Sure, I love rhubarb crisp, but sometimes I just need some pastry with my rhubarb. Enter - the rhubarb tart. Otherwise known as a rhubarb galette. Otherwise known as future back fat. BUT, that fat also fills out face wrinkles so it's kind of a win win in that way. I feel like I may be getting off track.
I'm sure a lot of you, like I, name your desserts. Bill, Sue, Sally, whatever. It's no different than naming your baby other than the fact that you do not eat your baby, usually. How many times have you looked at a baby and said "I could just eat you up". That's because the brain has a very difficult time distinguishing what is a dessert and what is a baby. Therefore, the line between saying it and actually doing it very thin indeed.
So it makes sense to name your dessert. Don't worry, I know you do it and it's nothing to be ashamed of.
A cupcake is cute, and sweet and squishy. It's basically a baby with icing hair. It'd be weird not to name it.
With that in mind I introduce you to Rhubarbablob. Ruby for short.
Rhubarbablob is what some of you may call a rustic rhubarb tart. But to me. She was Rhubarbablob.
It's spring in Southern Ontario and I'm not at all patiently waiting for asparagus season to arrive. Until it does, if I want to eat something seasonal I have to go with the one thing that sprouts before asparagus in the spring, and that's rhubarb.
Or fiddleheads.
But I didn't think many of you would know what fiddleheads were, plus I find them gross even though they're rare and a delicacy and liking them makes you instantly super-cool. With fiddlehead breath. Fiddleheads are the unfurled sprouts of Ostrich ferns and if I had to describe what they taste like I'd have to say they taste like fern. Really strong, dirty ferns.
Every year when the rhubarb begins to grow I start making rhubarb crisp. But this year I wanted to try to do something savoury with my first stalks of red rhubarb. Something different, anything but a dessert because everyone uses rhubarb for dessert. They make rhubarb crisp, or rhubarb pie, or rhubarb pudding.
I wanted to be different. I wanted to make a chutney or compote that could be served with pork or chicken and wouldn't be yet another rhubarb dessert.
So I rolled up my sleeves and made a rhubarb dessert.
You may know her as Rhubarbablob; the rhubarb tart.
Good news. You can make this as difficult or as easy as you want. Better news. There's really no screwing it up.
For a medium sized tart you'll need around 3 cups of rhubarb. I had 2 cups of fresh plus a cup of frozen that I had from last fall.
Mix up your rhubarb, sugars, flour and nutmeg. If you want it sweeter then add more sugar, just know that if you add more sugar you'll end up with more liquid in the tart. To help compensate for this add a bit more flour too.
Spoon the filling into a rolled out pie shell. (I had my Tenderflake type homemade pie dough in the freezer, but if you want just buy a frozen shell and roll it out a bit to make it look homemade.) Fold the edges of the dough around the filling.
Brush the dough with milk and then sprinkle it with sugar.
If you want to, go nuts. Add pecans or walnuts to the top.
Now bake.
Ingredients
- Pie dough homemade or frozen
- 3 cups chopped rhubarb
- ½ cup white sugar
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- handful of chopped nuts pecans or walnuts
- 1 Tablespoon of milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C)
- Roll out pie dough into 16" or so circle. Place rolled out dough onto a baking sheet.
- Combine rhubarb, sugars, flour and nutmeg and pour into centre of dough. Fold edges of dough around rhubarb filling.
- Brush dough edges with milk and generously sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 10 minutes in 425°F (220°C) oven. Reduce temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake another 35 - 40 minutes.
This is the not at ALL perfect dessert so I encourage you to wing it. Have some strawberries? Stew a few and mix those in.
Add some peaches and a drizzle of honey all across the top.
Buy a can (GASP!!) of apple pie filling and throw that in the middle of a pie shell, sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon and throw 'er in the oven.
Let this be the dessert that you just screw around with.
If you figure out a way to make it a chutney that would go well with chicken, let me know.
It's a thing of beauty the Rhubarbablob. It's sweet and cute and adorable.
Now eat that baby.
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Brenda
BAHAHAHAHA!!!😂
OK... Two things... First of all, good timing. My son and I bought rhubarb today to make strawberry rhubarb pie. Second of all, RHUBARBABLOB?!? 😂😂😂 Made me think of my Mom! Her name was Barb. She loved rhubarb. She died 2 years and 1 month ago and I miss her very much and now every time I make this pie I will think RHUBARBABLOB and I will remember her. So thank you and I love you for that! ❤️
bree~
MJ
I keep showing up at area grocery stores, asking for rhubarb and being told "It's not in season yet." HOW CAN IT BE IN SEASON 3 WEEKS AGO IN CANADA AND NOT HERE? That's what I wanna know.
