It's rhubarb season! For some, this conjures up thoughts of overgrown weeds in the garden, for others, the mind wanders with the many uses of rhubarb - sweet or savory, in a pie or served atop pork? How about rhubarb curd? I hadn't heard of it either, but it sounded delicious. Add it to a shortbread base, all I could think was "yum-o!" It was about time I did something with the rhubarb Beverly gave us last Easter... and I'm not talking about Easter last month, but a year ago that has been living in the freezer drawer ever since.
Rhubarb Curd Bars
Source: http://www.laraferroni.com/2010/04/22/rhubarb-bars/
Rhubarb Curd (in the jar in the picture)
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 unsalted butter, cut up into chunks
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).
If you are making the bars, pause at this point to make and bake the crust.
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.
Rhubarb Bars
Makes about a dozen
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)
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. 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 a little less
than 1/4 inch thick, 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.
