Rhubarb Means Spring!
One of the very first sure signs of spring, fresh stalks of ruby red rhubarb filling the baskets at the farmers market or the produce aisle at the grocery store is always such a bolstering sight. We see it, and we know that we’ve made it. Winter is behind us, and those crimson stalks herald the arrival of sun-soaked days full of brightly colorful produce in abundance! Spring is also chèvre season! Yes, it’s true, cheese is a seasonal food and springtime is the beginning of the very best fresh goat cheese season. Why? Two reasons, actually! Goats give birth in spring, so their lactation cycle begins again, so (of course) their milk is fresh and flowing. It’s also the time of year when they can graze outside again after a long winter and they begin eating herbs, flowers, and grasses, all of which give their milk a much more rich, fresh and exciting flavor. Rhubarb and goat cheese are a beautiful example of what happens when you let nature inspire your food pairings, and so we can barely take credit for how gorgeous this sandwich is. Nature did most of it—we just showed up, cooked and feasted.
BTS: How This Rhubarb Sandwich Came Into Being
When starting a blog (or any at home-based business for that matter) no one warns you that some days you’ll feel kind of isolated and miss the social perks of being in an office. As Modern Proper has grown, we've been lucky to have found at least a taste of that conviviality in a community of fellow bloggers, creatives, chefs, and photographers and photographer Eva Kosmas Flores of First We Eat is one of the very fine people we’ve had the pleasure of befriending. We recently spent the afternoon in Eva’s beautiful home talking about life, gardening, bees, chickens, babies, business, camera lenses, and (of course) food. And we couldn’t end our time together without sharing a beautiful meal, too. And out of that lovely afternoon came this lovely springtime sandwich recipe.
Early Spring Produce: A Quick Guide
To score the best rhubarb and to find spring onions at all, you’ll likely need to make a visit to your local farmers market. But that’s not so bad, right?! If you’ve got kids, it’s a really fun way to spend a weekend morning, and if you’re flying solo, well, it’s honestly probably even more fun. When the rhubarb really gets going, most of the stands will overflow with it, and after a few weeks, you might even see some strawberries in the mix, too. Many markets have cheese makers as well as farmers, so you’ll likely be able to find good, fresh chèvre there, too, making it a one-stop shop. Here’s what you need to know about a few of the springy ingredients in this special grilled cheese with goat cheese and roasted rhubarb :
Rhubarb: one of the most important things to know about rhubarb is that the leaves are poisonous to humans. So if you buy rhubarb stalks with the leaves still on, just cut it off and discard it. Otherwise, look for thin stalks that are bright red in color—that usually promises plenty of sweetness alongside rhubarb’s characteristic tartness. Roasting rhubarb is one of our favorite ways to utilize this wonderful, unique vegetable.
Spring onions: are not the same as scallions! Spring onions look a little bit like scallions but they have more of an onion bulb at the bottom—not as big as a regular onion, but noticeable. They’re much more mellow than an onion, but more intensely flavored than scallions. For this sandwich, you’ll draw out their earthy sweetness by caramelizing them.
Honey: grab this at the farmers market, too! You can usually find the most interesting honeys there, and by late spring you might start to see really exciting varieties.
Goat cheese (AKA chèvre): we covered this already, but don’t miss the first fresh goat cheese of the season. They’ll be bursting with herby, grassy flavors and are just irresistible in this goat cheese grilled cheese.
Tools You’ll Need:
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Put Some Spring in Your Step. And Also Sandwich!
Try this grilled cheese with goat cheese recipe, and let us know how you like it, OK? Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
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