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OK, I lied! I said I would only do one week of rhubarb recipes since I had such a long column last week, but I had a few more in the chamber to fire off, so I wanted to go back to the tarty vegetable (yes, rhubarb is a vegetable and not a fruit, despite it’s sweet uses.)

I hope you had a wonderful, long Memorial weekend and took time to reflect on what’s important in life.

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You don’t have to twist my arm for a sweet with cinnamon in it, and this one is top notch!

CINNAMON 

RHUBARB BREAD

Bread

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tbsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. vegetable Oil

1/4 c. applesauce

1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

2 c. chopped rhubarb

Brown Butter Glaze

1 tbsp. to 2 tbsp. half-and-half, as needed

1 c. sifted powdered sugar

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the cinnamon rhubarb bread: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray the insides of two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs. Stir in sugar, oil, applesauce, and vanilla.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened, taking care to not over-mix. Reserve a few pieces of the rhubarb. Fold the rest of the rhubarb into the batter and then divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Poke the reserved rhubarb pieces into the top of the bread, for a pretty effect.

Bake about 60–65 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center of each loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.

Loosen edges and remove loaves from pans. Cool loaves completely on wire racks.

For the brown-butter glaze:

Once the loaves have cooled, prepare the brown-butter glaze. First, pour half-and-half into a small bowl and set aside. This is just to take the chill off, while you prepare the rest of the glaze.

Add sifted powdered sugar to a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm butter until golden brown and foaming, stirring occasionally. This should take about 6–8 minutes. The butter should smell delicious and toasty. If it smells burnt, you went too far.

Carefully pour browned butter into the powdered sugar, leaving all but the darkest butter sediment behind. Add 1 tablespoon of the half-and-half, and then add the vanilla. Stir vigorously until smooth. You want the glaze to be somewhat thick, but easily pourable. If it seems too thick, add a  bit more of the half-and-half until you like the consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the loaves while the glaze is still warm.

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This one is wonderful for the hot temperatures we’ve been having, but you will need an ice cream maker for it!

RHUBARB CRUMBLE ICE CREAM

Crumble

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/3 c. old fashioned oats

1/3 c. brown sugar

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of salt

Rhubarb Creme Fraiche Ice Cream

4 egg yolks

3/4 c. granulated sugar divided

1 c. heavy cream

1 c. whole milk

1/4 tsp.  salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 c. rhubarb jam

1 c. creme fraiche

Prepare your ice cream maker, if using. This may require you to chill your maker in the freezer overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Mix together the ingredients for the crumble in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour and oats to form large crumbles.

Place the crumbles on the baking sheet and bake for 8 - 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Place the yolks and half the sugar into a bowl and whisk together.

Make an ice bath that is heavy on the ice.

Add the remaining sugar, cream, milk, and salt together in a medium saucepan and mix. Heat until the mixture is steaming and gently simmering at the edges. Do not allow to boil.

Whisk the egg yolks vigorously as you slowly drizzle half the milk mixture into it. Begin to whisk the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan and drizzle the egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture in the saucepan until it begins to thicken. It should coat the back of a spoon when dipped into it. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla, rosewater, if using, and rhubarb jam. Place the saucepan in the ice bath, being careful not to allow any water into the custard mixture.

Once the mixture is cool, transfer the custard into a gallon freezer bag. Place in the refrigerator until it is completely chilled - at least four hours, preferably overnight.

Place the ice cream in your ice cream maker. This recipe makes a lot, so you may have to do it in batches for the best results. Make the ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions, drizzling in the creme fraiche as it churns. During the last minute of churning, add in the crumble. You may not use up all of it.

Pour the finished ice cream in air tight containers and freeze until solid - at least four hours.

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And of course, it’s summertime, so we need a nice, cold, refreshing drink! But, this one is a two tier recipe. It calls for a homemade rhubarb simple syrup, that is super easy to make and is great to use extra rhubarb on

RHUBARB MOJITO

10 mint leaves

 1 1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

 3 oz. chilled rhubarb simple syrup* (see recipe below)

 2 oz. chilled white rum

 1 oz. chilled Cointreau

 3 oz. chilled club soda

 lime wedges, for garnish

Place the mint leaves and lime juice in a highball glass. Use a cocktail muddler or the back of a spoon to crush the mint and release its flavorful oils. Add the Ruby Rhubarb Syrup, rum, Cointreau, and club soda.

Add crushed ice to nearly fill the glass, and then stir just a bit to combine. Squeeze a fresh lime wedge over the top and add another wedge to the side of the glass for garnish. Enjoy!

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Here’s the simple syrup rhubarb recipe!

RHUBARB 

SIMPLE SYRUP

6 c. chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb - look for red/pink rhubarb for the prettiest color!

 1 1/2 c. water

 3 c. sugar

 1/2 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the rhubarb and water to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook the rhubarb until it is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir to break up and release all of its juices.

Set a fine mesh strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth over a large bowl. Pour the rhubarb mixture through the strainer to remove the pulp. To get the most rhubarb juice out, pull up the corners of the cheesecloth and gently press on it with a wooden spoon to squeeze out the remaining juice. Measure the strained juice and add enough water to equal 3 cups.

Return the liquid to the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir in the sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and let cool. Strain again for the clearest ruby syrup, then pour into a container and refrigerate. Keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

TFD: “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes―understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.”

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