I have always considered myself quite a nice person. I like food of all shapes, flavours and colours. From every country and continent. I don’t discriminate, I am an equal opportunity eater. It’s only the doctors who say I’m intolerant. And certain foods who refuse to tolerate me. They certainly refuse to recognise and respect my right to eat them without major physical discomfort and distress.


Gluten and lactose are not my friends.


Despite the negative attitudes surrounding me from many of those I love best, (cakes, ice cream, hot toast) I decided to become a chef. Not always easy when you live in a bread and milk filled world. I like to think that this has helped me become a better person as I embrace my differences and refuse to let the gluten get me down. I believe InTolerance. I am the InTolerant Chef.

Food should not be about what you can’t eat, but what you can and what you enjoy eating. This blog is about my journey of cooking and eating and discovery. It’s not a definitive guide to allergy awareness nor do my intolerances make me an expert. Your body is your responsibility, not mine. I only know what works for me.


I can tell you this..... No glutens were harmed in the making of this website.

February 6, 2012

Strawberry Rhubarb Torte




I hate to have to say it, but I'm a rhubarb snob.








I'm very sorry, but I really like my rhubarb to be red.

Last year I planted a whole garden bed with fruiting plants. I've got strawberries, raspberries, loganberries, rosellas, potted citrus trees... And rhubarb. I love rhubarb.

The variety I planted is supposedly called Sydney Crimson, but they lied, its Sydney Green. Oh I know it still tastes the same, but its just so hard to reconcile myself to the lack of red prettiness that I love to show off in cooking that I've been avoiding picking and cooking it for as long as possible.

















I never knew I was so shallow.

As it so happens, I chanced across this recipe for Strawberry Torte in the Food and Wine Section of the Canberra Times this week. I clipped it and put it in my to-do pile- but then the stalks of neglected rhubarb caught my eye. Mmmmmm.... One of my favourite flavour combinations, I have some little end-of-season strawberries to use up, and the lack of rosy redness won't matter at all. Perfect!

A very simple torte this one with just a few basic ingredients- more like a frangipane mix than anything else really, with the fruits sandwiched in for a bit of something special. Yumm...

The recipe was originally taken from Orlando Murrin's food column, used in the Canberra Times food column, now to be utilized and adapted by me, to share with you. Whew, what a journey indeed, I certainly hope it's worth it!

















Strawberry Rhubarb Torte

170 gr gluten free Self Raising Flour
170 gr butter
170 gr sugar- I used raw
170 gr ground almonds
2 eggs
Strawberries, halved if large
Rhubarb, cut to match the strawberries
Tablespoon or so of preserved ginger, finely chopped



















Put all ingredients except fruit and ginger, into a food processor and whiz until mixed.


















Spilt the mix in two, then pat one half into the base of a prepared 23 cm springform tin.

















Mix the strawberries and rhubarb with the ginger and stir to coat thoroughly.

















Place a layer of strawberries and rhubarb over the pastry layer leaving a little edge free, then sprinkle with a little extra spoon of sugar.


















Pat the remaining pastry half evenly over the fruit, to the edge of the pan. Then sprinkle with a touch more sugar to look pretty.


















Bake for 1 hour to 70 minutes at 180*C, checking halfway through to cover if browning to quickly.

















Allow to cool slightly in the pan and firm up a little before releasing and serving.



I was really quite surprised at the delicacy of this torte. Much more dainty than you would imagine. The fruit was perfectly balanced with the pastry, not overwhelmed as I'd thought might happen, and you really could use any fruit at all- maybe apricots would be nice.


















Sweet and buttery, homey not homely, this is a perfect cake for sharing over a cup of Earl Grey tea or warm with custard- not cream, definitely custard. One of the easiest cakes you will come across to make and remember, it's definitely one every good cook, or chef, should have in their repertoire.

















So Dear Readers, are you a produce snob, and do you prefer red or green rhubarb?










.

47 comments:

  1. I agree with you not quite the same without the RED - cake looks nice

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  2. RED! But, like you - I can grow only green. Even my brand new plant - bought especially because it says RED on the label (as opposed to the rhubarb that grew to huge proportions in the corner of our yard - until the builder murdered it, which was delicious - but green) has grown green... sigh.
    I love rhubarb though, and even eat it raw (and un-sugared!) They breed us tough in NZ :-)

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    1. I heard that in Alaska rhubarb can grow 5 ft tall, mine gets to nearly 3 ft- without leaves. But I still wish it was red.
      I guess you need to be tough in New Zealand, you don't have all the great advantages of such a great country as Australia :)

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  3. hehe so many people are like you and I must admit that I tend to go for the bunches with the reddest stems. I think it's mostly because I think it reminds me of celery otherwise (which I'm not fond of).

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    1. That's exactly what it made me think of when I cut it up! My BigJ hates celery too.

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  4. This looks like a wonderful spring cake! :)

    I have to admit I actually only know red rhubarb. Also, I actually find the red one prettier. Same with swiss chard or spinach, which sometimes also comes with red stems.

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    1. I'm growing that chard (we also call it Silverbeet)and I've got pretty red, orange and yellow stems. I know it tastes the same, but it just looks so nice in the garden :)

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  5. Another beautiful cake! I love rhubarb and strawberries - a winning combination. Our rhubarb won't be ready for another couple of months...can't wait!

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    1. Ina, it's my absolute favourite combination ever! I pick my rhubarb stem by stem as it's ready, then cut and freeze it until there's enough for a meal, at the moment it's growing like a weed!

