Savor the season: Mastering classic rhubarb dessert delights
The rhubarb season is still ongoing, and I can't imagine spring without it. Our grandmothers loved to make compote with it. I believe the sour stalks taste best on a crumbly cake. To complement the flavour, I add vanilla pudding. I memorize the dessert proportions, so I don't need a cookbook.
When browsing the internet for a rhubarb cake recipe, you'll come across hundreds of variations—from traditional yeast cakes to French tarts, muffins, and cupcakes. However, sometimes instead of spending time scrolling through web pages, it's worth trusting your intuition. For my rhubarb bake, I used a tried-and-true shortcrust pastry recipe taught to me by my mom.
How to prepare rhubarb for cakes and desserts?
Many people refrain from buying rhubarb because they don't know how to handle it. Grandmothers preparing compote believed nothing could be simpler. The vegetable is very accommodating, and after baking, its fibres pleasantly soften. You can peel the stalks, but it's not necessary. Just cut off the hard ends, wash, and cut into smaller pieces.
If the peel is tough, you can remove it in a few seconds. However, be aware that after removing the outer fibres, the pink colour will disappear. Inside, the rhubarb is green. In some pictures, the filling's colour is enhanced by adding rose or strawberry jam. Mixing rhubarb with jam is also a way to soften the sour taste, which I personally consider a big loss.
Recipe for shortcrust pastry with rhubarb
I peeled the stalks because after cutting them into pieces, the peel came off on its own. I didn't add even a teaspoon of sugar to the rhubarb.
Ingredients:
- 310 grams all-purpose flour,
- 200 grams butter,
- 100 grams sugar,
- A pinch of salt,
- 1 litre milk,
- 2 vanilla puddings,
- 4 large rhubarb stalks (about 500 grams).
Directions:
Pour the flour into a bowl. Mix with sugar and a pinch of salt. Add cold butter and chop it into smaller pieces. Quickly knead the dough into a ball, cover with a lid or wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
In a pot, heat 750 millilitres of milk. In the remaining milk, mix the pudding powders with 2 tablespoons of sugar (if not already included on the package). When the milk starts to boil, add the mixed pudding and stir energetically until smooth and thick.
Remove the remaining dough from the freezer and grate on a coarse grater, covering the arranged stalks. Return to the oven for about 45–60 minutes—towards the end of baking, you can turn on convection to brown the crumble quicker.
