Rhubarb Dream Dessert
As far as I'm concerned rhubarb is an absolute dietary staple. It's definitely my favorite type of pie (hold the strawberries, thank you very much) and I'm always researching new recipes that use rhubarb. I've made everything from rhubarb muffins to rhubarb jam to rhubarb soda. Up north, it's in plentiful supply. Many people have huge, established plants that spring up each year after the long winter that produce more stalks than they could possibly use in one summer.
Imagine my disappointment when we moved down to Texas last year and I learned it was very difficult to grow here due to the extreme heat. I did lots of reading about it and it seems that if you do manage to plant one of the heartier varieties here, it might grow big enough to harvest over the winter but then you have to replant it each year. I was happy to find that the fanciest grocery store in town does indeed carry fresh rhubarb during certain times of the year if you're willing to shell out $8 per pound, an absolutely bonkers notion for someone who has enjoyed free and abundant rhubarb all their life. I did find myself eyeing those stalks longingly every time we visited that store, but I could never bring myself to cough up that much dough for one pie.
But wait, there's more! The other day I was again researching ways to get (reasonably priced) rhubarb in Texas and discovered that a nearby grocery store carries frozen rhubarb! I nearly cleaned out their supply, but chose to leave one package in case some other like-minded homesick Midwesterner had the yen. The confused reaction from the store cashier when she rang up this exotic "fruit" was worth the purchase alone. I'd like to think my enthusiastic explanation of rhubarb was enough to interest her in trying it, but it's more likely she just thought I was a weirdo.
And thus, I've unlocked a whole new section of recipes I can now make from my church cookbooks. Today I chose the Rhubarb Dream Dessert from the Norway Lutheran Church Cookbook, which is credited to L. Waslien.
Rhubarb Dream Dessert
Crust:
1 cup sifted flour
5 tbsp. confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
Blend (or cut together with a pastry cutter) and press into ungreased 7.5x11x1.5" pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
Topping:
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cups finely chopped rhubarb
Mix. spoon over crust. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
I did not have the odd pan size specified in the recipe, so I just ended up using an 8x8 pan. It worked out fine, I just had to make sure the crust baked slightly longer during the first step.
But as far as the taste, I don't say this often, but wow this thing has an overwhelming amount of sugar in it. It's practically inedible. It might have been better had I followed the directions closer and chopped the rhubarb pieces down more so the distribution of rhubarb to filling is more even. I'm worried that this frozen rhubarb isn't the best quality, so fresh is likely better. I was also expecting this to come out more like a bar, but instead it's closer to a cobbler. Overall not impressed with how this turned out.
Final rating: 1/5 This rhubarb dream turned out to be a rhubarb nightmare. I guess there's always next week!