Doesn't matter. Super-strict diet will go out the window the second I see it in the store. Thanks for recipe!
Btw: Rhubarb-strawberry jam: a waste of good rhubarb, in my experience. Can you provide evidence otherwise?
KL
MJ, rhubarb is my friend on a diet. It is very low in calories. I love in France where they use much less sugar in thy tubeless desserts and they are yummy. Cook 6 cups of rhubarb with 2T sugar and enjoy this compote with Greek yogurt. It's the best!
Debbie P
I can't wait to try. Which pie dough recipe do you recomment for this desert?
Debbie
Karen
Hi Debbie! I just made it last night, lol. I made it with the pie dough I used most often, which is made half with butter and half with lard. A bit of vinegar. It's the classic Tenderflake, back of the box recipe from years ago. You can see the recipe here. Add add that link to the post too. :) ~ karen!
Celia
Do you need to treat the baking sheet to prevent sticking? It looks delish!
lucee
can't wait for my rhubarb to be ready so I can make this!!
amy
...in the eye of the beholder, eh?
Laurie
Rhubarb is our favourite pie! Also the easiest pie ever. Can’t wait to pick my own this year and make it a true homemade pie.
Peggy MacMillan
My 8" high rhubarb in Ottawa, Canada is under snow right now as I'm sure yours is too Karen!
In another week or two I'll be making your rhubard gallette/Rhubarbablob. Can't wait.
Janet Hughes
Peggy,
This almost never happens but today my only 4" of rhubarb is not under snow up here in the Gatineau Hills. You have what is usually our snow up here on the north side of the Nation"s Capital, and I appreciate you taking one for the team. I will have to wait not very patiently for the stalks to get longer and the leaves to unfurl to make my Rhubarbablob.
Lynda
If you two aren't already part of the Edible Ottawa Gardens Group on FB, you should join. There is a warning for frost and ice damaged rhubarb. The toxins in the leaves can move down into the stems. Wait a couple weeks for them to recover before you eat them.
Peggy MacMillan
Thanks Linda. I should look at the site as I also have an allotment garden.
Peggy MacMillan
Do you have snow this morning Janet? More here. That was disconcerting about the stalks being poisonous. I guess we can wait two weeks.
Pat
I name my recipes after the person I received it from. So this will be Karen’s rhubarbablo. Can’t wait for the chutney recipe.
Richard Watson
Great recipe, enjoyable article as always, lovely photography ~ with one caveat: though the leaves make a pretty garnish in the composition, DON’T EAT THEM ~ they are poisonous! The reason I mention it is, the first time we tried rhubarb we thought, “Waste not want not, might as well throw those leaves into the pot..” A neighbor happened by and said, “Do Not eat that!! Rhubarb leaves are poisonous”. I’m sure all your readers are brilliant, but just in case...
Claire Mills
Oh yes - that looks delicious - and not at all like back fat. I agree with your about the names. I name everything that would otherwise need an explanation. It just makes it easier doesn't it! Like - the pillow I sleep with between my knees, to stop them touching. You know - that pillow. But 'pillow' doesn't distinguish it from the one I put under my head, or the one I put between me and my husband. My knee separator is called 'Umbobba'. No need to tell you the names of the other two, you get the picture. Rhubarb pie is called 'Rhubabaaa Party' (but only if served with custard, served with cream is too dull so only then termed 'Rhubarb Pie').
Dawn
Well Rhubarbalob, she's my baby
Rhubarbalob, I don't mean maybe
Rhubarbalob, she's my baby
Rhubarbalob, I don't mean maybe
Rhubarbalob, she's my baby love
My baby love, my baby love
My
I make rhubarb juice too. “Easy as pie”
Rhubarb plus maple syrup.Boil and drain rhubarb, add syrup to taste.
Drink alone, with soda(homemade of course), or with Top Shelf vodka.
Jenny W
I make one HomeMade Pie a year for my Husband.
It's part of our Marriage Contract ;)
Strawberry Rhubarb - and I have to admit, after 27 years, I have perfected it!
Instead of using flour to thicken up the juices in a sweet berry pie try sprinkling in some Tapioca
crystals. Works like a charm and doesn't alter the taste.
Benjamin Hepple
Don't say that last line in front of a Q-anon supporter, you'll be accused of hanging out with Hillary in the nonexistent basement of some obscure pizza parlor in Baltimore. 😵
whitequeen96
OMG, you're right! The times we live in!