Rhubarb Desserts

If you've never tried Rhubarb Desserts, you're in for a surprise. (Hopefully, you'll find it to be a pleasant one!) Check out the Straight Up Rhubarb Pie, the Rhubarb-Almond Cake, and the rest of today's yumminess. Enjoy!

BROWNED BUTTER RHUBARB CRISP

This recipe is from Yossy Arefi in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this yummy recipe, Yossy wrote, "Making a crisp is one of the best and easiest ways to highlight seasonal fruit. Crisps come together quickly with no special equipment, and they are a great way to use the odds and ends of fruit in your refrigerator. This recipe highlights one of spring’s finest flavors: rhubarb. It is often paired with berries, but here, rhubarb shines on its own, with tart, puckery flavor and gorgeous color. Browned butter and almonds add toasty, nutty notes to the topping, making this an almost-effortless, high-impact dessert. You may notice that 2 tablespoons of the butter aren’t browned; they are added to the hot browned butter to cool it down a bit so that you can use it immediately. Feel free to swap an equal amount of rolled old-fashioned oats for the almonds in the topping. Serve this cozy dessert with whipped cream or ice cream, if you like."

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Yield: 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023139-browned-butter-rhubarb-crisp. While you're at it, if you haven't signed up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, I highly recommend doing so. Great recipes, guides, and more.

Ingredients

For the Crisp Topping

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup/55 grams sliced almonds

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

For the Rhubarb

2 pounds rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces (8 cups)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Pinch of kosher salt

Vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream, to serve

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, brown the butter: Melt 1/2 cup of the butter in a small skillet set over medium heat. (Use a skillet with a light interior so you can easily see the milk solids change color.) Cook the butter, stirring occasionally and scraping the milk solids off the bottom and sides of the pan as needed, until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell toasty, a few minutes. Transfer the butter to a medium heatproof bowl. Cut the remaining butter into 2 pieces and add it to the bowl with the hot butter. Stir occasionally until all the butter melts.

Add the flour, brown sugar, almonds and salt to the butter, and stir together until evenly combined and clumps form. You may need to use your fingers to do the last bit of mixing.

Prepare the rhubarb: In a 9-by-9-inch (or 9-inch round) baking dish, combine the rhubarb, granulated sugar, flour, vanilla paste, orange zest and a pinch of salt. Stir until combined and evenly mixed. Press the rhubarb gently into the pan, then scatter the crumble evenly over the top.

Bake until the topping is deep golden brown and the rhubarb juices are bubbling, 55 to 65 minutes. Cool slightly, then serve warm with ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The topping will soften as it sits.

RHUBARB-ALMOND CAKE

This is from Alison Roman, a Senior Food Editor for Bon Appetit. For this recipe, Alison wrote, "It might feel like you’re beating the batter for a long time, but that’s what gives this cake an airy lift. Stay with it!"

Active Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours; Makes 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/rhubarb-almond-cake.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for pan

1 pound rhubarb stalks, trimmed

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup blanched almonds

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2 large eggs

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

Special Equipment

One 11x8" tart pan or one 9"-diameter tart pan with removable bottom

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter tart pan and sprinkle with sugar, tapping out excess. Slice rhubarb in half lengthwise (quarter if very large). Set 8 of the prettiest pieces aside for the top of the cake; chop remaining rhubarb into 1/2" pieces.

Pulse flour, almonds, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until almonds are finely ground (texture should be sandy).

Place 1 cup butter and 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; reserve pod for another use. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to blend first egg before adding second. Beat until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients, followed by yogurt. Beat, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed, just to combine (batter will be thick). Fold in chopped rhubarb and scrape batter into prepared pan. Smooth batter and arrange reserved rhubarb over top; sprinkle with remaining 3 Tbsp. sugar.

Place tart pan on a large rimmed baking sheet (to catch any rogue juices) and bake, rotating once, until cake is golden brown and rhubarb on top is soft and beginning to brown, 70–80 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool before removing from pan.

Do Ahead: Cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.

RHUBARB-STRAWBERRY REFRIGERATOR CAKE

My family spent several years in northeast Connecticut. When I was 15, my parents bought a new house in South Woodstock (we'd lived in Thompson).

One of the new house's charms was a good-sized garden; a large patch of rhubarb threatened to overrun the entire garden. While Dad claimed most of the garden (as “John’s Pea Patch”), Mom decided that the rhubarb was hers. This is one of the many rhubarb desserts we had that year.

This recipe can be found in my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking.

Ingredients

6 C rhubarb, cut in 1/2” pieces

1 tsp. vanilla

3 dozen lady fingers, split

1/2 C sugar

whole fresh strawberries

2 pks. (3 oz. each) strawberry gelatin

2 C heavy cream, whipped

Directions

Combine rhubarb, sugar and 1 C water in saucepan. Bring to boil. Boil 6 – 8 minutes until soft. Drain 1 C syrup and save. Put rhubarb and remaining syrup in blender. Make pulp (3-1/2 C). Bring pulp to boil. Pour over gelatin and stir until dissolved. Chill until slightly thickened but not firm. Fold in whipped cream. Add vanilla. Line 9” springform pan (3” deep) with ladyfingers. Alternate layers of rhubarb mix and ladyfingers, ending with rhubarb. Chill overnight, or until firm. Top with glaze and strawberries.

Glaze: Mix reserve syrup and 1/4 C sugar. Bring to boil & stir in 1-1/2 T cornstarch. Blend with small amount of water. Boil and cook, stirring until thickened and clean. Add a few drops of red food coloring. Cool.

