Catch-up and Mustard

No, I still haven't tried that down-home, down-east (Maine) recipe for ketchup. But I do have a new round of experiments to share on food. Lots of Firsts!

The first First in the lineup was artichokes. Never having grown them, cooked them, or dissected them, I figured it should be a part of my education to at least get up close with them to see their possibilities beyond the Cholesterol-Odyssey-2001 appetizer that is the normal starter here.
I whipped out the old recipe for aioli (via Pink of Perfection), and got to steaming (which took FOR-EV-ER!). Then came the dissection, which was quite the Discovery Channel moment; the line from Shrek where he talks about Ogres being like Onions, not Parfaits, came to mind. And then the fuzzy little choke, which looked like a dandelion or sunflower. And it was quite tasty too.

Next up were these Rhubard Custards. Sarah (again of PoP) was doing these as part of a long wandering quest to go through the Grand Diplome course books she acquired, but I was just looking for something more interesting to do with rhubarb than the butterscotch sauce I usually make as a sweet topping.

Consider the quest complete! It did involve a little bit of fussiness in the equipment arena (see photo with parchment, foil, and baking sheet), but it was well worth it. I'm not sure if I hit the mark on texture, as I am not an expert on custards. It set up kind of like creamy, frozen-not-floppy, scrambled eggs, if that helps at all. See bottom picture for deliciousness: not too sweet, and a variety of nutrients to boot!