David Burtka: Making every day a party
May 27, 2020
One of my favorite parts about late spring and early summer is the emergence of those bright red rosy stalks of rhubarb. Crisp and tart, rhubarb beckons with enticing possibilities.
As we approach our third month of sheltering-in-place, baking banana bread has become mundane. Fresh ingredients provide a welcome change and rhubarb’s pretty pink color is sure to bring some cheer. This Rhubarb Cornmeal Upside Cake is the perfect recipe to add to your quarantine baking repertoire! The cake’s base, with a blend of all-purpose flour and cornmeal, has a toothsome crumb that stands up to the rhubarb’s melting softness and pucker-inducing power.
Also, Live to Eat is back with another new episode! This week, I chatted with David Burtka, caterer, chef, cookbook author…and rhubarb fan (find his delicious muffin recipe below).
Award-winning actor and caterer to Hollywood stars, David Burtka is the life of the party! After studying at Le Cordon Bleu, David trained under Thomas Keller before starting his own catering company. David’s delightful cookbook, Life Is a Party, features recipes, tips, and playlists for 16 seasonal party themes, alongside stunning photos of David and his husband, Neil Patrick Harris, and their adorable twins. Whether acting on Broadway, hosting an event, or cooking in the kitchen, David believes every day is a day worth celebrating. David’s enthusiasm is contagious, and I know you will enjoy listening to our conversation!
- In this Live to Eat episode, we discuss:
- :: How David’s catering company, Gourmet M.D. started
- :: The silver lining in this pandemic
- :: Why you (or your partner) should take a mixology class
- :: David’s Life Is A Party playlists on Spotify
- :: Why the Burtka-Harris family is obsessed with Sugar Rush (and Hunter March’s mouth)
Don’t know what to do with all your rhubarb? I have two treats for you! Make my Rhubarb Cornmeal Upside Down Cake and David Burtka’s Rhubarb Ginger Crumb Muffins—it’s the most popular recipe in his cookbook! Try both recipes below!
If you bake one of these recipes, tag me @candacenelson for a chance to be featured on my stories!
Thanks for listening today!
Rhubarb Cornmeal Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
For The Rhubarb Bottom:
- 1 ½ pounds fresh rhubarb, trimmed and cut on an angle into 1 ½-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
- ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
For The Cornmeal Batter:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup fine yellow cornmeal or instant polenta
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 10 tbsp (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened, plus 4 tbsp (½ stick)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup full-fat sour cream
- ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- sweet whipped cream
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Wrap the outside bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan with aluminum foil and set it on the baking sheet.
Make The Rhubarb Bottom:
In a large bowl, toss together the rhubarb, brown sugar, and cornstarch.
Make The Cornmeal Batter:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar with 10 tablespoons of the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and beat until just blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully blended between additions. Reduce the speed to low and add half the flour mixture, then the sour cream, then the remaining flour mixture, beating until just blended after each addition.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In a small saucepan melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter with the brown sugar over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is bubbling and the sugar has partially dissolved, 2 minutes. Drizzle the mixture evenly over the bottom of the foil-lined pan, then pour the rhubarb into the pan, completely covering the bottom and piling the rhubarb slightly higher around the outside of the pan than the center (the rhubarb sinks slightly on the sides). Pour the batter over the rhubarb, smoothing it out to the sides to evenly cover the surface. Bake, turning halfway through, until the surface is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes, run a sharp knife around the rim of the cake, then invert the cake onto a serving platter and let it sit, still in the springform pan, for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the foil from the outside of the pan, then release and remove the springform ring from the pan. Cool to room temperature and serve with whipped cr
David Burtka’s Rhubarb Ginger Crumb Muffins
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Active time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 1 hour 40 Minutes
Ingredients
For The Crumb Topping:
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ⅓ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
- Kosher salt
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
For The Muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups diced rhubarb (2 to 3 stalks)
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, ginger, and a pinch of salt. Add the butter and use your fingers to work it into the flour mixture until a crumbly, streusel-like texture forms. Set aside.
Make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and orange zest on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Mix until incorporated (the mixture will look broken or curdled, and that’s okay).
Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add half the flour mixture, then the buttermilk and vanilla, followed by the rest of the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Turn off the mixer and fold in the rhubarb with a spatula.
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups (use about ⅓ cup batter for each muffin). Top with a heaping tablespoon of the crumb topping, pressing it lightly to ensure the mixture adheres. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving. They can be stored in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or 10 days refrigerated.