Rhubarb Cobbler

My little rhubarb is well named. She wanted to nible on the rhubarb leaves I brought into the house. I made her settle for toying with a "mouse" made of rhubarb stalk.

Susan Shauger, who sings in our church choir, brought a rhubarb cobbler to the church’s recent Meal without Plastic. It was a huge hit.

Of course, I asked for the recipe. Susan explained that she couldn’t find the exact one she used, which was from a vintage cookbook. But … it went something like this!

I have mentioned before on these pages that I adore rhubarb. I have a feeling I’ll be making Susan’s cobbler a lot in rhubarb seasons to come. It’s easy, and the tangy rhubarb flavor sings happily under the biscuit crust. I served it to friends last weekend with homemade vanilla ice cream.

We were VERY happy….

Susan’s Cobbler

Ingredients:

for the rhubarb base:

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 cups chopped rhubarb
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, diced

for the cobbler crust:

1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten

for the topping:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions:

Begin by making the base. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a smallish nonreactive pot. Stir in the rhubarb and lemon juice. Cover this mixture and let it sit for an hour or two until the rhubarb juices up.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.

Uncover the rhubarb mixture and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil, stirring gently, for 1 minute. Remove the fruit from the heat and stir in the cinnamon.

Spread the rhubarb mixture in the prepared pan. Dot the top with butter.

To make the crust whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter, but don’t overdo the process. You should still have tiny pieces of butter in the mixture.

Whisk together the milk and egg. Add them to the dry ingredients, and mix just until moist. Drop this mixture onto the rhubarb mixture, and spread it around to cover the fruit. Sprinkle brown sugar over all in little clumps.

Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Serves 8.