As we get closer to outdoor farmers market season, I’m excited to enjoy some fresh, local ingredients again. Two of my favorites are strawberry and rhubarb. We had a large rhubarb patch in our yard growing up and I have fond memories of my Dad bringing stalks to my Nana, who then would deliver a batch of her strawberry-rhubarb sauce. Just delicious! I found a recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie bars and decided to give them a try. Yes, these too are delicious!
I found my rhubarb at our local farm stand. It’s not local quite yet, but it tasted fresh. Look for stalks that are strong and pass on any that feel flimsy. I would have liked a few more strawberries in my pie bars, but my little helpers decided to “help” themselves as we made this in the afternoon during snack time. When the strawberries and rhubarb are local, I’ll have a hard time deciding between making these again or my Strawberry Rhubarb Galette.
This is the consistency you want for the crust and topping.
The recipe is structured like a crumble, with one crust being baked ahead of making your filling. Make the crust and topping first, get it into the oven, then start on the filling. It will help you with the timing of the dish.
Ingredients
- Crust and Topping
- 3 cups flour I used white whole wheat, or you can use all purpose
- 1½ cups sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups 3 sticks unsalted butter, chilled
- Fruit Filling
- 4 eggs
- 1½ cups sugar
- ½ cup yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- ¾ cup flour all purpose or white whole wheat
- pinch of salt
- zest of ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups strawberries hulled and quartered
- 2 cups rhubarb chopped into ½ inch slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. (I use coconut oil to grease my pans.)
- Make the crust/topping first. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse to distribute evenly. Add butter and pulse to create a crumbly mixture.
- Save 2 cups of the crumbly mixture to use as the topping. Pour the rest into the greased baking pan. Press mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake 12-15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the sugar, yogurt, milk, flour, salt, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the berries and rhubarb. Pour mixture evenly over the baked crust. Sprinkle the remaining topping over the top of the filling. Bake 55-65 minutes.
- Cool at least one hour before cutting into bars. If it's warm, it will be more like a fruit crumble.
What is one of your favorite spring desserts?
