Rhubarb Butter Food

RHUBARB BUTTER CRUNCH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Mix rhubarb, white sugar, and 3 tablespoons flour together in a bowl; spread onto baking sheet. Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats together in a bowl; sprinkle over rhubarb mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and crunchy, 35 to 40 minutes.

RHUBARB BUTTER

Steps:

• Cut the rhubarb into 1" chunks.
• Using a blender or a food processor add the water and rhubarb. Blend. This should make about 3 cups of pulp.
• Place in a heavy pan. Bring to a boil.
• Add sugar and cinnamon.
• Cook, stirring all the time until it looks like fruit butter.
• If you want add up to 4 drops of food coloring. It will be a beautiful color. Grandma did this, Mom and I never have.
• Ladle into hot prepared jars.
• Process at once in a hot water bath (212 degrees) for 5 minute.
• Remove and place on clean towel.
• Cool and wait for that beautiful popping sound.

RHUBARB BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Steps:

• Put sliced rhubarb into a bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Let macerate for 1 hour. Butter the bread and arrange 4 slices, buttered side down, in a buttered dish. Sprinkle with half the rhubarb, arrange another layer of bread, buttered side down, add rest of rhubarb and cover with last 4 bread slices. In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups cream, 1 cup milk, 4 eggs, vanilla and 3/4 cups sugar. Pour mixture through a fine sieve over the bread. Sprinkle sugar over the top and let mixture stand, loosely covered, for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight. Bake in a bain-marie in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until the top is crisp and golden. Serve warm with softly whipped cream.

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB BUTTER

Steps:

• Combine the rhubarb, berries, the split vanilla bean and a cup of the sugar in a large, non reactive pot. Stir until the sugar has drawn some
• liquid out of the berries and then turn the heat onto medium low.
• Cook over medium low heat, stirring regularly, until the pieces of rhubarb and strawberries have broken down. At this point, reduce the heat even further and let the butter simmer over very low heat.
• When the butter has reduced to about half its original volume, taste it.
• Adjust the sugar to taste, adding up to another half cup.
• Cook until the sugar has dissolved into the butter.
• Remove the butter from the heat. Fish the vanilla bean pieces out and put them aside.
• Fill your prepared jars leaving a 1/4" headspace. Process filled jars in
• a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Adjust time according to your altitude.

RHUBARB BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Steps:

• Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. Put into a dish and sprinkle with sugar. Let macerate for an hour.
• Butter the bread. Arrange four slices, buttered-side down, in one layer in the buttered baking dish. Scatter half the rhubarb over the bread, and cover with another layer of bread, buttered-side down. Scatter the remaining rhubarb on top and cover with the remaining bread, buttered-side down.
• Whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer over the bread. Sprinkle the extra spoonful of sugar over the top. Let the mixture stand, covered loosely, for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Bake in a water bath - the water should be boiling and should come halfway up the sides of the baking dish - in the middle of the preheated oven, for about 1 hour or until the top is crisp and golden. Server the pudding warm, with some softly whipped cream.

RHUBARB BUTTER SPREAD

Steps:

• 1. For the pulp: Start with 3 pounds of rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces. Put in a large pot and add 1 cup of water. Heat with lid on pot tilted, or partially covered and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer until the rhubarb falls apart. (about 25-30 minutes)
• 2. Strain the rhubarb/water mixture through a jelly bag over a large bowl. Let it drip out almost all of the juices. I found that when you can hold the bag and squeeze, it is about done. You dont want the pulp to be too dry, but you also want to keep the juices for another recipe I am posting so dont pitch it! :)
• 3. Get your jars ready! Boil 4 half pint jars to sterilize in your water bath canner. Heat the lids in a separate smaller pan. (no need to boil them, just get them simmering)
• 4. Now you have the pulp in the jelly bag, and it is cool enough to handle. (Remember, keep the bowl of juices and refrigerate it for a wonderful simple syrup recipe.)
• 5. Take the pulp and put it in a pot (non-reactive pot please...a.k.a. stainless steel). It should be around 2 cups or so of pulp. Add to the pot, one cup of sugar. ( I used plain white sugar) Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the water. (you will add that as needed, depending on how dry your pulp is... you might need more to prevent burning)
• 6. Bring to a boil and simmer. This is thick, so add the water as needed so it doesnt burn. I simmered until it was about 200 degrees on a candy thermometer. (about 15-20 minutes) It will be the consistency of a frosting, or butter.
• 7. Time to fill your hot sterilized jars! Put the hot pulp in the jars, being careful to wipe the rims for sealing. Add the lids, and screw caps.
• 8. Put the jars back into the water bath, and process for 10 minutes. Take jars out, and cool on a rack. Sit and enjoy the sound of the "popping" as the jars seal.
• 9. For those who dont want to can, you can make this recipe and it will keep in the refrigerator for at least 3 weeks. Canned, it will last up to a year.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH RHUBARB BUTTER AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring rhubarb, orange juice, honey, and ginger to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is soft but not falling apart, about 5 minutes. Drain over a small bowl. Reserve cooking liquid and rhubarb separately; let cool.
• Mix rhubarb and butter in a small bowl until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Set aside 1 tablespoon rhubarb butter for vegetables.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Gently slide your fingers underneath skin to loosen and rub flesh all over with remaining rhubarb butter (try not to tear skin). Drizzle chicken with 1 tablespoon oil and some of the reserved rhubarb cooking liquid, scatter thyme over, and season with salt and pepper.
• Roast chicken until skin is browned and crisp and meat is cooked through (juices will run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh should register 165°F), 40-50 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare grill for mediumhigh heat (or heat a grill pan over medium-high). Toss asparagus in a large bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill asparagus and lemons (cut side down), turning asparagus often, until stalks are just tender, 2-3 minutes. Let lemon halves cool.
• Toss asparagus with reserved rhubarb butter. Serve chicken and asparagus with any pan juices drizzled over with grilled lemons for squeezing over.