what the heck do i do with...

rouquinne

all this rhubarb????

there is a HUGE rhubarb patch in my backyard and i had to harvest some of it this weekend because a few stalks had already gone to seed.

other than jam and pie, what the heck do you do with rhubarb???

i'm going to wash, chop and freeze for now.

TIA!!!

Saria

Lucky you!
It freezes beautifully.
Rhubarb is a vegetable, but people forget this. It makes nice tart sauces and chutneys for pork, game, and duck. You can even make a sort of ketchup with it. It works with mild-flavored fish, too.
It's a great match with fennel (dessert or savory)
Aside from that:
Pies/tarts/galettes (you can do so many different types: custard, almond cream, meringue, pair with raspberries, strawberries, apples, oranges), compote to serve with scones, or over many desserts (like a lemon tart or a cheesecake), or simply by itself with some whipped cream, ice cream, over granola with some yogurt, cobblers/crisps/crumbles/pandowdies, ice cream/sorbet, upside-down cakes, crumb cakes, mousses and semi-freddo, chilled dessert soups (nice with fresh strawberries), rhubarb shortcakes, gelatin, drinks, etc.

Look through here for some inspiration:
http://www.foodandwine.com/search/recipe.cfm?title=rhubarb&chef=&ingredient=&type=&recipe_ethnic=&pub_month=&pub_year=&fast=&healthy=&ahead=&veg=&stafffav=&webex=&season=&page=1&per=10
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=%22rhubarb%22&x=0&y=0
http://simplyrecipes.com/tag/Rhubarb
http://smittenkitchen.com/search-results/?cx=009671904594399389362%3Aoll_ocju5k8&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=rhubarb#940

rouquinne

wow! i had NO idea!

thank you!

Saria

Oh, and some muffins for breakfast could be nice. Maybe rhubarb and a little white chocolate muffin? Hey, any excuse to have chocolate for breakfast! Some muffins of the non-chocolate variety:
http://sweetmary.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/cinnamonrhubarb-muffins.html

Rhubarb buckle is nice too ( and can be made with compote).
http://sweetmary.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/05/strawberry-rhubarb-buckle.html

And clafoutis (which are always really easy to make).
http://half-bakedbaker.blogspot.com/2008/06/rhubarb-and-strawberry-clafoutis.html

If you do any sort of bread baking, a tart can be made using brioche dough:
http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2009/03/25/rhubarb-tart/

Calzones made with pizza dough (which you can buy to save yourself some work):
http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2008/06/strawberry-rhubarb-calzones.html

Rhubarb and Yogurt Fool (super easy):
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2008/06/rhubarb-fool.html

rouquinne

wow! i need to get baking! i have to make thank-you gifts for my neighbours - one fixed the broken extension cord for my electric lawn mower and the other mowed my front lawn while i was waiting to get the extension cord back!

Kate

I love rhubarb! I used to have a patch when I lived in the east. We always made Rhubarb crisps and sauces. You can also do it as a kind of applesauce. yummm...that makes me hungry for some rhubarb!

Saria

So did you get around to using some of your rhubarb? I've been doing a bit of baking with it, though I'm not as lucky as you to have such a large supply available!

nynaeve77

I love strawberry rhubarb pie. We had a rhubarb patch when I was a kid, and my mom would make strawberry rhubarb pie all the time.

RebeccaK

A cooking group I lurk at raves about this Rhubarb Custard Cake. I've yet to make it... it seems so easy, but somehow I never seem to get my hands on fresh rhubarb. Hope you work this into your experiments, I'd love to hear how it tastes!

Rhubarb Custard Cake

2-layer boxed yellow or white cake mix (recommended is yellow, the kind that requires the addition of butter, too.)
4 cups cut rhubarb (1/2" pieces)
1 cup sugar
1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream

Make cake batter according to package directions and pour into greased and floured 9x13" cake pan.

Dump the prepared rhubarb on top, evenly.

Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the rhubarb. Pour the whipping cream over all of it.

Bake at 350 deg F for about 45-55 minutes, until cake
portion tests done.

The fruit, sugar, and whipping cream sink to the bottom of the batter to make a custard layer. Flip each piece over when you serve so the custard side is up. Approximately 18 servings (although the suggested serving 'range' is 1 - 18 pieces!!)

sassysuzanne

It also cans well. I have several quarts of strawberry rhubarb pie filling sitting in my pantry. I make pie, cobbler and a crumble with it.