Rhubarb Lemon Bars

 

Stop every dessert recipe you are doing involving rhubarb and pay close attention. This, is the ONLY rhubarb bar recipe you will ever need! It is tart, sweet and has an amazing cream cheese crust. It makes a ton of bars, and is perfect for any summer gathering!

Puree Ingredients:

3 c. rhubarb, chopped
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. water

Cream Cheese Shortbread:

4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 butter (salted or unsalted)
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 c. flour

Rhubarb Curd:

4 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
Rhubarb puree recipe
2 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbs. lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. flour
1-2 dots pink food dye

In a small saucepan, combine the rhubarb, sugar and water on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Let cool slightly and then transfer to a blender. Puree until smooth and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line  a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper or tinfoil and spray with non stick cooking spray. In an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the butter, cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Add in the flour on low speed, and gradually increase the speed and mix until everything comes together.

Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread evenly to the edges and bake for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk the rhubarb curd ingredients together, minus the flour. Add in the food coloring (or omit if you want, it's only to add color), and whisk until everything is combined. Add in the flour slowly and whisk until incorporated.

Pour the curd on top of the shortbread and bake for 20 more minutes. Let cool for a half hour on a wire rack, and then transfer to the refrigerator to finish cooling. Cut into squares, and make sure to keep refrigerated when not serving!

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

Ingredients:

2 c. Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce recipe
1 sheet Puff Pastry, thawed according to package
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
Powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 8x8 dish (or I had a pie dish that my great aunt gave me that is rectangular with slanted ends) with non stick cooking spray and set aside. Where the two indents are from when you unfold the puff pastry sheet, cut one section off and set aside. Sprinkle the sugar onto your flat surface. Roll the remaining two out together with a rolling pin to make long and rectangular. Place in your pie dish and trim the edges. Spread out the strawberry rhubarb sauce in an even layer. To the remaining puff pastry rectangle, cut into strips. Lay out the strips on top in whatever pattern you prefer. Bake for 20 minutes in the oven. Let cool fully on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

When I was little, I used to be able to eat strawberries. Then towards middle school I became allergic to them. My mom used to make this all of the time every year when the rhubarb started growing in like crazy. I remembered the smell but couldn't remember for the life of me how good it tasted (even though I remembered it being delicious). For the last few years I have been able to eat strawberries again (if you ever figure out my allergies....let me know because I can't). We made this sauce at her house a few days ago and it is still as good as I remember.

Ingredients:

4 c. strawberries, chopped
4 c. rhubarb, chopped
1/2 c. sugar (or Splenda if you want to make it sugar free)
2 Tbs. lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
1/4 c. water

Add all of the above ingredients to a medium size sauce pan and set on high. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. That's it......that's literally all you have to do. The waiting is the hardest part!

Normally my mom used to add the sauce in the middle of a pie dough, or puff pastry, and bake in cupcake tins (if I ever find her recipe for those....I will definitely make them and post it). But since today is my husband and I's 4 year wedding anniversary I decided to make something special out of the sauce for dessert. Here is my serial killer sketch of what I had a rough idea of making....

This is how it turned out....

Not to shabby I must say. I grilled the pound cake in a grill pan on medium-high heat for about a minute on each side. Added frozen vanilla yogurt on top, with the sauce underneath the pound cake. Yum!!