Rhubarb, the Okra of fruits?

[Gigi]

The recipe I have for a dessert cake is using blueberries with a cake mix poured over that and so on, not unlike the variations one sees with different fruit.

Well, the Rhubarb is up and I'm finally game to try it in the Dutch Oven. I usually make the main course on the bottom and stack my second DO on top of this.

Help me out here if you think I may need to change the recipe...it's in development!

4 cups of rhubarb mixed with 1/2 cup of white sugar (enough sugar?)
1 cake mix, white, yellow, I don't think it matters much, even cherry?
1 stick of butter
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1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup of oatmeal
3 tablespoons of butter or so

Mix these three ingredients until crumbly and scatter it in the bottom of the DO

Gently top with the Rhubarb and sugar mixture
Gently sprinkle the cake mix over all this
Cut the butter into slices and place on top of the cake mix

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When finished, add marshmallows to cover all, replace top with briquetts, let set for a few minutes and when marshmallows are melted remove top and let cool

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Now, I haven't tried this, but, I think it has the makings for a good cake. Rhubarb has a lot of water in it, no? Funny thing, the rhubarb large leaves look so great in my garden, for the past 13 years I've been deign to cut into the plant for fear I'd ruin the lovely look!
Well, this year, I'm going to try out the rhubarb and see if it's any good.

I won the Betty Crocker Award when I was in highschool and was sent to Minneapolis to tour the BC kitchens. I think I won because I knew what veneer was on the test!?! So, in the spirit of testing this recipe, if anyone else wants to chime in here with thoughts on what I should try differently, please do!

If the sun comes out and the rain finally stops, it's camping this weekend and DO cooking time! Anyone else doing such?

Cheers!
Gigi

[Morgan]

Gigi, rhubarb is a vegetable, not a fruit. It's a close relative of garden sorrel.

[Lyndon Laney]

WELL the sun came out a beautiful weekend in Minnesota . So how did it come out.? I will be doing it this weekend on Mothers day only I use bisquick{my version] mixed with a pack of cream cheese. Sort of a Cobbler. WE ALWAYS CALLED IT PIEPLANT AS A KID.

[Gigi]

Gigi, rhubarb is a vegetable, not a fruit. It's a close relative of garden sorrel.

No, Morgan, really? My family always had it in the fruit category...there goes decades of misthinking!!!

I'm not sure what sorrel is, actually. I'll have to take a look for that!

So, my title should likely read, "Rhubarb, a Rival of Okra"?

Cheers!

[Gigi]

WELL the sun came out a beautiful weekend in Minnesota . So how did it come out.? I will be doing it this weekend on Mothers day only I use bisquick{my version] mixed with a pack of cream cheese. Sort of a Cobbler. WE ALWAYS CALLED IT PIEPLANT AS A KID.

Lyndon, wasn't it a beautiful day here? The perfect day...70's, no bugs, a slight breeze, the birds were singing...we were at our favorite campground on Saturday afternoon...simply heaven!

I've used that bisquit with canned peaches and have liked it. It would be a good compliment to rhubarb, Lyndon!

I did try a new concoction this weekend...I dubbed it Dutch Oven Killer as it was soooooo sweet and rhubard would be perfect in it. My husband, with his incredible sweet tooth loved it, however.

1 can cherry pie filling
4-5 apples, peeled and cut into small slices
1 box mix white or vanilla, even yellow would work
1.25 cups of water
10-12 large marshmallows sliced into thirds or a handful of small ones would be even better
1/2 to 3/4 cup of brown sugar

layer the cherry pie filling in the bottom of ungreased DO. Add the apples onto top of this. Add 3/4 cup of water over all. Gently sprinkle the cakeover this. Add remaining water on top of cakemix. Sprinkle marshmallows and then add brown sugar on top of all.

I found the marshmallows and brown sugar made for a delicious crust. While this dessert was very sweet, my husband loved it. For my palette, I'd prefer a bit more tartness and would change the apples to rhubarb or use strawberry pie filling and add the rhubarb.

In my next effort, I may even use a lemon cakemix and add lemon zest to the mix!

Cheers! Happy camping and cooking!
gigi

[Bill MacDermod]

Gigi, rhubarb is a vegetable, not a fruit. It's a close relative of garden sorrel.

My wife usta make a rhubarb, strawberry pie that was something else, gonna have to get after her to make me one, been some time. anyway she said with that combo it didn't require a lot of sugar as the strawberries added a bit to it. (I think she's just attempting to keep me away from sugar)

[Deb in MN]

Oh I LOVE the taste of rhubarb! As a kid, I'd eat it just cooked til tender, then sweetened up a bit. I used to call it Rhubarb Soup.

I have several plants, some of them are from the plants Mom grew as a kid, I dug up some of them.

There is a website called The Rhubarb Compedium- and there are SO many recipes to use your Rhubarb on it. One of my favs is a lemon Rhubarb "souffle" or pudding sort of thing. It doesn't have a lot of sugar in it- because I cut the sugar down. Indeed, I am staying away from sugar myself (but NO artificial junky chemicals, either!) I have lost 11 lbs so far, by just cutting out sugars and by walking every day.


Let us know how your recipe turns out!

[CharlynnT]

Summer treat, prairies, 1960s.

One stalk rhubarb (or one carrot, washed), one kid, one cup of sugar. Dip, crunch, dip crunch.

And in my humble opinion, strawberries (or any other fruit mixed in) WRECK the taste of rhubarb. Rhubarb should remain PURE, just sweetened with its good friend, sugar, in (if you like) a pie or cobbler crust.

