,* i usually go on a route that encircles a different park at each end. the other day on this route, i saw three greyhounds - one in each park and one right in front of our house when i stepped outside. all were fawn-colored and they all looked exactly alike, except that they were all wearing different raincoats. yes! each dog was wearing a dog raincoat (presh), but they were different colors.

it kind of weirded me out, frankly. it felt a little gaslight-y, in some obscure way. maybe it was an omen of some kind. i don't know.

maybe it was just an omen to make this drink.

sometimes people make greyhound cocktails with vodka, but i think that's bs. vodka has its uses (bloody marys), but for the most part gin is where it's at.

at its most basic level, a greyhound is gin (fine - or vodka, i guess) and grapefruit juice. you can also salt the rim and call it a salty dog, if you'd like.

the pink greyhound is the same, but with pink grapefruit juice, preferably fresh-squeezed from texas ruby reds (which are inarguably the best grapefruits). i also put in a little squeeze of lemon juice and, since i had it in the fridge already (see - totally handy!), some rhubarb syrup. you could also use some club soda to give it a little sparkle.

this is such a sweet li'l pink drink - it looks adorable, but packs some punch. it would be a great addition to your memorial day get-together. just don't tell me if you make it with vodka. *things i almost invariably hear when walking our three dogs at once:

looks like you've got your hands full!
who's walking who?
lookit all those dogs!
you've got all different sizes! (this is true; they are all of different sizes)
are those all yours?
quite a pack you've got there!
what a motley crew! (sometimes said like "muttley" crew - clevs!)

rhubarb & pineapple crumble

this crumble was absolutely delicious when we had it warm with vanilla ice cream for dessert last night and it was perhaps even better for breakfast this morning - cold, with plain greek yogurt and rhubarb-vanilla syrup. it is not terribly sweet, and the rhubarb and pineapple play off each other well. the crumble topping is easy and easily customizable based on whatever you have on hand. make it today!

i used about 2/3 of a fresh pineapple (i am on such a pineapple kick these days - weird) and 4 large stalks of rhubarb. basically i was going for relatively equal amounts of each, with perhaps a little bit more rhubarb since it comes first in the name of the dish.

wash the rhubarb and slice into thinnish coins - these were like 1/4 inch, i think.

breaking down a pineapple is sort of like when you cut the skin and pith from an orange or other citrus fruit - remove the top and bottom, then stand it up and take the pointies off in swaths by cutting down around the fruit with a sharp knife. the thinner the swaths, the less you will waste, since you can be more precise. if you end up with good pineapple on the part you cut off, you can consider it a little treat for either you or your dogs - ours love it.

then i cut it from the top down into quarters and cut out the tough center part from each quarter (our dogs like chewing on those, too). then make another cut downward halfwayish between where the tough center was and the outside - that's just to make sure your pieces are similar to the rhubarb bits in size. then put each quarter on its back (like in the above picture) and slice from pole to pole in 1/4 inch pieces, then turn and slice those so that you end up with fairly uniform pieces (as above).

put them in a large bowl together and add brown sugar to taste - for this amount, i used something around 2/3 of a cup (not packed), but the pineapple was pretty sweet and also i don't like things crazy-sweet, so you may want more. let this all stew together for an hour or more so that the pineapple releases some juice and they all get to be good friends.

crumble topping: this is somewhat based on whatever you have on hand.

i used about 1/2 cup flour, 2/3 cup rolled oats (not. instant.), 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup roasted cashews (cashews and pineapple are good buddies, but it's really just because that's what we had - you could use other nuts or leave them out altogether), 1-2 tablespoons of finely cut up crystallized ginger (also loves pineapple and rhubarb. the amount really depends on how much you love ginger. also you can leave this out or could use a bit of powdered dry ginger instead), and a couple of tablespoons of cold butter. i cut up the butter and then smooshed into the dry mix until it was relatively uniform and crumbly. this amount of butter made it nice and crumbly and crispy, but it does not stick together like some crumbles do - if you want a thicker, more toothsome texture, you're going to have to use more butter.

when you are ready to bake it, preheat the oven to 350.

add a tablespoon or so of cornstarch or the same of instant tapioca to the rhubarb-pineapple mixture - this helps dry up some of the liquid that is released, but is probably not mandatory. put it in the pan and cover with the crumble topping.

stick it in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour. mine took around an hour.
the pan i used was about 7 x 10 inches and is about 4 inches deep, so if yours differs you may need to adjust the baking time accordingly. it is really not rocket science, though - just check on it every 20 minutes or so and see how brown the top is and maybe poke a piece of the rhubarb to see if it is soft.

once it's done, you probably should let it set up a bit, so leave it alone (difficult, i know!) to think about the massive changes life has thrown at it lately. once it's gotten its head around those (perhaps 15 minutes), you can serve it up with some of that vanilla ice cream with little speckles in it. or i suppose with whatever kind of ice cream you want. coconut or caramel would be good, i think. ANYTHING will be good, let's face it. eat up!

