Rhubarb Recipes

Sometime, during all the giveaway madness, a friend asked me to do a post on rhubarb recipes.  Rhubarb was something I never liked as a child, but with my new interest in cooking locally with seasonal ingredients, and with a large bunch of rhubarb given to me  by a friend, I had a lot of fun experimenting with rhubarb recipes last year and found out that I love it!  I actually froze a lot of it and have been enjoying it all winter.  As my plants are not quite ready for harvesting, I used up the last of my frozen rhubarb this week so I could take photos of some of my favourite recipes.  It was a hardship, let me tell you, to cook up these scrumptious recipes for blog photos, and then to have to enjoy them all week long, but it was a sacrifice I knew I had to make – oh the things we do for our “art!”     

  Here are three, healthy as I can make them, recipes for rhubarb goodness.  At the bottom of the post I have also included links to some other resources for rhubarb recipes.  If you have favourite recipes, or know of any great rhubarb sites, please share them in the comments!

Honey-Sweetened Stewed Rhubarb

This is super yummy mixed with some plain yogurt, served on ice cream, or just as is with a little whipped cream.  I like mine slightly sour, if you like things sweeter you might want to add a little more honey.    All measurements are approximate, feel free to play with them until it tastes good to you!

• About 3 cups of chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup water (about half that if cooking from frozen)
• the zest of 1/2 an orange
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger (fresh would be good too)

Put all ingredients in a pot and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the rhubarb is nice and soft.  Serve warm or cold. 

Whole Wheat Rhubarb Muffins

These muffins are an adaptation of a recipe I found in a local newspaper.  They are moist and sweet with little bursts of sour rhubarb throughout. 

• 1/2 cup honey
•  1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed mixed with 2 Tbsp. of water
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb chopped into small pieces

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin tins.  Combine honey and butter in a large bowl.  Add yogurt, egg and flax-seed and mix well.  In a smaller bowl combine flour, soda and cinnamon.  Stir flour mixture into honey mixture until just mixed.  Fold in rhubarb.  Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 25 – 20 minutes.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack.  

Apple Rhubarb Crisp

I love apple crisp and the addition of rhubarb to the recipe is a nice treat.  If you like you can freeze the crisp after cooking and reheat in the oven another day when you are craving a homemade dessert (or when you unexpectedly have company over!)    Other fruits can be mixed in along with the apples for variety – I have added both cranberries and strawberries with great success. 

•  3 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (or demerara or turbinado) 
• 1/2 cup cold butter

Combine the rhubarb, apples, egg, honey, and spices and pour into a greased 8 x 8 pan.  Combine the flour and sugar and cut in the butter until it resembles crumbs and sprinkle over the fruit.  Bake at 350 for 45 – 55 minutes until bubbly. 

Links to other rhubarb recipes:

Rhubarb tarts were posted on Smitten Kitchen recently, along with links to a host of other rhubarb treats.

Foodland Ontario’s  rhubarb recipes.   Although I haven’t tried any of their rhubarb recipes, I must say that the Foodland Ontario recipes for Coronation Grapes have been top-notch!

The Rhubarb Compendium has a whole host of recipes, many outside of the “rhubarb is for dessert” box. 

Rhubarb recipes in Canadian Living.

Enjoy!

PS  The friend who asked me to write this has a wonderful blog of her own.  If you have little ones at home hop on over for some creative inspiration! 

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