Rhubarb.
Growing up in Southern California I never heard of such a thing.
My mid-western mother surely had, but I'm guessing there wasn't an over abundance of rhubarb in the produce isle in our suburb of Los Angeles.
Either that or she was just holding out on what was to become one of my all time favorite desserts.
Enter my not yet mother-in-law who forced a bit of dessert on a malnourished big city Valley Girl, soon to be her daughter in law.
I ate it to be polite.
There is also a poisonous kind of rhubard, so I don't advocate going out to the field and harvesting stuff that looks just like this photograph. I won't be responsible if you croak from this recipe.
But if you have a sweet old aunt somewhere who happens to have a huge rhubarb plant, ask her if you can cut some. You just slice it off at the end of the stalks or pull it out.
Some people will eat a fresh stalk of the tart rhubarb right off the plant. I call those people nuts. They can't have decent taste buds and eat that stuff!
My daughter has a friend whose mom sent a bag full home for me. I. Love. Her.
Clean it all up and slice and dice......
till you have five generous cups, or if you are like me somewhere between 5 and 7 cups.
If you have extra, you can just plop it in a ziplock and put it in the freezer till you are wanting some rhubarb in the middle of winter.
Make the crust from the recipe. Or again, if you are like me, make a little more because you are using an over sized 9x13 pan with extra rhubarb.
Right about now my regular readers are thinking, what the heck, Bliss actually cooked and lived to blog about it?
I cook every day. That's how I keep my girlish figure. Ummmm, riiight. And I think I'm a darn good cook if I do say so myself.
But I don't like the steps involved to post tutorials. And doing this one reminded me of that.
I will never ever be a food blogger, but from time to time I have to share my favorites - because I don't want to be accused of holding out on you like my mother did to me.
This recipe is from one of those church cookbooks my mother-in-law gave to me. But she has been making the same rhubarb dessert recipe for I'd say about 50 years, maybe longer.
These days she has altered it a bit for herself to make it more low fat with less sugar. She says it tastes the same.
I'm still making it full on, and my thighs can attest to that.
It's called a torte, and who am I to argue, but I don't know that it would be considered an actual torte. But I don't care what they named it, because I'd eat it if someone called it "Sour Rhubarb Turned Sweet Dessert".
It bakes up into a yummy custardy like thing with a meringue top.
It is best served cooled - warm is kinda funky - and it's good the next day out of the fridge.
In fact it's so good that if you leave it on the stove to cool, by morning you and your family are so into enjoying it, that you don't even realize you forgot to take a picture of if cut on a plate, till the pan is licked clean.
The golden rule; "you always photograph before you indulge".
I just go right for the silver...... ware that is - fork to mouth.
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I LOVE rhubarb! It was hard for me to find it when we first moved here to NC--not hard to find or grow on Lake Ontario, and I was used to cooking with it every spring--but they have it now. The cashiers still have to ask me what it is, though. Too warm to grow it.
ReplyDeleteNow that I got rid of the stove in here, I don't have to even think about cooking. And I was kind of OCD about checking and rechecking whether I'd turned it off too. I don't think I've ever had anything rhubarb. I know you probably find that a bit strange. But then some would tell you that I'm a bit strange.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
I used to eat rhubarb dipped in sugar as a kid and I thought it was a treat! We all did! I love the tart taste of it in baked goods and it makes a mean ice cream topping, too. I've never had a rhubarb torte, but it sounds delish! I tried making a gluten-free pie crust last week and I won't be wasting my time on that again!
ReplyDeleteSo if you don't like meringue tops would you like this? Is it good without the meringue? Tell me. I must know! I never developed a taste for rhubarb either - and at this point in my life I wonder if I need to meet another dessert that I love... What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI have yet to meet a rhubarb recipe I didn't like and this looks like a keeper!
ReplyDeleteMy Mamaw always made rhubarb pies and cobblers- and strawberry rhubarb jam. They didn't last very long, either! Yum.
ReplyDeleteWe had wild rhubarb growing in the woods behind our house growing up but I never ate it (probably the poisonous kind right?) Anyway I love it now and have been giving it the side eye at the farm store each week and not buying it because I only make desserts out of it. Yours looks different and delicious so I might just have to buy some this week and indulge!
ReplyDeleteYou know who likes rhubarb? Dallas. I, myself, find it sketchy. Does that make me a total traitor to my Midwestern roots?
ReplyDeleteI don't care.
I don't like rhubarb - and I think it's one of those things from childhood - but I have some growing in this garden we inherited and my girlfriend is one of those with no taste buds because she eats it raw ( with salt - like celery lol ) I think it's time to try Rhubarb again - you're recipe does look amazing!
ReplyDeletexxx
Like Suzan's friend, we used to eat it raw with salt. But I grew up and found a rhubarb/strawberry pie somewhere and LOVED IT. Mm Mm Good! But a baker I will never be again, so I buy my pies. I know, terrible isn't it. :)
ReplyDeleteIf only my dear old Gramps was here. This indeed was his favorite pie!
ReplyDeleteYum, yum, yummy! I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure to taste rhubarb. I've heard wonderful things, but being a California girl myself, it was never something my mom brought home from the store. Thanks for sharing, you've made me really hungry.
ReplyDeleteWe always had strawberry rhubarb pie when I was growing up. Never tried the torte type. Not like I have to even try it to know that I like it. Most definitely a summer recipe and it looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteI grew up with rhubarb growing in the garden. Stewed rhubarb with sugar is just delicious, but rhubarb crumble with custard is the best, it's a British favourite.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE rhubarb!!! As a kid on the farm, we didn't have any plants, but our next door farm neighbor did, so we got ours from them. I still look every year, and it can be hard to find. But, a local grocery had frozen rhubarb, and that is not as good, but I use it to make a rhubarb cake, and a Rhubarb Buckle!!!
ReplyDeleteI have never had rhubarb...never even seen it in person. I'll take you at your word that's it's good... but hey, if you add 2 cups of sugar and a stick of butter to "anything" it would no doubt taste good :) I am intrigued though.. gonna find me some rhubarb.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE how you took a photo of the recipe... easy enough!
yum, my rhubarb is ready for picking, this looks like a winner. Jules loves the stuff but this is the first year we have had decent enough stalks for making anything.
ReplyDeleteDo you know that I've never tasted rhubarb? I've never seen it, bought it, touched it, smelled it or cooked it. Nope! I don't even really know what it is. LOL! But, I'll take your word for it that it's good.
ReplyDeleteI love rhubarb! When I was growing up we had a rhubarb plant in the side yard and my Mom used to make strawberry rhubarb pie. It was delicious! I haven't had it since my Mom passed away ~ your post reminded me of how good rhubarb is. :)
ReplyDeleteUsually recipes like that say butter (or LARD). Mmmmm....the days of lard.
ReplyDeleteLardenum. Good Lard, I'm getting fat. Turn down the music...you're too dang LARD!!!
Anyhooser, for some reason, I can only find the green rhubarb plants, which takes ALL the fun out of rhubarb desserts. Because who wants to eat out of a pan that looks like it's full of meringue-covered snot?
Not me, that's who.
-andi