The Rhubarb Rhubarb

Rhubarb is one of those seasonal foods I’ve always wanted to include in menus. But to be honest, I’ve never claimed it as a favorite ingredient. Usually I’d try to insert it into my favorite desserts, hoping it wouldn’t be noticeable.

But I just put together a recipe that has completely changed my opinion about rhubarb. Rhubarb Shortcake shows off rhubarb’s unique tart taste; it has the perfect blend of sour and sweet, enhanced by the rich cream flavors.

Rhubarb contains so much water that when it’s cooked with a little sugar it becomes a sauce in minutes. And while many people recommend adding spices, I’ve never found that they enhance the flavor of cooked rhubarb. It really is good plain.

In the following recipe, rhubarb’s natural tartness is rounded out with a little orange liqueur. An orange accent is also added to the biscuit. The result is a dessert that will turn anyone into a rhubarb lover.

RHUBARB SHORTCAKE

1/2 cup flour

Dash salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons milk

Rhubarb Filling

Whipped cream or plain yogurt sweetened with little brown sugar, optional

Stir together flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and orange zest. Cut in butter to make crumbly mixture. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at time, to make slightly sticky dough.

Divide dough in half. Pat into 2 round 1/2-inch-thick cakes, 2 3/4 to 3 inches in diameter, on lightly floured surface. Place rounds 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned, 14 to 16 minutes. Remove biscuits to wire rack and cool until just warm.

Cut each biscuit in half horizontally. Place bottoms of each on 2 serving plates. Top each with 1/2 of Rhubarb Filling. Top with remaining biscuit halves. Serve plain or with dollops of whipped cream. Makes 2 servings.

Rhubarb Filling

2 cups rhubarb, sliced 1/2-inch thick

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon flour, optional

1 tablespoon orange liqueur, optional

1 tablespoon butter

Combine rhubarb and sugar in medium, heavy-bottomed pan. Do not add water. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb breaks down and becomes syrupy, about 10 minutes.

Stir together flour and liqueur. Stir into rhubarb mixture. Cook over low heat until rhubarb mixture is thick, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter. (Rhubarb will have pleasant consistency even if it isn’t thickened with flour. To eliminate flour, just cook rhubarb and sugar, remove from heat and stir in butter.) Makes 2 servings.

Variation: Use 2 cups sliced strawberries for rhubarb. Use only 1/4 cup sugar to cook fruit and taste to see if any more is needed. Cook strawberries and sugar over low heat until pulpy. Flour thickener shouldn’t be necessary, but add liqueur, if desired, and butter.