[jdtrotter]

My wife usta make a rhubarb, strawberry pie that was something else, gonna have to get after her to make me one, been some time. anyway she said with that combo it didn't require a lot of sugar as the strawberries added a bit to it. (I think she's just attempting to keep me away from sugar)

OK, bring out the fake sugar if you need, but there is nothing better than strawberry rhubarb pie. The sweet and the tart---o Oh my, I am having a monster craving.

But never for okra

Diane

[potteralice]

gigi, so you won the betty crocker award too? i only know one other winner besides myself who won it. neither of us got a tour though, did you win the national contest?

i think my school was ashamed to admit that i won since i was not in any of the "female" classes but tried to get into mechanical drawing. denied admittance since i was a female. boy, today's girls don't know what we went through.

rhubarb is great, we had it just boiled in sugar and water. occasionally in pie. it's terriffic!

[james kent]

Wife just picked about 12-14 cups of ruhbarb from our small patch. What we don't eat now will be frozen and used later. This is the second picking and there may be another later. Rhubarb and apple pie gets my nod.
Jim

[Patricia Baxter]

One of our family favorites is "Bluebarb" anything- just substitute an equal measure of rhubarb for 1/2 the berries in any Blueberry recipe and bake as usual. Super fantastic flavor combo!

How did the dutch oven recipe come out? I got so desperate for camping that my daughter and I made a chocolatecake/cherry pie filling thingy on my gas grill last week.
Came out great!

Grama Pat

PS I was a "Betty Crocker" award winner too, much to the disgrace of the Home Ec teacher who had tried to flunk me out of her class..........

[Kurt & Ann K.]

My mother tried for years to make rhubarb pie---crust from scratch and all. Never was successful...because the rhubarb filling never made into the crusts! It simply was consumed immediately.

Pecan pies, mincemeat pies, lemon meringue pies, apple, peach, cherry, any kind of berry pie all would actually become pies. Rhubarb is just a different breed of dessert.

To this day I'd rather have a slice of birthday pie, than cake. And a fruit filling or mincemeat are preferred.

I won't look down my nose at a good moist German chocolate cake but pie is my preference.

You sure started some memories! I gotta be careful or I'll drool on the keyboard!
Rhubarb combined with apples or strawberries makes a pretty good pie also, but the best is a slightly tart pure rhubarb. Same thing with lemon meringue, it needs to have that little tart edge to it to put either in the championship class.

A good DO cobbler is mighty fine also, particularly when combined with good old hand-cranked, home-made ice cream. Now thats mighty fine eating when associated with the blessings of a summertime church pot-luck! Fiberglass RV rally potlucks run a pretty close second except more of the food tends to be store-bought instead of home-made. There was a great spread at Bullard's Beach, but the DO contributions disappeared far too rapidly. In fact there were very few if any left-overs to enjoy later!
Kurt & Ann K.

[Rachel Nguyen]

I LOVE rhubarb!

Please tell us how your recipe turns out!!!!

[Kurt & Ann K.]

Gol' dang it...I was afraid something might happen! I had to install a new keyboard, 'cause some of the keys won't respond anymore.
The keyboard design parameters did not take into account my (tongue-in-cheek) overwhelming physiological response to these delicious recipes. Well---Overproductive salivary glands might have caused such a problem.

Kurt & Ann K.

[Nancy in Oregon]

One of our family favorites is "Bluebarb" anything- just substitute an equal measure of rhubarb for 1/2 the berries in any Blueberry recipe and bake as usual. Super fantastic flavor combo!

I agree, Patricia! An old-time pie maker also taught me the secret of adding 1 cup of blueberries in any rhubarb pie recipe. One friend proposed marriage after tasting my rhubarb pie. (His wife just laughed. )

Nancy

[Alf S.]

I agree, Patricia! An old-time pie maker also taught me the secret of adding 1 cup of blueberries in any rhubarb pie recipe. One friend proposed marriage after tasting my rhubarb pie. (His wife just laughed. )

Nancy

Hi: It aint pie... but to a dutch oven of stewed rhubarb add 1 cup'o sugar and 1 can'o Drained Pinapple tidbits... This puts back the crunch after the rhubarb is cooked...The Pinapple will turn pink if it lasts long enough!!! Regards Alf S. p.s. I have a killer recipe 4 Rhubarb Meringue pie...an annual hit at our Church Bake Sale!!! Who says Guys can't make Pies??? Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Donna D.]

p.s. I have a killer recipe 4 Rhubarb Meringue pie...an annual hit at our Church Bake Sale!!! Who says Guys can't make Pies??? Alf S.

Hey Alf! Would you like to share the recipe?? Sounds yummy!

[Alf S.]

Hey Alf! Would you like to share the recipe?? Sounds yummy!

Hi: Here goes...

In a micro-waveable bowl: Mix 2 cups of rhubarb (chopped into 1" pieces) with 2 tbsp flour combined with 1 cup sugar and 2 egg yolks. Mix well and nuke on high 2 min. Stir 2 min until thickened as jelly. Add 1 tbsp of butter stir until melted. Let cool. Pour into baked pie shell. Top with favorite meringue.

I use this meringue recipe 'cause its fluffy. Beat 2 egg whites with 1 tbsp cold water until they hold shape. Mix 2 tbsp sugar with 1 tbsp corn starch & 1/2 tsp baking powder. Add to egg whites and continue to beat until well combined. Bake @ 375-400 Deg F (approx 15 min). This meringue will not stick to your knife.

If you don't tell them its not lemon watch the look on their faces.
Enjoy
Alf S.
North shore of Lake Erie

[Nancy in Oregon]

Thanks, Alf!

Nancy