one of my favourite blogs is called ‘cook and eat’ which has fabulous recipes and even more wonderful photography…
… I couldn’t resist this recipe for Rhubarb Bars for which you need to make a rhubarb curd!
Rhubarb Curd
400g rhubarb (about 10 – 15 stalks)
65g sugar
6 egg yolks
150g sugar
a pinch of salt
50g 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 80g 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).
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
4oz butter at room temp
130g plain flour
50g sugar
a pinch of salt
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.
Oh my god they are simply delicious!
Eat and of course, enjoy!
