Creamy Vanilla Rhubarb Bars

Creamy Vanilla Rhubarb Bars
Inspired by this recipe

Mmmm. These were delicious. Prior to this, my one experience with rhubarb was an unpleasantly stalky strawberry rhubarb pie. And so, for many years, I had a pretty strong bias against it, despite all the food bloggers I follow raving about what a wonderful beacon of spring rhubarb is. But a few weeks ago, I stumbled across this recipe and I saw that the rhubarb in it was actually pureed. Perhaps this would allow me to enjoy the flavor of rhubarb without having to endure its stalkiness?

I changed a few things from the recipe, but this ended up being very tasty indeed. I would definitely be delighted to make this again. The filling gets whipped and fluffy, and the crust is just a great shortbread, made a little more flavor-rich with brown sugar and ginger in it. I'm thinking if I make it again, I might sub out some of the flour in the crust for some finely ground nuts, just for a little extra crunch and flavor. Mmm.

3 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 + 1/3 c sugar (divided)
1 tsp vanilla extract (if you have any of the fancy Mexican stuff, this is the time to use it)

1/2 c butter, softened
1/3 c brown sugar
1 c flour (or half-and-half with finely ground nuts)
1/2 tsp ginger

2 tbsp lemon juice
3 eggs
1 tbsp corn starch

1. The filling needs to be started before the crust. Mix the chopped rhubarb and 1/2 c sugar together in a medium saucepan. It will look too dry but the rhubarb will release lots of juice quickly. Cook about 10-15 minutes, or until everything is fully softened and falling apart. Take off the heat and add the vanilla.

2. Let the filling cool to room temperature (or in the fridge overnight) or you'll curdle the eggs in the next step. Meanwhile, make the crust: preheat the oven to 350. Cream together the butter and brown sugar, then mix in the flour and ginger until it's fully incorporated. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a square pan. Take a little bite; it's basically eggless cookie dough at this point. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350, or until it's set and golden-brown around the edges.

3. If the rhubarb mixture is cool enough at this point, then proceed. Otherwise chill out for a little while until it is.

4. Add the lemon juice, eggs, 1/3 c sugar, and cornstarch to the rhubarb. Stir it around just enough to loosen up the rhubarb; it's not critical that it be mixed evenly at all.

5. Pour all the stuff from the previous step into a blender and whir it up until there's no more stalks left and it just looks like a creamy pink milkshake. Using the blender for the entire filling instead of just the rhubarb is what makes it all so creamy, light, and delicious. Pour the "milkshake" over the baked crust and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until top is set.

Let it continue to set before diving in. When I made the first cut into it, I was worried it hadn't set, because the knife came out so wet. However, the slices held together beautifully even while it was a little warm. I enjoyed this most when it were chilled in the fridge.

Another thought: this would actually be really, really good as a pie. Genius!