Featured Local, Seasonal Ingredient: Rhubarb
Rhubarb’s acidity and brightness play well with the sweetness of strawberries. This is a classic pairing when baking with rhubarb.
When is rhubarb in season in Utah?
In Northern Utah, rhubarb season typically starts in May so it is often considered a spring crop. Esepccially since it is one of the first produce items available each year.
However, it is technically available all season up until frost if the crops are managed with this goal.
This recipe is tagged as a spring and summer seasonal recipe since local Strawberry season is more of the limiting factor.
You can explore all of the spring seasonal recipes and summer seasonal recipes here.
Sourcing Local Rhubarb
The rhubarb that I use for my recipes comes from either my home garden or from the farm Keep It Real Vegetables in Layton, Utah.
Keep It Real Vegetables
Keep It Real Vegetables is a mixed vegetable and cut flower farm in Layton that uses organic and regenerative growing practices.
I work there as the cut-flower program manager, so a lot of the seasonal produce that I cook with throughout the year comes from the farm. Because Keep It Real Vegetables has so many rhubarb plants, it is available for most of the summer. You can get your hands on some at the Salt Lake City Summer Farmers Market and the Wheeler Farm Summer Sunday Farmers Market. We also wholesale rhubarb to chefs and restaurants in the Salt Lake City area.
Growing Your Own Rhubarb
If you live in the right climate and have the space for the large plants, rhubarb is actually pretty easy to grow. The plants get to be about 3’ wide and 3’ tall and thrive in full sun.
Rhubarb generally grows best in USDA Zones 3–8 and prefers areas with cold winters. It needs winter chill and a dormancy period to perform well long-term. Gardeners in colder climates often end up with huge plants that come back year after year with very little effort.
If you live somewhere with mild winters, rhubarb can struggle without enough cold exposure.
Once established, it produces more than you know what to do with, which is exactly why savory recipes can be helpful.
*An important note on eating/cooking with rhubarb
One important thing to know: only eat the stalks. Never use rhubarb leaves.
The leaves contain high levels of oxalic acid and related compounds and are considered toxic.
Also, people with a history of kidney stones may want to be mindful of large amounts of rhubarb since it naturally contains oxalates.
For most people, enjoying rhubarb in normal amounts isn’t an issue, but it’s useful information to know.
About This Recipe
This recipe is inspired by my all-time favorite lemon bars, the recipe is from the Mrs. Fields Cookies cookbook and is (in my humble opinion) the best recipe in the cookbook.
It has a sweet, yummy short crust topped with a layer of cream cheese filling. Then, topped with the tart curd it is truly perfection.
Other Local, Seasonal Ingredients Used in This Recipe / Meal
- Strawberries– from Weeks Berries
- Edible Flowers (pansies)- also from Keep It Real Vegetables
Suggested Supplies:
The items below are Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase from the link, a very small amount of that purchase goes toward supporting this blog. This is at no additional cost to you.
Electric Mixer
If you don’t have an electric mixer, they are very affordable. If you like to bake, it makes life much easier. The one that I have is no longer available, but if I were to purchase another one, I would grab one of these. Great low price, simple, good reviews.
The Recipe:
Strawberry-Rhubarb Cream Cheese Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Strawberry Rhubarb Curd
- 1 cup rhubarb chopped
- 1 cup strawberries chopped
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp butter
Optional
- edible flowers for decoration
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Cream butter and sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer.
- Add vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add flour and mix at low speed until fully incorporated.
- Grease an 8- by 8-inch baking pan. Press dough evenly into bottom.
- Put in the fridge until firm (approximately 30 minutes) & preheat the oven to 325 °F (This is also a great time to remove the cream cheese out of the fridge for the next layer.)
- Once firm, prick shortbread crust with fork every 3-4" and bake for 30 minutes or until crust turns golden brown. Start preparing the cream cheese filling while the crust is baking.
- When the crust is done, cool on rack to room temperature.
Make the Cream Cheese Layer
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth in medium bowl with electric mixer.
- Add egg and lemon juice and beat on medium speed until light and smooth.
- Cover bowl and refrigerate until assembly.
Make the Curd
- Combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, salt in saucepan. Cook 12–15 minutes over medium heat, stirring often.
- Cook until fruit is fully broken down. Blend or mash to a smoother consistency & remove from heat.
- In a bowl whisk eggs + yolk + cornstarch.
- Very slowly, add small amounts of hot fruit and whisk.
- Return mixture to pan & cook on low–medium heat, stirring constantly until the curd is thick and it leaves trails when stirred
- Remove from heat & stir in butter until glossy
- Let sit 10–15 minutes before layering
Assembling the Bars & Final Bake
- Spread chilled cream cheese filling evenly over cooled shortbread crust with spatula.
- Scoop and gently set curd over cream cheese filling and spread.
- Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until edges begin to turn light golden brown.
- Cool to room temperature on rack. Add edible flowers if desired, pressing them into the curd to hold in place. Chill in refrigerator at least1 hour before cutting into bars.
Notes
- Rhubarb leaves are toxic; do not consume rhubarb leaves
- Visit Together We Bloom for more rhubarb recipes & other seasonal recipes from farmer/foodie Taylor.
Do you love Pinterest too?
Click the image below to see this pin on Pinterest and save it for later. Or you can visit my Rhubarb Recipe Pinterest Board with lots of recipe ideas and inspiration.
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