Rhubarb Oat Bars

Today I start with an apology:  Sorry I have no picture of this yummy treat.  I haven't been able to keep any around long enough to get a snapshot.  After finding this recipe this spring I have made it a few times for different groups of people, and the whole pan disappears so fast!  I just made them again for Father's Day, where my daughter brought her new boyfriend.  He had never eaten rhubarb before and I think these bars sold him on this new vegetable because he ate three!  So you just have to trust me that they look good, and boy do they taste good!  I improved the original recipe quite a bit by decreasing the amount of sugar, increasing the amount of rhubarb, and using butter instead of shortening.  Try this spring treat, the rhubarb is still thriving out there!

RHUBARB OAT BARS

Filling:
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
4 cups fresh rhubarb, cut up
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Crust:
1-1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal
1-1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I have used both walnuts and pecans, and the bars were delicious with each)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Filling:  Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and cook until thick, stirring often.  8-10 minutes.

Crust:  Mix all ingredients in a bowl until crumbly.  Pat three quarters of the mixture into an un-greased 9x13 inch baking pan.  Pour the rhubarb mixture over the crust (it's fine to do this while the filling is hot).  Top with remaining crumb mixture.

Bake 30-35 minutes.

Cool before cutting into bars.  Or you can spoon it out hot and serve with ice cream or whipped cream for a crumble dessert.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Makes 16 bars.

 

Pie Plant Season

Here we are, back to the peak season for "Pie Plant".  Rhubarb earned that nickname honestly, it really is perfect in pies!  Last night we had a couple of families over for pie so I made two rhubarb pie variations:  with pineapple and with cherries.  I thought I'd be able to choose a favorite but really liked both.  So I recommend you try each of these pies this spring.  A little ice cream or whipped cream makes them perfect!

Pineapple Rhubarb Pie

9 or 10 inch double pie dough

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1 20-oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups sliced fresh rhubarb

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a 9 or 10 inch pie pan with crust.  Roll out top crust.  Set both aside.

Stir all filling ingredients together until well blended and pour into the pastry lined pie pan.  Cover with the top crust and flute edges.  Cut steam vents in the top of the pie then brush with ice water and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 15 minutes, then lower heat to 375 and bake an additional 30 minutes.  The filling should be bubbling.  Serve warm.


Cherry Rhubarb Pie

9 or 10 inch double pie dough

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a 9 or 10 inch pie pan with crust.  Roll out top crust.  Set both aside.

4 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced
2 cups tart pie cherries -  fresh (pitted), frozen (thawed) or canned (drained)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Stir all filling ingredients together and let stand 10-15 minutes, then pour into pastry-lined pie pan.  Dot with 1 tablespoon butter if desired and add top crust.  Flute edges and cut steam vents in the top of the pie.  Brush with ice water and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 15 minutes, then lower heat to 375 and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until filling bubbles and crust is golden.  Serve warm.

Rhubarb Cake

Yesterday we had a dinner guest, and that's always an occasion calling for dessert.  Since I have plentiful rhubarb growing in the garden I wanted to use it, but didn't have time to make a pie.  This cake ended up fitting the bill perfectly, and our guest liked it so much that she happily took several pieces home and asked for the recipe.  That was pretty impressive considering that she had never heard of rhubarb before!

RHUBARB CAKE

Topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter

Cake:
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups finely chopped fresh rhubarb
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan.

Topping:
Mix the dry ingredients together, then cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.  Set aside.

Cake:
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla.  Add the salt and soda.  Beat in the flour alternately with the buttermilk.  Stir in the rhubarb and nuts.  Pour the batter into the greased baking pan.

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cake.

Bake 45 minutes.

We enjoyed this served with sweetened whipped cream.  It would also be great served warm with ice cream.

Spring = Rhubarb!

The snow has finally melted, the lilacs are blooming, sun is shining....and my rhubarb plant is thriving.  Time to enjoy this unique taste of spring.  Here's a yummy snack idea to take advantage of the rhubarb that is at it's peak right now.  These are like the bar cookies I usually make with peach or apricot jam, and I think they are even better with rhubarb.  My son enjoyed these for snacking as well as for breakfast with a big glass of milk.

