Do you like strawberries? Tart fruit? Um, Rosé?
If you answered YES to any or all of these, then you’ll love this post. Today we’re talking about the darlings of the spring season, at least the ones that show up a little early: Rhubarb & Rosé.
We’ve always found it funny that rhubarb and strawberries are paired together so often. Yes, they are both springtime beauties, but the truth is that rhubarb comes waaaaaay first. Like a whole month ahead. So while rhubarb is in season NOW, let’s learn how to work with it! Watch our video for a step-by-step tutorial about how to harvest and prep rhubarb. We’ll also show you how to make a tart juice from the stalks that can be a direct (and more sustainable) replacement for lemon juice if you don’t live in an area where citrus grows on trees {don’t we all wish?}.
MYO Rhubarb Juice
Yield 1 cup juice
Forget lemons! When it comes to sustainability, choose rhubarb juice instead. Growing rhubarb is easy to do, it is a perennial vegetable and is even easier to juice! Follow our simple tips below and start juicin'...
Ingredients
6 stalks rhubarb, top leaves removed and discarded (they are poisonous)
4 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Chop rhubarb and place in a bowl.
- Sprinkle with salt and sugar, mix with a spoon and let sit for 30 minutes (this is called macerating the vegetables).
- Transfer everything (including residual liquid) to a blender, blend on high until smooth.
- Pour through a mesh strainer situated over a bowl in order to reserve liquid extracted from macerated rhubarb.
- Using the same spoon, press out juice from remaining pulp, then discard pulp.
- Pour juice into an empty ice cube tray, freeze, then remove and store in a plastic bag in the freezer.
Use only as much as needed. Substitution is a direct 1:1 ratio.
After we’re done showing off the rhubarb from our garden, we’ll recommend some Rosé pairings. After all, Founder Lynsie Steele just had a chance to participate in a blind Rosé tasting at her friend, Heather’s. Head over to DinnerDivide, Lynsie’s blog, to catch up on that action. In the meantime, enjoy our Rosé recs and better yet, enjoy this glorious spring weather with a chilled glass of the pink stuff and a slice of warm Rhubarb Pound Cake or pop a little heaven into your mouth with a Strawberry Rhubarb Streussel Cupcake. {Recipes Below}
Our top picks: Forty Ounces Rosé (France), Crosé (King Family Vineyard, Crozet) & Rosé Wine from Simpler Wines (Australia). Check out our friend Bottlelegger for some other great wine suggestions!
Working with a local Shenandoah Valley-based collection of recipes, we pieced together the perfect cake batter for our Rhubarb Pound Cake and Strawberry Rhubarb Streussel Muffins by combining multiple recipes for good ol’ fashioned pound cake.
After making the batter for the cake, we added chopped rhubarb then poured half the batter into an oiled loaf pan and half into a muffin tin/popover tin. We scattered each with streussel then topped the cake with two long pieces of rhubarb for effect and popped in a frozen strawberry to each muffin center.
We made sure to add our own Vie twist, so we added coconut sugar (just a 1/3rd of the overall sugar used) and made a Streussel topping out of coconut oil, powdered sugar, flour, coconut sugar, & salt.
After baking at 350 F for 30 minutes (muffins) and 60 minutes (cake) we were definitely satisfied with the results!
https://www.facebook.com/getvie/videos/2075575789388711/
Rhubarb Pound Cake
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 2 loaves
If you like rhubarb...or even if you hate it, try this recipe! The rhubarb melts away into buttery oblivion, leaving behind a solid crumb with a golden crust, made sweeter by the addition of sweet streussel. We love...
Ingredients
2 sticks salted butter, melted
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup coconut or brown sugar
5 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp half and half or milk
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 cups chopped rhubarb, about 4-6 stalks depending on size
2 stalks rhubarb, trimmed but left whole (leaves removed...remember they are poisonous!)
For streussel
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup coconut oil, hardened but not cold
1 pinch salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and butter your loaf pans well.
- In a mixer or by hand, cream together butter, sugars and eggs.
- Mix until well-incorporated and fluffy.
- Add sour cream and half and half or milk and mix until combined.
- Add flour and salt and mix until just combined (lumps will happen and they are ok!)
- Mix in rhubarb gently by folding, then divide batter between both loaf pans, or reserve half for Strawberry Rhubarb Stressel Muffins, recipe to follow.
- Make streussel by adding all ingredients to a bowl and mixing together with fingertips until combined and crumbly.
- Scatter desired amount of streussel on top (you'll have more left for Muffins), lay reserved rhubarb stalks across lengthwise (see photo).
- Place loaf pan(s) in the oven on the upper third rack and bake until cooked through and the top crust is browned.
- Allow to cool to room temperature, remove from loaf pan by loosening edges with the handles of a fork and flip out of pan. Slice and serve!
Courses breakfast, dessert, snack
Strawberry Rhubarb Streussel Muffins
Yield 24 muffins
You'll be using half the batter from the Rhubarb Pound Cake, so kill two birds with one stone and make one of each!
Ingredients
1 half of the Rhubarb Pound Cake, recipe above
1 bag frozen strawberries, you'll need 24 strawberries, so often half a bag will do!
1 half batch of Streussel
cooking spray or butter for oiling muffin tin/popover tin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and oil muffin/popover tin well with your fingers or with a high quality cooking spray.
- Spoon 2 Tbsp batter into each cup, place strawberry in the middle and push down slightly (one strawberry per cup).
- Scatter Streussel on top and place in the oven.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown on top and centers pop up when pushed.
- Remove, allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn over on a wire rack to cool completely (this will prevent sticking inside the tin).
- Store in a ziptop bag or airtight container at room temperature and serve all week, warmed slightly with a schmear of sweet cream.
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