Good Ol' Summertime Rhubarb Custard Dessert With Cookie Crust

"A delicious cookie crust, a sweet-tart creamy custard loaded with rhubarb, topped with an (optional) amazing meringue. Works with frozen or fresh rhubarb. RHUBARB GROWING HINTS: water freely while it is growing; fearlessly remove the flower buds (they look kind of like white broccoli) before they open--if you don't the plant puts more effort into flowering than in making thick juicy stalks--can't have that!; harvest stalks throughout summer, then discontinue plucking spears in early August; snap off or cut stems at the base (right above the ground); rhubarb leaves are a GREAT mulch around the rhubarb bed, to keep the weeds down."
 
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photo by Debber photo by Debber
photo by Debber
Ready In:
1hr 10mins
Ingredients:
14
Yields:
1 13x9 pan
Serves:
12
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ingredients

  • Crust

  • 236.59 ml butter, softened
  • 354.88 ml white flour
  • 118.29 ml whole wheat flour
  • 236.59 ml brown sugar, packed
  • Filling

  • 1892.72 ml diced rhubarb (one long, thick stalk will generally yield about one cup of 'barb)
  • Custard

  • 6 egg yolks (whites are used in the meringue)
  • 354.88 ml sugar
  • 1.23 ml salt
  • 118.29 ml milk or 118.29 ml cream
  • 118.29 ml flour
  • Meringue

  • 6 egg whites
  • 59.14 ml sugar (2 tsp at a time)
  • 1.23 ml salt
  • 4.92 ml vanilla
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directions

  • Preheat oven to 350; butter a 13x9 pan.
  • Cream butter with flours and sugar, spread in prepared pan, pressing into corners and bottom; bake for 5-10 minutes (it will get bubbly--sort of).
  • While that is cooking, cut up the rhubarb.
  • In a blender or a mixer bowl, beat eggs until foamy and fluffy, add sugar and continue mixing, then add other ingredients until thick and rich; set aside (rewhip right before pouring into pan with rhubarb).
  • When crust is baked, spread rhubarb pieces evenly (press lightly into crust--lightly!); pour custard over rhubarb; return pan to the oven for 45 minutes (knife poked in middle comes out clean).
  • While THAT is cooking, prepare meringue; beat eggs until forming soft (firm) peaks, adding sugar 2 teaspoons at a time, then salt and vanilla last, mixing until stiff.
  • At end of baking time, remove pan from oven, turn heat up to 425; spread meringue over rhubarb/custard, smooth with a spoon into pretty swirls.
  • Brown for five minutes; set the timer--it can burn very quickly!
  • VARIATIONS: Skip the meringue and use whole eggs in the custard; switch out some of the rhubarb for strawberries or raspberries; use all white flour instead of wholewheat in the crust.

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Reviews

  1. I followed the recipe EXACTLY as written, but I think some of the proportions seem off. 1 cup of butter in that shortbread crust made it absolutely soaked and dense, nothing resembling a cookie crust. And 8 cups of diced rhubarb seems like too much. I had quite a bit chopped up and it measured only 6 cups, which was plenty because the custard barely covered it. I baked it exactly as directed but my custard never set and I couldn't get the knife to come out clean even after an hour. I finally pulled it out of the oven as the top was getting very brown and even starting to crack. So I added the meringue layer and crossed my fingers. The flavors are nice but the consistency was too soupy for my taste. I might try as little as 1/4 cup butter in the crust layer and stick with 4-5 cups of rhubarb because I think it releases liquid during baking and interferes with the custard and crust to make it all soggy. I'm open to advice here because apparently I've done something wrong.
     
  2. I actually got to try this in person made by Debber and it is soooo good!!! I loved that she added strawberries to it as well. I am excited to try and make this for this 4th of July weekend! Thank You Debber
     
