Our rhubarb patch is producing stalks as fast as we can use them, and so far I’ve made rhubarb sauce, pie, squares and crisp. If you don’t have a rhubarb patch, don’t despair. There is a good chance that your friends and neighbours have some to share.
Usually I top rhubarb crisp with an easy oat topping (50 mL/¼ cup each of brown sugar, flour and butter, with 175 mL/¾ cup of rolled oats.) Last week I tried a tasty version with no rolled oats in the topping. There’s a picture with my column this week, and I’ve shared a picture of the rhubarb crisp topped with custard sauce on Facebook.com/IslandGusto.
It comes from a collection of recipes from across the country that the Canadian Home Economics Association assembled and published in 1966, with sponsorship by the Laura Secord Candy Shops, as interest in Canadian cuisine was kindling in the lead-up to centennial celebrations in 1967.
Rhubarb Crisp
Adapted from The Laura Secord Canadian Cook Book, McClelland and Stewart Limited, Toronto, 1966.
750 mL (3 cups) diced fresh or frozen rhubarb
75 mL (⅓ cup) corn syrup
75 mL (⅓ cup) butter
310 mL (1¼ cups) lightly packed brown sugar
175 mL (¾ cup) pastry (soft wheat) flour
1 mL (¼ tsp) salt
1 mL (¼ tsp) cinnamon
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).
Arrange diced rhubarb in a greased shallow 20 cm (8-inch) square baking dish. Pour corn syrup over the rhubarb.
Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in flour, salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle over rhubarb.
Bake in 180 C (350 F) oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until rhubarb is tender.
Serve with whipped cream, table cream or custard sauce.
Makes 5 to 6 servings.
Custard sauce is a good topping for many fruit desserts and is made from ingredients that many people keep on hand.
I reduced the sugar to 60 mL (¼ cup) in this custard sauce, as I prefer it to be less sweet. You can use your preferred type of fluid milk for this sauce, from skim milk to coffee cream. I usually use skim milk with a splash of evaporated milk to add richness.
If you use just yolks and have no immediate use for the egg whites, you can freeze them. Place each one in a section of an ice cube tray, freeze until solid, and then place the cubes in a freezer bag or container. To use, defrost overnight in the fridge. They don’t foam quite as well after freezing but whip up best if held at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Custard Sauce
Adapted from Wattie, Helen and Elinor Donaldson: Nellie Lyle Pattinson’s Canadian Cook Book, Ryerson Press, Toronto, 1969.
3 eggs OR 5 egg yolks
75 mL (5 tbsp) sugar
0.5 mL (⅛ tsp) salt
500 mL (2 cups) hot milk
3 mL (¾ tsp) vanilla extract
Beat eggs just enough to blend the whites and yolks or if yolks are being used alone, beat slightly; add sugar, salt and milk.
Cook mixture in the top section of double boiler over water that is kept just below the boiling point.
Stir until mixture coats a metal spoon; test frequently to avoid overcooking.
Cool by straining into a bowl; chill and add vanilla.
If the custard begins to curdle, immerse top section of the double boiler in cold water and beat custard with a whisk or eggbeater.
Custard sauce can also be cooked in a microwave; the key is to stir it often, and not allow it to come to a boil. (That is why the stovetop version is cooked in a double boiler.) Here is a recipe.
Microwave Custard Sauce
From Topp, Ellie and Suzanne Hendricks: “Savoury Wisdom: Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Two, Prentice Hall Canada, Toronto, 2001.
175 mL (¾ cup) milk
2 large eggs
50 mL (¼ cup) granulated sugar
2 mL (½ tsp) vanilla
In a 500 mL (2 cup) glass measuring cup or microwave-safe container, microwave milk on 100 per cent power for 1 minute or until hot but not bubbling.
In a small bowl, beat eggs and sugar until well blended. Stir in about a quarter of the milk, blending well. Then stir egg mixture back into remaining milk. Microwave custard on 70 per cent power for 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds, until just thickened. Do not boil. Stir in vanilla.
Margaret Prouse, a home economist, writes this column for The Guardian every Friday. She can be reached by email at [email protected].
