Rhubarb Pie

Often considered spring fare, there's little that can compete with a slice of homemade rhubarb pie in late summer. I just had some this morning that a very good friend made, served with good vanilla ice cream and fresh-brewed coffee.

While considered rustic by the uninitiated, rhubarb is the quintessential fruit filling for pie for several reasons.

Rhubarb is available throughout the growing season to gardeners who keep it watered. Fresh Ingredients = Pie Heaven.

Rhubarb has huge reserves of natural pectin. This makes for perfect slices of pie that not only hold together marvelously when cut (a rarity for fruit fillings) but have a special lip-smacking mouth feel that only natural pectins can provide, reducing the need for other thickeners. That naturally, juicy-thick texture is the 'mmmm' part of 'mmmmm-MM!'

Rhubarb is both very tart and sweet without the usually accompaniment of high-astringency. This means that expert pie-makers (like my friend) can tune their filling to the exact tart / sweet ratio they want. She tuned the filling to just to the edge of tartness making it pair perfectly with ice cream. Incidentally, that perfect sweet-tartness in your mouth is the 'MM!' part of 'mmmmm-MM!'

Wonderful as this is, it would all be for naught without a good crust. It was my great fortune to have been served rhubarb pie with a crust beyond compare. Golden, flaky, tender, toasty-buttery, flawlessly rolled, and perfectly done throughout - the bottom was just as deliciously firm and flavorful as the top. It simply does not get better than this.

One of my rules for life is 'Never turn down a piece of pie' and how doubly-cursed one would be to turn down home-baked rhubarb pie & ice cream at the height of summer when it's as good as this. Find some if you can; otherwise, eat your heart out.

Best bites,
James

Happy 4th of July!

Sylvia's Coffee Cafe

I had the pleasure of lunch at Sylvia's Coffee Cafe in Mt. Vernon today. Sylvia's is connected to an antique store in the same building and the charm of it spills over into the experience.

The tables and chairs inside are antique themselves, charming, and quite sturdy. It was such a lovely day though, we sat outdoors on the back deck. Our location overlooked a well-kept cottage garden. Our waitress was a charming woman from the British Isles who complimented the relaxing appeal of the cafe.

I ordered a panini with a cup of garden vegetable soup. I was pleasantly surprised to find Sylvia's offers healthy choices along with their sandwiches like fresh carrots and other vegetables. Our entrees arrived on pressed glass relish trays and my iced tea in a familiar, crackly looking glass; it really reminded one of having lunch at Grandma's house.

The soup stole the show: broccoli pieces cooked in chicken stock, then pulsed once in food processor. To this mixture was added soft, sweet carrot chunks and green beans cooked in the same stock. It was served with a lightly-buttery, grilled rye crostini that was a perfect match.

Sylvia's makes all their own baked goods and the panini's were on excellent bread as well. For dessert, I had a mountainous piece of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, served on a gold-rimmed antique dessert plate. We also bought some of the dozen kinds of traditional Scottish shortbread sold there on our way out.

The whole meal was one of comfort and relaxation. There was nothing particularly fancy in either the decor or what we were served, but the experience was first rate. I think H.J. Heinz summed it up well: "To do a common thing uncommonly well brings success."

Best bites,
James