Random Recipe Monday - Rhubarb Pie

Rhubarb has never been one of my favorite fruits...er..vegetables. This veggie's stalk is the only edible part on the plant (leaves are poisonous) and the stalk needs plenty of sweet to counteract its tart. I've always thought this plant must have been discovered out of necessity. Strawberries, cherries, peaches - not hard to figure out how people learned to eat and enjoy these fruits, but rhubarb? Without sugar to temper the pucker, how did people discover this as a delicacy?



Rumor has it that rhubarb has been in America since Ben Franklin brought it to us, though some say it wasn't until the mid-1800s that this veggie found its way to America. I've found references to its healing properties; constipation, hot flashes, heartburn and high cholesterol are all supposedly helped by eating rhubarb (check with a doctor before you run out and buy some). But more than its health benefits, rhubarb is known as the "pie plant". Folks like rhubarb pie. Sumner, Washington has declared itself "Rhubarb Pie Capital of the US" due to the popularity of the dessert; it is the largest shipper of fresh and frozen rhubarb in the country.

Strangely, I couldn't find a rhubarb pie recipe from Sumner, so I've posted a few others for your review. These sound so good that they might make me rethink my opinion on this tart veggie:

Rhubarb and Pineapple Pie

Ingredients:

2 cups rhubarb
1 cup crushed pineapple
pastry for double crust
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/8 teapoon salt
2 eggs beaten

Procedure:

Set oven to 425Deg F. Peel rhubarb and cut into one half inch peices before measuring. Line a pie plat with plain pastry. Mix Rhubarb with sugarm flour, salt and eggs. Spoon or pour 1/2 the mixture into bottom shell.spread half the pineapple over the rhubard. repeat these two layers. Cover with top crust. Press edges together and trim. prick top to let steam escape. If a glazed surface is desired, brush top of pie with milk, cream or melted butter. or slightly beaten egg white. Bake in quick oven (425deg F) 10 minutes, Reduce heat and continue baking in moderate oven (325 deg F.) 30 Minutes

Fresh Banana Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Fresh rhubarb
3 Medium bananas
1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Orange juice
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 tablespoon Butter
1 9" unbaked double pie crust

Procedure:

Prepare pastry. Slice rhubarb (should yield 3 cups). Slice bananas (should yield 3 cups). Combine ingredients except butter and crust. Spread into pie crust. Dot with butter. Place crust on top. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until browned. From The Central Market Cookbook by Phyllis Good.