Rhubarb Squares

Finally a day off, to sit down and watch reruns with my cats, catch up on some much needed laundry, and catch up on some much needed blog posts!

Spring is here. And so is rhubarb, fresh herbs, garlic scapes, and wild strawberries. Mmm, and edible flowers and radishes for delicious salads.

(Grilled cheese with caramelized onions and far too much butter, which is why it was so good, and salad from the garden)

Here's a recipe I've been making a bunch of this spring.

Rhubarb Squares

This recipe has three parts - a fruit puree, a crust and a curd. But totally worth all the work.

Preheat oven to 350.

puree:

5-8 rhubarb stalks, in 1 in. pieces

1/8 c. sugar

Combine rhubarb and sugar, let sit for 10 minutes. Add 1/8 c. water and heat over medium heat, until rhubarb has broken down and fruit has thickened. Set aside to cool.

crust:

4 oz room temperature butter

1 c. flour (also works well with all purpose gluten free flour + xanthan gum)

1/4 c. sugar

pinch of salt

Prepare a 9x5 baking pan, and line with parchment paper. Combine in a food processor, pulse until dough forms. Press dough into pan, then let sit for 15 minutes.

curd:

3 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 1/2 tbsp butter

In a double boiler whisk together eggs, sugar and salt until warm. Add rhubarb and zest, stirring constantly, until warm. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

bake:

Bake crust for 20 minutes. Spread curd on top of crust, and bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate for easier cutting.