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  6. Hi there, found you via Celia... looking forward to reading your blog and sharing recipes.

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    1. Hi there too Lizzy! Thanks! Isn't Celia just so lovely? Nice to meet a fellow Canberran too :)

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  7. Dear InTolerant Chef,

    I'm a fan of rhubarb during winter because desserts with rhubarb are usually not as sweet and I love the slight tangy taste. Can't say I'm a rhubard snob though :)

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    1. I don't like my desserts too sweet either, I like tangy and tart more than sugar and sweet. Glad to hear you don't hold vegetable grudges :)

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  8. I prefer red, it adds such a romantic shade to desserts. I'm so craving stewed rhubarb now :) This torte looks absolutely divine!
    Heidi xo

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    1. Thanks Heidi! There is just no getting around the looks, is there? Sad that we're so shallow :)

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  9. Maybe we need to start growing our rhubarb in the dark - I think that's how they make it turn red, something about "forcing". We bought supposedly red crowns as well, and ended up with green stalks with just the tiniest bit of red at the bottom...sigh.. :)

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    1. I've since heard that too Celia, but I'm not about to start a garden bed in the shed :) I guess I could pile straw around the stems, but that might bring more snails... I might need to get over myself instead :(

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  10. Yum! I also love strawberry & rhubarb combined together & this one is a great recipe!
    My father has always fresh rhubarb in his garden in summertime but his one is the normal greenish red sort. If you are using the red ones, it is called forced rhubarb & it is grown indoors in the dark.

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    1. I can buy lovely bright red stems at our farmers markets, I might check with them how it's grown, Sophie. My husband gets cranky when I buy that one when I grow my own at home, but I just want to mix the colours together!

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  11. Wow! That looks beautiful. Like you, I like my rhubarb red. I've never seen so much green rhubarb around in my life. Maybe it's because of the lack of sunshine and dry and hot weather this summer. But other people commenting have their theories - and I'm no expert when it comes to gardening so perhaps they know best! Whatever, it looks delicious and I wouldn't pass up the offer of a slice or two!

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    1. Hi Charlie! I've heard a few different theories too about temperatures and things. I just throw things in the ground and wait to see what comes up- that's my style of gardening!
      You are more than welcome to a slice or two, just let me know when to put the kettle on!

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  12. I posted a comment but I'm not sure where it went!

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    1. I've had heaps off trouble with computers eating my comments over the last couple of weeks too!

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  13. I had no idea there even WAS green rhubarb!!!

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    1. Maybe I have a REAL green thumb? Are you going to grow veggies in your new garden Lisa?

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  14. My dad grows green rhubarb and I hate it! It tastes the same but it just feels wrong somehow, lol.

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  15. There must be something in the air of late. Yours is the third fruit torte I've seen in the last 2 days - including mine which was wolfed down by the Husband & will now have to be replaced for me to pig out on!

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    1. There's such a glut of yummy fruit around at the moment Amanda!
      I tend to cut my cakes very quickly and freeze them in slices so I'm not tempted to pig out. By the time I have to dig them out from the freezer and wait for them to defrost the urge has passed.... if I'm lucky!

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  16. I know nothing about rhubarb, but I've never seen green rhubarb before! Your torte is beautiful! :-)

    Shirley

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    1. Thanks Shirley! It really makes no difference to the taste, just the appearance. I was really happy with the way this torte worked out.

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  17. When I was little my father grew rhubarb and it was RED he still grows it but it is green - is it what they are selling, maybe the red one went out of fashion or they bred it away.

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    1. I just don't know. Damn this global warming, maybe we're just stuck with green rhubarb because the climate is hotter :)

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  18. Green rhubarb?? Are you SURE that's not celery?

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    1. I had to double check! But celery torte just doesn't taste as good :)

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  19. Darling, you KNOW I am so with you on this one. Our rhubarb is green, with just a hint of red at the base. It's very annoying - we too bought a variety with called "red" or "crimson" or something. Pete thinks we have to grow it indoors for it to be red...

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    1. I would never discriminate over the colour of a persons skin, I don't know why it's such a problem for me with my rhubarbs skin!
      My garden bed gets direct sunlight all day, maybe that is the problem, but I don't see hubby letting me take over the shed with veggies :)

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  20. Replies
    1. You know you're thinking it too! The cake is sure pretty though :)

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  21. This sounds amazing. I have only had rhubarb in pie. But a torte sounds absolutely amazing!! And I had to laugh because the same thing happened to my mother-in-law not too long ago. She was so bummed because she said her rhubarb she grew looked more like celery than rhubarb.

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    1. At least we know we're not alone, and it mustn't be just me doing something 'wrong' with my garden Kim! If she figures it out, tell her to let me know!

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  22. I'm a red rhubarb girl. Your cake still looks amazing! Look at that gorgeous shade of pink :)

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    1. Thanks Cass! The strawberries helped give it a colour lift so it still looked pretty.

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  23. That really sounds amazing - strawberries and rhubard is a fav flavor combo of mine. And don't worry about your rhubard - I heard green is the new red :)

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    1. Oh no Carol! I just dyed my hair red, does this mean I should have gone green?
      Drastic shorter cut and complete colour change, gives a gal a whole new perspective sometimes :)

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  24. This cake looks gorgeous. I have been wanting to try out rhubarb and strawberries together for a long time now. I have heard they go well together. Never tried it, but it looks fab!!!

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