STRAIGHT UP RHUBARB PIE

This is from Anne Dimock and adapted by Amanda Hesser in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Amanda wrote, "This sweet-tart rhubarb pie contains no distractions, like strawberries. The crust is made with shortening. (Butter is fine if you want a French tart, but it's not American pie unless it's made with shortening, the author Anne Dimock said.) The top is marked with 8 razor-thin vents. The pie can be fully assembled and frozen for up to 3 months before baking."

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes; Yield: 8 servings

This was featured in "The Way We Eat; Circular Thinking", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9420-straight-up-rhubarb-pie.

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2/3 cup vegetable shortening, plus 2 tablespoons

6 tablespoons ice water

For the Filling

5 cups sliced rhubarb

1-1/4 cups sugar

5 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1-1/2 tablespoons butter

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Make the crust: before measuring the flour, stir it to leaven with air and then measure out 2 cups. Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Cut the shortening into the flour with a fork or pastry blender. Stop as soon as the sheen of the butter disappears and the mixture is a bunch of coarse pieces. Sprinkle a tablespoon of water at a time over the dough, lifting and tossing it with the fork. When it begins to come together, gather the dough, press it into a ball and then pull it apart; if it crumbles in your hands, it needs more water. (It's better to err on the side of too wet than too dry.) Add a teaspoon or two more water, as needed.

Gather the dough into two slightly unequal balls, the larger one for the bottom crust and the smaller one for the top. Flatten the larger ball, reforming any frayed edges with the sides of your hand. Dust with flour and roll the dough, starting from the center and moving toward the edges. Take a knife or thin spatula and quickly work its edge between the crust and the counter top. Lift the dough to the side; dust the dough and counter top with flour. Roll again until the diameter is an inch or 2 larger than that of the pie pan. Lay the rolling pin a third of the way from one of the edges. Roll the crust onto the pin and then unroll the crust into a 9-inch pie pan and press it into place. Place in the freezer.

Make the filling: in a large bowl, combine the rhubarb, sugar, flour and cinnamon. Pour into the crust-lined pie pan. Dot with butter.

Roll out the top crust. Dab the rim of the bottom crust with water to create a glue. Then place the top crust over the rhubarb; trim, seal and cut several vents. Bake for 15 minutes; reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake 25 to 30 minutes more, or until a bit of pink juice bubbles from the vents in the crust.

Tip

Anne Dimock's secret ingredient is Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon, available from Penzeys Spices, www.penzeys.com.

RHUBARB CRISP

This yumminess is from Jeanine and Jack on their wonderful site, Love & Lemons. (Hint: If you've never checked out their site, now would be a great time to do so. Absolutely worth checking out!)

Anyway, this starts off, "Step aside, strawberry rhubarb pie! This rhubarb crisp recipe is my favorite spring dessert.

"I love it because it’s so easy (HUGE bonus points for not requiring pie crust), but it’s still completely delicious. A layer of fresh rhubarb bakes to jammy, sweet-tart perfection, and a brown sugar and oat crumble crisps up beautifully on top. I’m personally incapable of eating it without a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but hey, you do you."

To read the rest of what Jeanine and Jack have written about this yumminess, and see the recipe on their site, go to https://www.loveandlemons.com/rhubarb-crisp/.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes minutes; Serves 6

Another note from the recipe: "Rhubarb's season is fleeting, lasting just from April through June. Make the most of it with this rhubarb crisp recipe! It's a delicious spring dessert, featuring a layer of tart, jammy rhubarb with a buttery oat crumble on top. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors."

Equipment

8x8 Ceramic Baking Dish (I've loved this Le Creuset one for years)

Ingredients

2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed, tough strings removed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Topping

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup whole rolled oats

1/2 cup crushed walnuts

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup firm coconut oil, or butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, toss the rhubarb with the sugar, cornstarch, and orange juice and zest. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish.

Make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, brown sugar, oats, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt. Use your hands to work in the coconut oil until the mixture crumbles. If it is too dry, add water, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until the mixture starts to hold together when pinched.

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the rhubarb and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the rhubarb is soft and bubbling.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB FLUMMERY

This was in the May/June 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times (page 63), and begins, "Layers of a fast fruit compote and coconut whipped cream make this traditional Irish dessert a fantastic warm weather finale when you want something light. The longer the coconut-cashew cream is left to chill, the thicker it gets, so make it a day or two ahead, if possible."

Makes 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/strawberry-rhubarb-flummery/.

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews

1 15-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup cane or maple sugar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (3 cups)

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered (3 cups)

1/2 cup rolled oats

Preparation

Grind cashews in food processor or blender until powdery. Add coconut milk, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Process 5 minutes, or until creamy, stopping once or twice to scrape down sides of bowl. Cover and chill overnight or up to 2 days.

Combine rhubarb, 3/4 cup sugar and lemon juice in medium saucepan. Simmer 10 minutes over medium heat, or until rhubarb begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Add strawberries and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, or until strawberries are soft, but not mushy. Remove from heat, and stir in 1 tsp. vanilla. Transfer to bowl, let cool to room temperature, then cover and chill.

Toast oats in small skillet over medium heat 3 minutes, or until light brown, stirring often. Remove from heat, and cool.

To serve: Spoon 1/4 cup compote in bottoms of 6 wine or parfait glasses. Top with 2 Tbs. coconut-cashew cream, and sprinkle with oats. Repeat layering to fill glasses. Serve immediately.

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