Rhu-Barbara Ann

Rhubarb is such a what the fuck vegetable.

Wait, is it even a vegetable? Excuse me while I check this fact...Oooh! Here we go.

Now that we have established that rhubarb is in fact a vegetable, let me go back to why it often connotates a "what the fuck" expression when I announce that I am using it as a main ingredient.

Why, just before I was tutoring a 13 year old in English and said that I couldn't wait to post my rhubarb creation on my blog.

He looked at me with such an expression of confusion I could've have acquired a similar response had I announced I used a dog turd instead of toothpaste this morning. Half plausible, I have bad breath in the morning and the two seem to be of the same consistency...

Enough of that. I explained that rhubarb was "uhhhh, the red version of celery?" and then we proceeded to Google all types of weird fruit like mangosteen, dragonfruit and those disgusting custard apple things.

Though rhubarb is pretty uncommonly used in Australian recipes, the American's dig it.

So, following the trend of one of my various baking bibles and decided to incoporate rhubarb into a lovely little creation that I have decided to call...

Rhubarb and Ginger Pie with Lime Zest Shortbread Crust

This recipe is a little more sophisticated than my previous ones, it would be better to bake this baby for a special occasion, or a break up. Sitting in front of a chick flick one hand holding pie tin the other a spoon and an icecream container between your legs. Timessss.

Shortbread Crust Pastry

250g plain all purpose flour

100g butter

100g icing sugar (I used caster sugar accidentally and it was saaaweeet though)

small pinch of salt

1 large egg + 1 extra yolk

zest of one lime

Method

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs are formed. Take your dough out and on a lightly floured surface give it a quick knead around. Wrap the bugger in plastic wrap and refridgerate while you get your other components ready.

Rhubarb and Ginger Filling

2 teaspoons of ginger paste (you can buy this at coles in the spice section in a little tube dude.)

750g of rhubarb (without the leaves) chopped into edible portion sizes

2 tart apples (granny smith or red delicious) peeled, cored and diced

2 teaspoons of lime zest

a generous squirt of lime juice from the lime you have just zested

1 cup of brown sugar

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Method

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius.

In a saucepan, heat the brown sugar and 125mL of water for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture goes syrupy. Add the rhubarb, apple, ginger, lime, lime juice, cinnamon and nutmeg and bung the lid on. Let it stew for about five minutes to let all of the spices and fruits infuse one another.

While this is happening, get your pastry out of the fridge and grease a tart pan with a generous handful of butter(get your fingers messy :) )

Line the tart pan, but leave some dough you can flatten out and put on the top.

Drain off the liquid and then put the rhubarb and apple mix into the tart casing.

Once the mix is in roll out the remainder of your dough and place on top. Whisk up a little concotion using some egg and a splash of milk, and brush the top of your pie with this. It'll make your pie go golden brown and lovely jubbly.

Sprinkle the top with any brown sugar you have lying around and bung it in the oven for 40. Or until golden and crunchy and yum.

Serve drizzled in honey and vanilla icecream.

(I didn't have vanilla icecream so I got some ricotta, vanilla essence, cinnamon and honey, whizzed it in the food processor and ate it with that. BEST. DECISION. EVER.)