  3. My mouth waters just from reading this! Can't wait to try it.
     
  4. Ohmigawd. My favorite rhubarb recipe has just changed; this is IT. 10 stars--20...more! Debber, this is just incredibly wonderful (but you already know that.) 'ZAAR WORLD: This is incredibly wonderful! If you like rhubarb you will think you have died and gone to heaven. Plus, now I know how to grow rhubarb...is it too late for this season? Thanks Debber.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p><img src=http://pages.prodigy.net/indianahawkeye/newpage21/10.gif alt=/ /> &lt;&gt;&lt; wife &amp; mother of seven (four adopted foster children grown up now &amp; three biologicals)--my baby(!!!) is a 12th grader! ... plus five grandkids (ages 5 - 21 y.o.); been married 34 years now to the *same wonderful &lt;&gt;&lt; man.* .....</p> <p>Love cooking and being the happy little home-maker. .....</p> <p>Enjoy writing my own blogs and maintaining their FB pages:</p> <p>Blog, Facebook, Pinterest: &nbsp;TitusTwoFriends.blogspot.com (Twitter handle @Titus2Friends )<br />Blog, Facebook, Pinterest: &nbsp;NatureStudyLessons.blogspot.com (Twitter handle @NatureLessons )&nbsp;</p> <p>Pinterest: &nbsp;<a href=http://pinterest.com/debberlynn></a>http://pinterest.com/debberlynn/ &nbsp;</p> <p>Instagram: &nbsp;<a href=http://instagram.com/debberlynn>http://instagram.com/debberlynn</a></p> <p>..... as well as quilting, writing, flower-gardening, and home-organizing, ...and very active in our &lt;&gt;&lt; church, Bible study, teaching, and singing alto in choir. Plan to get back to writing and earning money at it!&nbsp;&nbsp; AND I work as a virtual assistant--check out www.elance.com for more info on VA-ing.</p> <p>&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;***God is good!***&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br /> <br /><strong><em>. . . C O N T E S T S . . . </em></strong><br /> <br />My little Rosebud Cottage was a winner in the Basic Category in the 2009 Gingerbread House-Making Contest. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>.&nbsp;</p> <p>. <br /><strong>B A R B E C U E ... S A U C E</strong></p> <p>I entered my mother-in-law's excellent recipe in the contest (Recipe #241146) and won the Family Friendly category! &nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><img src=http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c99/ruemke/ff.jpg alt=/ /></p> <p><br /><span>. . . E V E N T S . . .&nbsp;</span><br /> <br /><strong>Z A A R . . W O R L D . . . 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P I C K - A - C H E F . . . </strong><br /> <br />PAC Autumn '09 <br /><img src=http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/ZaarNicksMom/Animation6.gif alt=/ /><img src=http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/ZaarNicksMom/PACsticker-Adopted.jpg alt=/ /> <br />My children were Chef #1273716 and chef #321816; my mother was Chef #226863. <br /> <br />PAC Spring '09.... <br /><img src=http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/Permanent%20Collection/PACSpring09Participation.jpg alt=/ /><img src=http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/Permanent%20Collection/PACSpring09Iwasadopted.jpg alt=/ /> <br />I adopted Chef #176481 and Chef #892963. I then had a late-in-PAC baby named Chef #619505.... And I was adopted by Mom2Rose!!! <br /> <br />PAC Autumn '08 ... <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PACfall08partic.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/IWasAdoptedfall08.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /> <br />My small family included Chef #434123; and then I got myself adopted by Chef #361931(my sheep-mother, NOT my step mother!). :rofl: <br /> <br />PAC Spring '08 ... <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PAC08Main.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/adoptedspring08.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /> <br />My children Chef #797028, Chef #532407, Chef #28177, Chef #510821, Chef #356933 &amp; Chef #429493 and from the preemie nursery I picked up Chef #488944 and Chef #665370. Charlotte J was my little mother! <br /> <br />PAC Autumn '07 ... <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/smPACp.jpg border=0 alt=Photo /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg border=0 alt=Photo /> My children were Chef #179488 from KY, Chef #207616 from NC, Chef #38901 from TX...and from the newborn nursery Chef #351525 and Chef #21667, and my littlest one is Chef #469264 all the way from the Philippines! And I was adopted by Chef #451700 over in Norway! She took the MOST beautiful pictures of my recipes!!! <br /> <br />PAC Spring '07 . . . <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/pacbanner.jpg border=0 alt=Photo /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/200_PACpic.jpg border=0 alt=Photo /> My children included Chef #396078, Chef #402846, Chef #37593, Chef #122993, Chef #48439 from the Newborn Nursery, Chef #321820, Chef #59476, Chef #293042, Chef #236959, and Chef #196248. ... I was adopted by Chef #186802 <br /><br />&nbsp;<br /></p>
 
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