Rhubarb Blueberry Cake makes for new friends

Make a dinner reservation at a restaurant, or make a dinner party at home? That is the question.

Hubert keeps a Beck's for himself!

Well, if meeting Adrian's family for the first time, I’m going to choose, “come for dinner at the house.” Why, you may ask, would I take on the preparation of a Sunday dinner for my partner's daughter's boyfriend's family at home instead of choosing the ease of ordering in a restaurant? Sun stroke?

It could be that I think that the stress and excess energy that often accompany first meetings may be more easily dissipated in a house than a restaurant. It’s all about movement; moving from the living room to the patio to enjoy the sun, from the patio to the kitchen to pour some drinks, from the kitchen to the garage to get lawn chairs, and so on. Movement in a restaurant? Really, how many times can you excuse yourself to the restroom before others name off their favourite urologists?

Then there’s the flexibility of time. If all’s going well at a house dinner party, people can stay late into the evening until everyone is talked out – not so at a restaurant. However, if the gathering is becoming a colossal flop, no need to wait for your server to appear at the table; dessert and coffee can be brought to the table as soon as graciously possible.

Finally, there’s the gift of your time and effort. Even if some of the dinner dishes include take-out from your local Costco, (such as the 9-grain Salad in the cooler section – so yummy), the smell of a grilling BBQ, or the sight of a home-baked cake, sends that vital message “You’re important enough to go through this extra effort.” Kindness goes a long way.

So, back to the Adrian's family: the choice made, an invitation went out for dinner at our home: we’d BBQ, weather permitting. Having a beautiful Sunday summer evening, warm enough to sit outside after dusk, is a relatively uncommon event in Calgary; contingency plans included a brightly-flowered tablecloth draped on the dining room table with an extension leaf, and extra chairs were fetched from the corners of the house. But on this night, they would all be shunned in lieu of the balmy late night air.

The family arrived. We greeted each other, traded deep-red Shasta daisies for cold, thirst quenching bottles of Beck’s, moved to the patio, moved from chairs to the garden swing, laughed, posed for, and shot photos, and devoured the tasty appetizer tray prepared by Logan and Adrian. 

Hours later we ate: Costco’s 9-grain salad, Hubert’s famous homemade German potato salad, perfectly grilled BBQ salmon, and juicy charred chicken. Finally, along with coffee and liqueurs, the home baked rhubarb blueberry coffee cake was served with thinly-sliced sweet fresh strawberries and cold refreshing vanilla ice cream. Groans of delight – and I think not just for the delightful sweet/sour, warm/cold taste sensation, but maybe also for the gift of a homemade cake. 

Such a fun first meeting. Easy too, as you’ll see from the cake recipe. The only downside – Adrian’s mom returning to BC much too soon. Hurry back, Sooz – no more first meetings – now you’re all friends.

Here’s the cake recipe from an old neighbour out in Millarville ranching country:

                         Bill’s Rhubarb Kuchen (Cake)

Ingredients

 

1 ½ cups brown sugar – don’t pack too tightly

½ cup butter

1 or 2 eggs (if the moisture of the fruit is excessive, add the second egg)

1 cup buttermilk (or mix one cup of milk with 1 Tbsp. of vinegar and let sit for 5 min.)

2 cups all-purpose flour

Heaping tsp. baking soda (I usually use about 1 ¼ tsp.)

2 cups fruit –whatever fruit you have handy. Cut the fruit into smaller pieces that will bake well i.e. I cut my rhubarb into 1 “pieces.

½ cup walnuts or pecans finely chopped

½ cup white sugar

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a large bowl, cream together the brown sugar, butter and vanilla. Add the egg(s) and beat well. Add the milk and carefully beat on a slow speed until worked in.

In another bowl, mix together the flour and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture and mix well – there shouldn’t be any lumps. Add and stir in the fruit and pour batter into the baking dish.

Mix together the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a cake tester for doneness.

The result? A crunchy sweet and tart, homemade wholesome-looking light cake which is absolutely perfect with ice cream!

In the meantime, 

Here’s a tip I learned at a Dinner Party Etiquette class in which I was a voluntary participant. When it’s time to call an entertaining event a wrap, a friendly, “Thank you for joining us for dinner. We’ll have to do this again.” is always just a little kinder than, “Here’s your coat, and what’s your hurry?” That being said, in desperate situations, I’ve gathered coats while saying what a pleasure the evening has been….a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do…

Warmly,

Wendy