Spring Pleasures

You'll never guess what made its initial appearance in my market last weekend. Rhubarb. Yup. It's here. And bright red, which of course means hothouse rhubarb and that's fine with me 'cause I love that deep red color. Over the years, I've droned on ad nauseam about my love for rhubarb, so I hope you're as crazy about it as I am....I've got quite a few recipes to try this spring. (Is it spring where you are yet?) Last spring I made my mother's famous rhubarb pie (pure rhubarb and nothing but) and saved the post in drafts so I'll definitely post that this year. And a crumble. And muffins and maybe even a cobbler. Get ready, my friends, lemon is going to take a back seat for a bit; divine rhubarb is in my kitchen.

I had to begin with this recipe. The color is just so gorgeous and once you make the rhubarb curd, it'll lead to some other lovely recipes. Think about it....rhubarb curd. The mind boggles with ideas. We're all so used to seeing lemon curd, but this is the first time I've ever made a rhubarb curd. It's delicious! It was all I could do to keep from eating it by the spoonful before I made the bars. The cookie crust balances out this bar perfectly. If you have leftover curd, mix it with yogurt over fruit. Top your next custard or pudding with it. How about serving it with panna cotta? I might try that one next.

So enjoy, my friends. Save this recipe for summer or if hothouse rhubarb is already  in your market, make something.....anything....it will make you think spring has sprung!

Bench notes:  I really think a slightly thinner cookie crust is a better idea, so next time I'll go with a larger baking dish. You need to adjust your baking time as a result. Keep a close eye on it. 

And, I like a little more rhubarb with my bar. 1/4 inch was just not enough. (But I did use a tad too much in this batch.) Again, you'll have to adjust your cooking time.

Rhubarb Bars
From Lara  Ferroni, Food Travel Life

Ingredients for rhubarb curd: 

400 grams rhubarb (about 10 to 15 stalks)

1/3 cup sugar

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar  

a pinch of salt

1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

50 grams (3 1/2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Ingredients for the crust:
4 ounces butter, room temperature

1 cup (136 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

a pinch of salt

about 1/2 of the Rhubarb curd recipe from above

Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Method for the curd:

Wash and chop rhubarb into 1/2 inch chunks. There is no need to peel, but if your stalks are particularly large, you might trim off any tough parts. Stir the rhubarb and 1/4 cup of sugar together and let sit for about 10 minutes. Place in a medium sized pot with about 1/4 cup of water and cook over low heat until you can no longer see whole pieces. Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature. Blend to a smooth puree if you desire (this will remove any remaining little stringy bits, but it isn’t necessary).

In a double boiler (or a bowl over boiling water), whisk the egg yolks, remaining sugar and salt. Whisk until well combined and warm. Add about 1 cup of the stewed rhubarb and the lemon zest. Keep stirring until the mixture is warm again. Check for taste and add more of the pureed rhubarb until you get the desired flavor and color. Remove from heat and stir in the butter chunks.

If you are not using the curd immediately, let it cool to room temperature and then store refrigerated for up to a week.

This recipe makes more curd than you’ll need for the Rhubarb Bars.

Method for the bars:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Place the butter, flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a mixer. Start on low speed (to keep the flour from flying everywhere), stir until it resembles course crumbs. Then increase speed slightly and continue to mix until a soft dough forms. It’s kind of magic.

Take the dough and press it into a 9" x 5" baking dish (see bench notes). Let rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes, and then bake until it is lightly golden, about 20 minutes. While the dough is baking, finish preparing the curd.

Pour the enough curd onto the crust to make a layer around 1/4 inch thick (see bench notes), and bake for another 10 minutes, until the curd has set. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate if desired (it’s easier to slice when chilled, but not necessary). Dust with powdered sugar before slicing if you’d like.