Rhubarb‘s sour taste is a sign of springtime

    Rhubarb is a traditional spring vegetable  often used in desserts.
    Its tart taste makes it a favorite in many pies — after all, rhubarb is also called pie plant — but there are plenty of other options that take advantage of rhubarb’s sharp, spring flavor.
    It is used to make sauces, jams, cakes, and muffins as well as compotes, marmalades and marinades. Rhubarb may also be incorporated into sorbet, ice cream and punch.
    Put stewed rhubarb sauce on top of cheesecake, ice cream or vanilla pudding or serve it on hot buttered cinnamon toast.
    Just remember that rhubarb has a sour taste so it needs to be combined with sugar or fruit to offset that flavor.
    In the U.S., rhubarb and strawberries are often paired while in Britain it is often matched with ginger.
    Select rhubarb that is firm and crisp with brightly colored stalks. If the leaves are attached, they should be fresh-looking without blemish. Avoid stalks that are bruised or pithy.
    Store rhubarb tightly wrapped in a plastic bag and refrigerated for as long as five days. Don’t wash it until you are ready to use it.
    Rhubarb can be frozen, but it should be cut it into pieces and stewed first.
    You can also fill a warm sterilized jar with alternating layers of raw rhubarb pieces and sugar, then seal the jar and seal it in boiling water.
    Rhubarb is rich in vitamin C and dietary fiber, but it should be avoided by those susceptible to kidney stones.
    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 3 to 5 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.
    Following are some rhubarb recipes from www.food52.com.

    food52.com

Rhubarb With Earl Grey Tea, Cardamom and Orange Zest

3 cups roughly chopped (1-inch pieces) rhubarb
3 cups roughly chopped (1-inch pieces) Braeburn apple
Juice of 1 small Meyer lemon
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cane sugar
Seeds of one green cardamom pod, crushed
2 bags Earl Grey tea steeped in 3/4 cup just-boiled water for 3 minutes, then cooled
Zest of 2 Valencia oranges
Vanilla ice cream

    Place chopped rhubarb and apple in a medium casserole dish or oven-safe pot. Add lemon juice, sugar, cardamom, tea and zest of one orange, then gently toss.
    Bake, uncovered, in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. Stir, then bake an additional 15 minutes. The fruit should be tender.
    Let cool for five to 10 minutes, spoon into a bowl and top with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Naughty Rhubarb Scones

3 stalks rhubarb
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup vanilla sugar
2/3 to 3/4 cup heavy cream

    Slice rhubarb stalks 1/4-inch thick. Toss with 3 tablespoons sugar.
    Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in large bowl or bowl of food processor. Cut butter into flour mixture by hand or with a food processor until butter is the size of small peas. Blend in 1/4 cup sugar.
    Blend in sliced rhubarb. If using a food processor, just pulse. You want the slices mostly intact.
    Blend in cream until a soft dough forms, starting with 2/3 cup and adding more as needed. Transfer dough to a floured surface and divide in half.
    To make triangular scones, flatten into six-inch disks and cut each circle into six to eight scones. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
    Arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a 425-degree oven about 20 minutes, until reddish-brown on top.

Rhubarb Buckle With Ginger Crumb

For crumb topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For cake:
1-3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dried ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and thinly sliced

    To make topping, mix sugar, flour and candied ginger in a bowl, then stir in melted butter. Freeze.
    Whisk flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for three to five minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Gently fold in rhubarb.
    Spread batter into a buttered nine-inch baking pan that’s at least three inches tall. Sprinkle frozen crumb topping over the cake, making sure the crumb is completely frozen
    Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until lightly golden and firm on top.
    Store wrapped in plastic at room temperature for two to three days.

Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries

2 cups hulled strawberries, cut in half
3 cups roughly chopped rhubarb
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sweet vermouth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt

    In a large bowl, mix strawberries and rhubarb.
    In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, sweet vermouth, balsamic vinegar and salt. Pour over the rhubarb and strawberries, gently tossing until coated. Spread fruit out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzling the juices over the fruit
    Roast in a 350-degree oven about 40 minutes, until the juices are thick and the rhubarb tender to the touch.
    Transfer to a bowl while still warm. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for as long as one week
    Serve spooned over ice cream or with a slice of sweet bread, a biscuit, oatmeal or French toast.

Rhubarb Curd Shortbread

For curd:
3/4 pound rhubarb
4 tablespoons water
1/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup plus 1/8 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
For shortbread:
12 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon powdered galangal or ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch cloves

    Wash rhubarb and trim as little off the ends as possible. Cut into one-inch chunks.
    In a small saucepan, heat rhubarb, sugar and water over medium heat and cook until rhubarb falls apart and there are no whole pieces left, adding water by the tablespoon if rhubarb sticks to the bottom of the pan.
    Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture or push the mixture through a strainer.
    Blend shortbread ingredients in a stand mixer or food processor until combined. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate about one hour, then roll into an eight-inch square. Place into an eight-inch square baking pan or dump dough into pan and use fingers to press into the pan.
    Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes, until golden. Let cool on a rack or on the counter.
    Place egg yolks, butter, remaining sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a double boiler that’s off heat and whisk to combine. When sugar has dissolved completely, add rhubarb puree by the spoonful to temper the eggs.
    When all rhubarb has been added, set  over simmering bottom pan of the double boiler. Continue stirring the rhubarb mixture. After about five minutes, the mixture should be warm and slightly thickened. Remove from heat and press through a strainer.
    Use an offset spatula to spread curd evenly over shortbread. Bake another 10 minutes, then remove from oven and cool on rack. Refrigerate about 20 minutes, then cut into 16 equal bars. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Straight-Up Rhubarb Pie

For crust:
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
About 6 tablespoons ice water
For filling:
5 cups sliced rhubarb
1-1/4 cups sugar
5 tablespoons flour
2 pinches cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, optional

    To make the crust: combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Cut shortening into the flour with a fork or pastry blender until the sheen of the shortening 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. 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. Dust with flour and roll, 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, lift the dough to the side and dust the dough and countertop with flour. Roll again until the diameter is 10 or 11 inches. Transfer the crust into a 9-inch pie pan and shift it into place. Place in the freezer.
    To make the filling, blend the rhubarb, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour into the pie pan and dot with butter, if desired.
    Roll out the top crust. Dab the rim of the bottom crust with water, then place the top crust over the rhubarb. Trim, seal and cut several vents. Bake in a 425-degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake 25 to 30 minutes more, until a bit of pink juice bubbles from the vents in the crust.

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

1-1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 14 tablespoons butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
Zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Scant 1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2-1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup whole milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Ice cream or whipped cream, optional

    Melt one cup sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, lemon zest and juice, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a nine-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the butter and sugar have melted, add the rhubarb pieces and cook six to eight minutes, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is tender and slightly caramelized.
    Whisk together remaining sugar and salt, plus flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add remaining butter and, using your fingers, rub mixture to form coarse pea-size pieces. Add milk and eggs and stir until a soft, sticky dough forms. If your eggs are on the small side, you may need an extra splash of milk for the dough to come together.
    Place pieces of dough over the hot rhubarb mixture, trying to cover the entire surface. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a 375-degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake is golden and cooked through. Remove skillet from oven and let the cake rest about 10 minutes.
    Place a large, flat serving platter on top of the skillet and invert quickly and carefully. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired, or plain.