A Yummy Summer Treat: Rhubarb Bars!

Rhubarb Bars

Rhubarb custard over a simple shortbread recipe make this a seasonal treat great for sharing!

Time: Approximately 1 hour

Oven Temperature: 350

Ingredients for Custard:

• Rhubarb 5 average sized stalks
• Water ¼ cup
• Sugar 1 cup
• Egg Yolk From 5 Large Eggs
• Salt ½ teaspoon
• Butter 2 teaspoons

Ingredients for Shortbread Base:

• Butter 1 Stick
• Flour 1 cup
• Sugar ¼ cup
• Salt Just a Pinch
• Powdered Sugar For dusting

Directions:

Start by washing and chopping rhubarb. Combine in a medium sized pot with ¼ cup water and ¼ cup sugar and slowly bring to a boil for about 10 minutes to create a puree. Blend using a food processor to remove stringy bits of remaining rhubarb.

With a double boiler, whisk together ¾ cup sugar, eggs, and salt until all ingredients are warm. Add and whisk in the pureed rhubarb. The color at this point will depend on how much rhubarb you used and how red it was originally.  

Add the butter and remove from heat, stirring occasionally.

For the shortbread, combine room temperature butter, flour, sugar, and salt and stir to create loose crumbs. Use your hands to create a solid mass of dough that you can press into a 9 x 5 or 8 x 8 baking dish.  Let this sit for 10 minutes, then bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are golden.

Pour the rhubarb curd over the baked shortbread so it is about ½ inch tall (you will probably have extra). Bake for another 12-15 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature, dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Article and photos by Haley Childers.