Enjoy a tart taste of spring with rhubarb

    Rhubarb is a traditional spring vegetable  often used as a fruit.
    Its tart taste makes it a favorite in pies and desserts — its nickname is the pie plant — but rhubarb sauce and chutney are delicious accompaniments to meats.
    And that tartness also adds a tang to main dishes made with everything from beef to poultry.
    To offset its sour taste, rhubarb is often combined with sugar. But sugar-free rhubarb dishes are easier than you might think.
    When making rhubarb cake or muffins, replace the sugar with fruit juice concentrates or mild tasting fruit, such as pears or apples.
    Some of the most common rhubarb dishes combine rhubarb with strawberries.
    For a summertime treat, stew some rhubarb and use it to make ice pops. Combine one cup stewed rhubarb with seven ounces plain yogurt, 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind, then freeze in ice pop molds to make rhubarb pops with orange. Or combine 3/4 cup stewed rhubarb with seven ounces strawberry yogurt, 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries and freeze in ice pop molds to make rhubarb pops with strawberries.
    Rhubarb is a perennial plant that forms large fleshy rhizomes and large leaves with long, thick stalks. While the stalks are used in meals, the leaves contain poison and should not be eaten.
    The leaves can be used in an aphid spray. Chop three to five rhubarb leaves, then add them to a cup of water. Boil the mixture for 30 minutes, then strain. Add a dash of liquid non-detergent soap to the water. Fill a spray bottle with the water and use on aphids.
    Because the leaves are poisonous, the spray should not be used on edible plants, only on ornamentals.
    After harvesting rhubarb, the stalks can be wrapped in damp paper towels in a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator for as long as a week.
    Following are some rhubarb recipes frominspiredbycharm.com and thekitchenmagpie.com.

inspiredbycharm.com

Strawberry Rhubarb Syrup

2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups chopped strawberries
3 cups water
1 cup sugar

    Combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and summer 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft and the liquid has thickened slightly. Cool slightly.
    Put a mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the mixture through the strainer. Use a spoon to extract any extra liquid from the solids.
    Pour the syrup in a clean bottle, cover and store in the refrigerator. If desired, use any solid fruit pieces like a jam on toast.

Strawberry Rhubarb Margarita

1 cup strawberry rhubarb syrup
2 cups white tequila
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup triple sec
1/4 cup orange juice
8 strawberries, diced
1 lime wedge, optional
Sugar for rimming the glass, optional

    If desired, run lime wedge around the rims of four margarita glasses, then roll in sugar. Place an equal amount of diced strawberry pieces in each of the glasses, then fill with ice.
    In a large pitcher, combine strawberry rhubarb syrup, tequila, lime juice, triple sec and orange juice by shaking or stirring.
    Pour mixture over the ice into the glasses.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cake

1 box cake mix
3 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cup strawberry rhubarb syrup
1 cup strawberries, sliced, plus extra for garnish
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Fresh cut flowers for decoration

    Bake two nine-inch round cakes according to the package directions. Allow cakes to cool in the pans.
    Poke holes in the top of cake with a wooden skewer or fork, then slowly pour 3/4 cup strawberry rhubarb syrup onto each cake. Use a spatula, if necessary, to evenly spread out the syrup. Chill cakes about an hour.
    Beat butter until smooth, then slowly add powdered sugar. Add vanilla and as much heavy whipping cream as needed until frosting reaches the desired consistency.
    Remove cakes from the pans. Place a dollop of frosting on the first cake and spread evenly to the edges. Add a thin layer of sliced strawberries on top of the frosting. Place the second cake top and spread a layer of frosting on the top. Add strawberries and garnish with flowers.

Blackberry Rhubarb Cake

For cake:
1-1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
3 cups diced rhubarb
1 cup blackberries, chopped if they are large
For topping:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup flour
Ground cinnamon for dusting

    In a large bowl, mix together sugar, baking soda, salt and flour. Stir in the eggs, vanilla and sour cream until smooth. Add  the rhubarb and blackberries, then pour into a greased and floured 9-by-13-inch cake pan and spread evenly.
    In a smaller bowl, stir together sugar, butter and flour until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over top of the cake, then dust lightly with cinnamon.
    Bake in a 350-degree oven about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
    Cool, then eat.