*ingredients*

filling:

2/3 of a fresh pineapple

4 large stalks fresh rhubarb

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch or instant tapioca

crumble topping:
1/2 cup flour - either all purpose or wheat or whatever kind you fancy

2/3 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped roasted cashews, salted or not

1-2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, or 1/2 teaspoon dried powdered ginger

rhubarb syrup

my friend jen and i made the arduous journey to portland's famous saturday farmers' market yesterday to partake of spring's bounty. well, it wasn't that arduous a journey, but i did take the bus there, so that's something.

anyway, the market is a huge tourist and family attraction and it was sort of crazy-making for people who just want to buy produce. i liked the variety of things available, but i don't think i will go again soon because there are lots of other markets here that aren't so insanely crowded. but i got a ton of wonderful stuff that will be showing up in things here this week.*

one of the things about which i was most excited is rhubarb. it is at its best right now and i bought over two pounds and already made it into a rhubarb-pineapple crumble, which will be posted soon, and this simple rhubarb-vanilla syrup, which is good on practically everything.

rhubarb syrup is dead easy and requires like 5 minutes of your attention (though it cooks for longer than that, of course).

wash however much rhubarb you want to use - i used four medium stalks and ended up with perhaps a cup and a half of syrup.

cut off the ends (and be sure to get rid of any leaves - they're kind of poisonous!) and slice the stalks crosswise into thin crescent-y coins - perhaps 1/8 - 1/4 inch or so (though it all breaks down anyway, so it really doesn't matter how thin they are, as long as they aren't like 2 inches long or something).

put in a saucepan with (in this case) about 1 1/2 cups water and about 1 cup sugar. this is also kind of to taste, although you want to use enough sugar to make the texture syrupy, so i wouldn't use much less. i happened to have some vanilla sugar already, since after i use vanilla beans i rinse them and put them in a thing of sugar - they add their remaining flavor and perfume as it sits. i also put the vanilla bean in with the rhubarb at this point, but it really isn't a big deal - don't go out and buy a vanilla bean or anything - this was really just because i had it around. if you really want a little vanilla flavor you can also add a splash (maybe a teaspoon) of vanilla extract at the end, before it goes in the fridge.

so - you have your cut-up rhubarb, sugar, water, and perhaps vanilla bean in a saucepan. turn the burner on high and when the mixture boils (as it will, as long as you are not watching it too closely), turn it down to medium-low and let it cook down for about 20 minutes or so, until the rhubarb breaks down - stir occasionally - maybe 3-4 times as it cooks. i usually use the back of a wooden spoon to kind of smoosh the rhubarb against the walls of the pan - it makes it break down faster (or seems to).

once it is all broken down, many people strain it through a sieve or cheesecloth or whatever so you end up with a lovely clear pinky-red syrup. i am lazy and i also don't really see the need for this, so i just let it cool and pour it in old jars to keep in the fridge. it should keep quite a while - at least a week or so. i think if you strain the solids out it would probably keep longer - like several weeks, but i just make smaller batches and don't bother with the straining.

you could probably freeze it as well - maybe in ice cube trays. that might be nice for keeping it longer, but frankly i just can't be bothered.

there are so many possible uses for this delightful syrup - experiment!

i use it on greek yogurt in the morning, mix it into club soda or sparkling water for rhubarb sodas, have it over pancakes or in cereal, or add it to cocktails for a springtime treat.

you can also eat it out of the jar while looking guiltily around to see if anyone is watching and judging you.

the solids from the rhubarb could also be smeared over toast or an english muffin. possibilities!

this is an easy and delicious way to enjoy spring's finest red stalks.

*ingredients (can be scaled up or down depending on how much syrup you want)*

4 stalks fresh rhubarb

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar

*other wonderful farmers' market stuff: green garlic, 5 large bunches of asparagus (i know - it's a lot. but we love it! and they gave me a deal! i couldn't resist), baby mustard greens, japanese turnips, and a big bag of wild sorrel for which i have big plans that involve eggs and cream - more on that later.