Category: Rhubarb

Roasted Rhubarb

4/26/2017

This is really a fantastic go-to for when you want that tart rhubarb taste but have no time to make a whole rhubarb pie. Of course, then the challenge becomes what to pair the roasted rhubarb with - I tried to use a plainer recipe such as the magic custard cake, but the rhubarb taste is so strong that it frankly overpowered the cake. So, just be aware that while delicious, the roasted rhubarb needs a strong partner!

1/2 lb rhubarb
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice or juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp vanilla

Set oven to 375 F.
Slice the rhubarb into about 1" pieces. Toss with everything.
Spread on a baking sheet and roast for about 10-15 minutes, until it is soft but not mushy.

Note: I personally preferred a little less sugar, maybe around the 1/4 to 1/3 cup range, but some might be put off by how tart the rhubarb becomes once you cut the sugar down that low.

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Rhubarb Tart

5/10/2016

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Long story short, I attempted this recipe due to the convergence of a challenge from an old friend (who, after seeing my koi pond pie, commented that I should next make something reflecting my namesake/internet handle) and another friend having spied cheap rhubarb for sale in another state and hand-carrying a pound's worth of stalks back for me. I then promptly ended up doing a whole bunch of substitutions, both intentional and unintentional, and in the end determined that this is really just a sweet rather than savory pizza-like dessert that is pretty forgiving of whatever you want to do with it. Thus, if you wish to try it, I wish you many happy experiments!

1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 pound rhubarb stalks, thinly sliced diagonally (1/8 inch)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17 1/4-ounces package), thawed (see note below
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
Stir together orange juice, lime juice, and sugar in a bowl. Add rhubarb and let stand, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut pastry in half lengthwise, then roll out each piece into an 11-by 7-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Arrange pastry rectangles side by side on an ungreased large baking sheet.
Make a 1/2-inch border around each pastry rectangle by lightly scoring a line parallel to each edge (do not cut all the way through). Prick pastry inside border all over with a fork.
Strain rhubarb mixture through a sieve set over a bowl, reserving liquid. Top 1 pastry rectangle (within border) with half of rhubarb, overlapping slices slightly. Repeat with remaining pastry and rhubarb.
Bake until pastry is puffed and golden (underside of pastry should also be golden), about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil reserved rhubarb liquid in a small saucepan, skimming foam if necessary, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 15 to 18 minutes.
Transfer tarts to a rack. Brush rhubarb and pastry with glaze and sprinkle with zest.

Note: The first time I made this, I had leftover phyllo sheets in the fridge that I wanted to use up, so I substituted that for the puff pastry. It actually worked really well, though the process ate up my time like you wouldn't believe. (Note that, due to the toughness of baked phyllo, you may want to "cut" the tart using kitchen shears rather than a fork and knife.) Also, I accidentally burned the orange-lime glaze when I turned away from the stove for the crucial last minute - as a substitute, I spooned out some apricot reserves into a saucepan, added some water, then stirred as it simmered. Once the bubbles started looking syrupy, I strained the liquid into a bowl and used that as a substitute glaze - which actually worked beautifully.

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Rhubarb Pie

10/18/2015

Other than a reference to a character named "Rhubarb" in Strawberry Shortcake, I had never encountered the vegetable in either print or person until I was nearly 30. But it was pretty much love at first taste, and since then, whenever winter rolls around I keep an eye on the store shelves for the elusive (in Southern California climes, that is) veggie.

I play around with this recipe a lot, sometimes throwing in strawberries (as seen in the photos) or adjusting the amounts of sugar and flour depending on what I'm using. It's become a nice, very simple general recipe for these soft-cooking "sour" fruits that nevertheless still gets multiple requests from friends and family through the year.

1 double deep dish pie crust
4 heaping cups of chopped fresh rhubarb (see notes at bottom if using frozen rhubarb)
1 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
(optional) 1 egg + 1 tsp water
(optional) sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Roll out the bottom pie crust and lay in the deep dish pie pan. Trim the edges.
Combine sugar and flour. Sprinkle 1/3 of it over pastry in pie plate (this will help the juices from soaking the bottom crust into soup). Heap rhubarb over this mixture. Sprinkle the remaining sugar and flour over the rhubarb. Cover with top crust and crimp the edges. (Optional: brush an egg wash of one whole egg and one teaspoon of water over the crust, and sprinkle with sugar.)
Place pie on lowest rack in oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Cover the edges of the crust with a heat shield and reduce oven temperature to 350 F, and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes. Let it cool and set. (The center will be very soupy when hot, but as it cools, the flour will help it congeal. This pie may be served hot if you simply can't wait - which my family has done many times - but it's probably best when it's warm or just slightly above room temperature.)

Notes: The sugar level has been adjusted for a less-sweet pie. The original recipe called for 1_1/3 cups of sugar and exactly 4 cups of rhubarb. If you're using frozen rhubarb, try to defrost it first and then squeeze the extra water out of it, then add an extra tablespoon of flour to help thicken the sauce.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bars

7/8/2015

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This was taken (with some very heavy adaptations) from an idea on Cooking.com. However, I found quite a few problems with the original recipe after eyeballing the ingredients, so I played around with the proportions just going by previous experience of what recipes for my rhubarb pie and other crumbles called for. In the end, the first attempt was probably a B+, but it wouldn't take much to get it into the A range on the second try!

Base and crumble topping:

8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
1.25 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Fruit mixture:

2 cups chopped rhubarb
1.5 cups chopped strawberries
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, blend the base ingredients together with a fork or your fingers until the butter is no longer visible and the mixture is loose and crumbly. Transfer about 3/4 of the mixture to the prepared pan. Use your fingers or a measuring cup to press the mixture into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
In another medium bowl, stir the rhubarb, strawberry, cornstarch and sugar together. Pour into the pan. Crumble the remaining base mixture on top of the fruit.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing into pieces.

Note: The flavors tend to take time to blend together. It will taste different the next day, but the crumble may not be as fresh and crispy due to the liquids in the center. So, it's best to enjoy it the day-of, but allow it time to sit and settle.

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Rhubarb Buttermilk Muffins

4/9/2015

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This is a great way to mop up "rhubarb scraps" from other recipes, such as rhubarb pie, when you've got a bunch of stalks left over. These muffins passed the "dad test".

I have not yet tried the version with the topping - since my family tends to like things less sweet, I simply left that part out.

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup salad oil
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups finely diced rhubarb
1 cup pecan pieces
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt

Topping:

1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp melted margarine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 24 medium-sized muffin cups.
Combine in large bowl: brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Stir into mixture buttermilk, rhubarb, and pecans.
In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add this mixture all at once to rhubarb mixture and stir until all ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.
Fill prepared muffin pan 3/4 full with batter.
Quickly combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of batter in each muffin cup.
Bake in preheated oven on center shelf 15 to 20 minutes.

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Roasted Rhubarb

Rhubarb Tart

Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bars

Rhubarb Buttermilk Muffins

Sweet Enough

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