Strawberry Rhubarb Mason Jar Cobblers

4 cups rhubarb, chopped
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the dough:
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shorting
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
Extra sugar for garnish
Vanilla ice cream for serving

    In a large bowl, mix rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, corn starch and lemon juice. Set aside.
    In another larger bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter and vegetable shorting into the dry ingredients until crumbly.
    Beat the egg and milk together in a small bowl. Pour into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until just combined.
    Evenly divide the strawberry rhubarb mixture into six to eight pint-sized, wide-mouth Mason jars that have been coated with cooking spray. Tear off pieces of the dough and drop onto fruit. Sprinkle dough lightly with sugar.
    Place filled jars onto a baking sheet. Bake  in a 350-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden and the fruit is bubbly. Carefully remove from the oven. Allow to cool.
    Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
    Makes six to eight servings.

thekitchenmagpie.com

Coconut Rhubarb Scones

1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, cold and cubed
1-1/2 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1 egg

    Combine sour cream and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
    Place flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk together or use the paddle attachment of the stand mixer to fluff.
    Add butter to the flour mixture and either cut in with a pastry blender or use the mixer. Once the butter is cut in and there are chunks the size of peas, beat the egg and pour into the sour cream mixture. Combine.
    Pour the egg-sour cream mixture into the flour and stir until just moistened. Add the rhubarb and coconut and mix until just combined.
    On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a log, then cut into three disks. Flatten each disk into a circle that’s an inch thick and around four to five inches wide. Cut each circle into six equal triangles.
    Place scones on a parchment lined backing sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until nicely browned.
    Remove and cool slightly, then eat.

Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
Pie dough for a 9-inch pie double crust

    Place your bottom crust into a pie plate. Gently toss together rhubarb, blueberries, flour and sugar. Add berry mixture and top with small pieces of butter.
    Cover with top crust. Brush crust with egg, then sprinkle sugar on top. Crimp the edges together and cut several pie vents into the top.
    Bake on the lowest rack of a 425-degree oven for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 50 to 55 minutes more. If edges become too brown, cover the edges with tinfoil or use a pie crust cover. Continue baking until you see the filling bubbling and the crust is browned all over. Cool on a baking rack.

Rhubarb Crisp

1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup melted salted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For filling:
4 cups diced rhubarb
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

    Mix flour, brown sugar, oats, butter and cinnamon together in a bowl until crumbly. Press half of the oat mixture into the bottom of a greased 9-by-9-inch pan.
    Add sugar and cornstarch to the rhubarb and toss to coat evenly. Place on top of the oat mixture, making sure the sugar is dispersed evenly. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the rhubarb.
    Bake in a 350-degree oven about one hour, until lightly brown and bubbling. Cover with foil if topping starts to brown too quickly, removing for the last 10 minutes to ensure the topping is crisp.

Strawberry Rhubarb Fruit Leather

2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups chopped strawberries
2 to 3 tablespoons honey

    Place 1/4 cup water in the bottom of a casserole dish, add rhubarb and cover. Steam in the microwave for four to five minutes, until softened.
    Puree strawberries and rhubarb in a food processor or hand blender. Add two to three tablespoons honey and stir.
    Line a cookie sheet with plastic wrap. Spread puree evenly to 1/4-inch thickness, making sure there is plastic showing all the way around the edge.
    Dry in a 150-degree oven for six to eight hours or a food dehydrator. If you like, you can turn your oven on as low as it can go every hour, then turn it off and let the residual heat dry out the leather.
    When the leather peels away from the wrap, is still slightly tacky when you touch it but your finger doesn’t leave a mark, it is done. Roll it in the plastic and cut into small rolls. Store in the refrigerator for as long as a month.

Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

For batter:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 cups finely chopped rhubarb
1 tablespoon flour
For topping:
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb

    Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan, then pour 1/4 cup melted butter into the bottom. Sprinkle 1 cup brown sugar evenly over the melted butter. Arrange strawberries on the brown sugar, then sprinkle evenly with rhubarb. Press fruit into the brown sugar.
    Cream butter and sugars together, then whip in eggs and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.
    Whisk together your dry ingredients.  Alternately add dry mixture and sour cream to the butter mixture using a mixer on low speed. Dust the finely chopped rhubarb with the flour, then add to mixture and gently mix in.  Gently spread the batter over top of the strawberry/rhubarb mixture.
    Bake in a 350-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean.