Melt in Your Mouth Rhubarb Dessert

Rhubarb is a staple when the shoots of these first fruits of spring offer an endless of array of dessert options. But this scrumptious, mouth-watering Rhubarb Dessert is a real treat. The sweet custard filling melds together with the tart rhubarb, while the soft, light meringue melts in your mouth and the base is just enough to ground the whole lot.

My mom and my grandma both make this rhubarb dessert several times each spring and summer. It is delicious cold, and can be prepared in advance, but it is especially wonderful if it is still warm. It just slides down your throat.

Making Rhubarb Dessert

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First, collect rhubarb from the garden or the farmers’ market to make six cups. With a large, sharp knife, chop the rhubarb into small pieces. This can be done up to a day before and stored in the fridge to save a few minutes.

A sharp knife will cut right through the rhubarb and keep it from forming those long tough strings that come from not cutting through completely. Large, sharp knives are easier, safer and more enjoyable to work with. Trying to cut too hard with a small, dull knife is no fun at all. Make yourself feel like a chef and grab the big knife.

In a mixing bowl, mix the base ingredients together – the flour, butter and sugar, in a mixer or with a pastry cutter or forks, until crumbly. The butter will melt and hold everything together in the oven. Hard margarine and lard have also been used for the rhubarb dessert base.

Press into the pan and bake.

While the base is baking, mix up the custard filling in the same mixing bowl, including the sugar, flour, cream and egg yolks. I have used whole milk in this recipe, but the baking time will be about ten minutes longer.

Separate the yolks and the whites. Put the whites in a separate bowl and set aside, and add the yolks to the custard filling. DO NOT GET EVEN A DROP OF YOLK IN THE EGG WHITES, or the meringue will not turn out.

To separate egg yolks and whites, crack the egg and separate the shell halves. Slide the yolk from one half to the other until the egg white separates and falls into the bowl.

Place the rhubarb evenly over the baked crust. Give the custard mixture one more stir, and then pour it evenly over the rhubarb. Bake until the custard mixture is somewhat firm and not jiggly in the middle.

Near the end of this baking time, beat the egg whites with a mixer. My hand blender whisk attachment made quick work of this meringue in about seven minutes. My “antique” hand-me-down electric mixer had a tough time getting the job done in twenty minutes. Start on a slow setting and slowly turn up the speed to prevent egg white from coating the kitchen.

When the egg whites are white and fluffy, slowly, a little bit at a time, add the sugar until the mixture becomes glossy and forms stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla.

Spread the meringue mixture over the baked custard. The meringue can be even, or form little peaks for prettiness. But the meringue must stick to the sides of the pan all the way around.  Bake until it is lightly browned.

The meringue should be very fluffy when it comes out of the oven. It is so impressive, but inevitably, it will fall a bit. This does not constitute a fail. It is pretty normal. This is not a hard crusty meringue like meringue cookies, but soft, spongy and fluffy.

If a 9×13 pan is too much dessert, I have made a half recipe in an 8×8 pan, and even baked it in my large, convection toaster oven.

Leftovers can be stored for a few days in the fridge.

Now, when you’re eating delicious summer BBQ, make sure to save room for rhubarb dessert! The best is yet to come!

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Homemade Iced Coffee Concentrate

Green Bean Soup

Beet Soup

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