One of spring’s most compatible couples, strawberry and rhubarb are a match made in culinary heaven. Strawberry-rhubarb pies and tarts are classics. A simple rhubarb compote made by cooking down the fruit with some sugar and adding a pinch of cinnamon or a handful of crystallized ginger can also be eaten warm on its own, spooned over yogurt or cheesecake or served with some chilled strawberries for a simple but exciting spring dessert. If you’re feeling a bit more ambitious, this strawberry-rhubarb mousse cake includes coconut and white chocolate.

Recipe: Chilled Strawberries With Warm Rhubarb Compote (Cookthink)
Recipe: Rhubarb Ginger Compote (Washington Post)
Recipe: Coconut, Strawberry, White Chocolate And Rhubarb Mousse Cake (Canelle et Vanille)

Cousin to the crumble and the crisp, this fruity American dessert has many puzzling nicknames, including the Betty, Buckle, Sonker, Grunt and Slump.

The puréed black beans in these virtuous fudgy gluten-free brownies add fiber, body and moistness to a decadent treat. (And nobody will guess what’s in them until you tell them.)

Recipe: Black Bean Fudge Brownies (Cookthink)
Reference: What are black beans? (Cookthink)

You don’t need a candy thermometer or hours of time to make a batch of elegant homemade Valentine’s candy.

Named after its resemblance to the earthy truffle, the French chocolate truffle is essentially nothing more than ganache, a simple concoction that is made by pouring hot cream over chopped chocolate and mixing until it melds. The ganache is then chilled until firm enough to shape into petite balls and dusted in cocoa powder.

You can flavor the ganache with espresso, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, cognac or anything else that pairs nicely with chocolate.

Using a melon-baller or mini ice cream scoop will yield neat-looking truffles, but keep in mind that they’re not actually meant to be perfectly shaped. If you want them to look like a truffle pig could have just unearthed them in the Perigord, use a small spoon to scoop out some ganache and roll it quickly into an irregular shape before rolling in cocoa powder. You can also roll your truffles in nuts, sprinkles, shaved chocolate, coconut or anything else that strikes you as a good foil for the creamy ganache.

Barbara Kafka’s recipe for mocha truffles is made in the microwave and includes butter for extra richness as well as instant espresso powder and coffee-flavored liqueur to give them a little kick. Serve them after a meal with coffee or wrap them up with a bow and offer them to someone you love.

Recipe: Mocha Truffles (Barbara Kafka)
Reference: What is cocoa powder? (Cookthink)

Note: This recipe originally appeared here on November 19. My apologies to everyone who gallantly tried the first vinegar pie recipe, which was the unsuccessful result of my having combined two recipes. Here is a newly tested recipe with what I think is an excellent filling. Remember that the meringue is sweet and will balance the filling. Allow the pie to cool completely so that it can be cut. If you have any trouble with lumps, put the filling in a food processor.

Vinegar pie sounds strange; but it is an old-fashioned American treat that tastes like butterscotch with a kick. It is a refreshing change from the usual pumpkin, apple pie or pecan pies at the holiday table. And guests and family will never guess the secret ingredient!

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Vinegar Pie (Barbara Kafka)
Related: More recipes by Barbara Kafka at Cookthink.com

There is almost nothing more American than peanut butter.

On Election Day when we are all waiting anxiously, wanting a nibble, but not really ready to sit and eat, what could easier and better than a batch of comforting, stick-to-your-ribs peanut butter and oatmeal cookies?

The batter takes minutes to assemble and firms up in the refrigerator for a few hours while you sit glued to the election coverage. When you’re ready for dessert or a late-night sugar rush, just pop them in the oven. (This recipe makes eight dozen cookies — enough for a crowd, or to keep you powered until the wee hours.)

Recipe: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Refrigerator Cookies (Barbara Kafka)

There is nothing homelier nor better than a bread pudding. (And this microwave version is a cinch.) If you have stale bread — which is, like French toast, how this dessert originated — use it. Whatever you do, don’t toast it; melt butter for three minutes at 100% in the microwave, then toss in bread and proceed.

This is one of those recipes with many possible variations. Stir in 1/4 cup chocolate morsels, or add 1/4 cup of 1/4-inch cubes of peeled apple mixed with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Substitute fresh raspberries turned in two tablespoons Poire William for the raisins. As long as you respect the proportions, the pan size and the cooking time, you can give your imagination free rein.

Recipe: Microwaved Bread Pudding (Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology)
Reference: What is bread pudding? (Cookthink)

This recipe is part of Cookthink’s Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology. 

As a young teenager, I was introduced to this great French dessert classic at a celebratory birthday dinner. Even today, ordering it in a restaurant instantly makes me feel festive. (Sometimes, this dish is laden with chopped candied fruits — making it Soufflé Rothschild. They certainly knew how to live.)

The soufflé should stay creamy inside; I like to make individual desserts so that each person gets some tasty crust with each bite of the airy middle. Any dinner party with this at the end will be memorable.

Recipe: Grand Marnier Soufflé (Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology)

There are so many ways to use our deeply aromatic, saffron and vanilla-infused pineapples from this week’s Root Source), it’s hard to know where to begin.

I made some headway last night. I wanted to put together a quick dessert for friends, and remembered that I had a few leftover rings of pineapple in the refrigerator, happily swimming in their fragrant steeping liquid.

So I ladled some of the liquid into a small saucepan, and boiled it until it was the consistency of syrup. Meanwhile, I seared a pineapple ring in a nonstick skillet in a little butter until both sides were a deep, rich brown.

I topped the caramelized pineapple with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, then drizzled the saffron syrup all around. The warm, slightly crisp pineapple and cold, smooth ice cream made quite a pair.

Recipe: Saffron Pineapples (Cookthink)

As promised in my Sunday Dinners post, here’s a recipe for sauerkraut chocolate cake, which is just the thing to make if you have too much sauerkraut on your hands (say, after a humble feast of beer-braised sausages).

This combination may seem absurd, but the acidity of soured cabbage heightens the perception of strong flavors like chocolate. It also softens the gluten in the cake batter, producing the softest, moistest texture you can imagine. And since you purée the sauerkraut in this recipe, no one will ever guess what your secret ingredient is.

Recipe: Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake (Sunday Dinners)