some rhubarb recipes for the week

I made you some rhubarb muffins. They’re soft and pliable without being tough, a bit sweet, a bit tangy, flecked with pieces of softened rhubarb, and topped with raw sugar.

I’d love to share the recipe with you. And I will.

Next week.

You see, we’ve been a little busy around here. Danny’s brother Pat, whom we all adore, came to stay with us this past weekend. This meant he ate dinner at Danny’s restaurant with us and had the chance to watch Lu play peek a boo with her daddy while he was on the line. (“Dada! Hi!”) He hiked our favorite path down to the water on a clear-blue-skied day. Mostly, he spent time with Lu, on the floor drawing and drawing. This was a beautiful family weekend.

Also, Lu and I have both been feeling under the weather. She has a double ear infection (her first) and sips the pink liquid antibiotics with great patience. Slowly, she’s feeling better, but our robust child being sick has been a great strain. Then, of course, I caught the crud myself. Yesterday, my throat was so sore that it felt as though a pack of feral raccoons were scrabbling around in my throat, digging in with their claws.

I really didn’t have much interest in writing about food.

However, thanks to suggestions from friends on Twitter and other places, I found some relief. Shots of honey and apple cider vinegar cut the worst of the pain. So did gargling with warm salt water, little drips of lime and honey, chili flakes and lemon juice, hot green tea, cold fruit bars, and more glasses of water than I can count. Mostly, however, I drank mug after mug of hot ginger tea: fresh ginger shaved into a mug, a dollop of honey, and hot water. (Thanks, Joe Yonan.) Today, I feel only moderately horrible, instead of pummeled. The raccoons have retreated.

However, through it all, I baked rhubarb muffins for you. Three different ways, with different sets of flours, to see how these could work best. Our favorites, by far, are these: teff and other flours, rhubarb compote, little slivers of fresh rhubarb, and raw sugar on the top. They are addictive.

I’d type up the recipe for you now, but we are headed toward a midnight flight tonight. Danny, Lu, and I are going to Iowa for a few days, to gather material for our other blog and see Danny’s sister. A red-eye with a bad cold and a toddler isn’t my idea of fun, but being there will be a welcome respite. So we won’t be posting anything this week.

However, if you have rhubarb on the brain as much as I do now (before it goes away for the season), here are some recipes for you to make this week:

Aran’s Stewed Rhubarb with Lemon and Buttermilk Sorbet and Financiers

Ashley’s Rhubarb Ice Cream at Not Without Salt (this one has some sweet news, as well)

Helen’s Lavender Panna Cotta with Poached Rhubarb at Tartelette

Jess’s Rhubarbsauce at Hogwash

Lara’s Rhubarb Bars at Lara Ferroni

Molly’s Roasted Rhubarb at Orangette

And finally, you definitely need to make Dana Cree’s Rhubarb Compote.

Why? Well, it makes a wonderfully sweet, still tangy, soft with a bit of bite, and heavenly tasting rhubarb compote and you don’t want to miss it. Also, it’s one of the key components of these rhubarb muffins, so you’ll want to have some at hand before I post the recipe next Monday.

Get cooking!