comfort: 4 legged friends and rhubarb upside-down cake

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Jack was the most loved dog I think I have ever met. He was a golden doodle living in perpetual “teenage-hood”, (the good days, not the bad, moody ones). With long legs and lots of energy, he always seemed to be galloping about. And best of all, his owner Kathleen, adored him. He could not have had a better, more kind and loving owner.

Last Friday, Jack lost his battle with an aggressive lung cancer.

As the saying goes, gone but not forgotten. Never.

Jack, the golden doodle.

Times like these require comfort. I believe we find comfort not only in food but also in laughter. Having been friends with Kathleen for almost 11 years, this is a story that not only has Kathleen heard before, but she lived it with us. Hopefully it will bring a smile to her face.

Our beloved chocolate lab Rusty died after his own battle with cancer, in 2004. He was my beloved’s dog, brought into our relationship. I was not a dog person. But Rusty’s charm was hard to resist.

Beloved’s Rusty.

It took him a while to warm up to me. The first time Beloved left him with me (by ourselves), he paced the house all weekend. When he wasn’t pacing, he was staring out the window, waiting for Beloved. We survived, and after that weekend, I became his second favourite person.

Ironically, we found out he was sick at the same time that I almost miscarried my little boy person. With the pregnancy holding on with all it’s might (really not a surprise to see the same personality in my little boy person), Rusty became my shadow more than ever.

He made it through my nine months of pregnancy and then another nine months after that, before losing his own battle.

We had him cremated. On a beautiful fall weekend, Beloved and I escaped the clutches of our little people and spent the weekend at our cottage. This was Rusty’s favourite place. Here, he would chase squirrels and fetch sticks from the lake, hour after hour, until he could no longer walk, it seemed.

Let me set the scene for you. A quiet lake. Beautiful fall leaves, orange, red and yellow. Crisp air. If it had been early morning there would be steam rising from the lake looking like wisps of smoke. But remember, we are without little people. Sleeping in was in order, so it is lunchtime. The sun is as high as it gets for a New England fall day (we are just a couple of miles from the Vermont border). A classic red canoe. Beloved and I push off the shore onto the lake, with the urn. Since the lake was Rusty’s favourite place, we thought it would be the perfect resting spot. Little did we know, how perfect it would be.

Not far off shore we were prepared for our final moment.

Did you know that they seal the lids on those pretty little ceramic urns?

Although we had a paddle, we had nothing to help us open the urn. Back to shore we went. A search through the boathouse produced a screwdriver. Useless. The lid was pretty much cemented on, it seemed. A few bashes with a rock cracked and slightly broke the lid. But we were in!

Beloved and I push back off the shore onto the lake, with the urn. We settle on a place. Sit for a moment. Enjoying the quiet. A few tears fall. We say goodbye to Rusty.

The tears quickly turn to giggles. And then all out laughter. Not from the sadness if the situation. Oh no.

Beloved scattered Rusty’s ashes on top of the water. It was actually beautiful. It almost looked phosphorescent. There was a glow. As we watched the ashes settle, the giggles started. Right there, below the ashes, our water pump. The pump that pumps the lake water from the lake, to the cottage.

The family joke is that Rusty will always be a part of us…literally.

Although chocolate is my go to for comfort (especially warm and gooey brownies), this comes a close second. I can never resist a warm dessert with cold vanilla ice cream.

rhubarb upside-down cake

This recipe comes from my biggest and most favourite cookbook, The Gourmet Cookbook. if you’ve never looked at it, it is worth a peek. Be warned it is very heavy! And will require more than a peek. The recipe is on page 717. It calls for anise but the first time I made it I didn’t have anise seeds so tried it without. It was amazing. In fact i’ve never made it with the anise. I make this every spring with the appearance of rhubarb. If you don’t have your rhubarb yet, it should arrive soon.

For topping

1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 lb trimmed rhubarb, cut into 1inch pieces, making 3 cups worth

For Cake

1 tsp anise seeds *optional
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 cup well shaken buttermilk *I have also used plain yogurt, or sour cream with good results (if using yogurt or sour cream, mix it with the milk below)
1/4 cup milk

Make topping:
In a well seasoned 10 inch cast iron skillet (or frying pan with an oven proof handle) melt butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and reduce heat to low.
Sprinkle brown sugar evenly onto bottom of skillet and heat, undisturbed, 3 minutes (not all brown sugar will be melted).
Remove skillet from heat. Decoratively arrange rhubarb, rounded sides down, in one layer over brown sugar.
Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Make cake:
With a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee/spice grinder finely grind anise seeds.
Into a bowl sift together anise, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in vanilla.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
With mixer on low speed add flour mixture alternately in batches with buttermilk and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until just combined (do not overbeat).
Spoon batter over rhubarb in skillet*(it might seem like you don’t have enough batter. Don’t worry, it will rise and come together), spreading evenly (be careful not to disturb rhubarb), and bake cake in middle of oven until golden, about 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in skillet on a rack 15 minutes. *set your timer so you don’t forget. If the cake cools down completely it will stick when you try to remove it
Run a thin knife around edge of skillet and invert a plate over skillet. Keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert cake onto plate. Carefully remove skillet and serve cake warm or at room temperature. *With vanilla ice cream.

Julie of By The Recipe says this about her food writing:

I’m not sure which came first: my sweet tooth, or my desire to bake.  Before I was a wife and a mother, I was a baker.  I love to bake.

Before kids, I wasn’t much of a cook. After kids, my cooking abilities improved, I guess because I needed to feed my family. Over the years I have come to enjoy cooking, almost as much as baking.  But let’s be honest, the best part of baking and cooking are the accolades of a great mouthful of food. That inspires me.

When I cook, I cook by the recipe. Almost always.

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