OATMEAL RHUBARB SQUARES

Filling:
3 cups fresh rhubarb, diced
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust:
1 1/2 cups oats (quick-cooking or regular rolled oats)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Filling:  Combine ingredients in a saucepan and cook until thickened, stirring frequently.  This will take about 10 minutes.

Crust:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix all ingredients until combined and crumbly.  Press 3/4 of the mixture into an ungreased 9x13 pan.  Pour the rhubarb filling over the crust.  Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture evenly over the top.  Bake 30 minutes.  Let cool before cutting into squares.  Refrigerate the leftovers.

Rhubarb Pie from Sweety Pies

My son Trevor and his wife Ali are expecting their first baby, a girl, this summer.  I'm pretty excited about getting another granddaughter, especially since she'll live much closer than my other grandbabies.  I should be able to see her more often than every few months!  Years ago I taught natural birth classes, and really enjoyed it, but after I joined the "workforce" in 1996 I stopped - there just wasn't time, especially since I didn't charge enough money to really make it worth my time.  After looking at the options in our community, Trevor and Ali asked if I would do a birthing class for them.  This week we started with a little intro and discussed what they want to learn. But the first thing we did was enjoy a dinner of chicken stir fry on the front porch, and finished off with some rhubarb pie.

This recipe comes from the fun book my daughter Cara gave me for my birthday last year.  The pie was great with freshly whipped cream, and would also be great warm with ice cream.  This one is for people who enjoy the sweet-tart flavor of rhubarb.  We loved it.

Miss Maude McCracken's Rhubarb Pie (from Sweety Pies by Patty Pinner)

One 9-inch single pie crust, rolled out, fitted into a pie plate, and edge trimmed and crimped.

1-1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind

1/4 cup orange juice (I used the juice of one large orange)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (I used regular, salted butter with great results)

4 cups trimmed red rhubarb stalks, sliced 1 inch thick (we prefer smaller chunks of rhubarb, I cut it into 1/2 inch slices)

Crumb topping

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened (I used regular butter and omitted the salt)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Prepare the pie crust and set aside.

Combine the sugar, flour, and cloves in a medium-size, heavy saucepan and whisk until well blended.  Stir in the orange rind and juice, and the butter.  Cook over low to medium heat, stirring, until thickened and bubbly, then add the rhubarb.  Stir to coat the rhubarb, then remove from the heat and spoon the filling into the crust.  Place in the oven and bake until the rhubarb is tender and the juice bubbles, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the crumb topping.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar.  Add the butter and, using your fingertips, work it into the dry mixture until pea-sized crumbs form.

Take the pie out of the oven and sprinkle evenly with the topping.  Return to the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Strawberry-rhubarb pie

I know spring has really arrived when the rhubarb in my garden gets ready for it's first harvest.  The rhubarb was just in time for Mother's Day this year, so I made strawberry-rhubarb pie for my mom.  The rest of the family got to have some too.  I used a recipe from the cookbook "Pie" by Ken Haedrich, although I don't use all the steps he does (he refrigerates or freezes his pastry dough, but I skip these steps because I don't think it's necessary if you handle the dough with care).  This pie got high marks from the 10 people I served on Mother's Day.


Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Pie


1 unbaked deep dish pie crust
Filling:
3 cups fresh rhubarb stalks sliced 1/2 inch thick
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups hulled and halved fresh strawberries
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca

Cornmeal Crumb Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into chunks

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Combine the rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Toss well to mix, then set aside for 10 minutes.
• Add the strawberries and tapioca to the bowl and toss well.  Scrape the filling into the pie shell.  Bake for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the topping.  Combine the topping ingredients in a bowl and mix with a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor).  Once the mixture resembles fine crumbs, rub between your fingers to make large buttery crumbs.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Remove the pie from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees.  Carefully dump the crumbs in the center of the pie, spreading them evenly over the surface with your hands.  Tamp them down gently.  Return the pie to the oven and bake until the juices bubble thickly around the edge, 30 - 40 minutes.
• Let cool for at least 1 hour before serving.  This pie is great served slightly warm with vanilla ice cream.
• It's a good idea to put a large aluminum baking sheet under this pie while baking, as it is beautifully juicy and sometimes bubbles over.