Step Aside, Strawberries. It's Rhubarb's Time to Shine

Yahoo Food
Updated

Rochelle Bilow

Sure, strawberries are great, but let’s face it: They can be a little, well, ho-hum sometimes. Especially when they’re out of season—which is now (out of season strawberries really just don’t taste like much). So that’s where rhubarb comes in. This vegetable (yep, it’s really a veggie!) is more tangy than it is sweet, and roasts beautifully into a tender compote with the help of a little sugar, wine, and vanilla bean. Flaky homemade biscuits seal the deal. Strawberries will be here soon, but in the meantime, let’s enjoy what we’ve got now: Rhubarb, this is your moment.

SEE MORE: Our Readers’ Favorite Bon Appétit Recipes of All Time

RHUBARB SHORTCAKES

Ingredients:
Roasted Rhubarb

  • 2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed, sliced 1-inch thick

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup red wine

  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Biscuits and Assembly

  • 1 cup cake flour

  • 4 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour plus more for work surface

  • 3 cups chilled heavy cream, divided

  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted


SEE MORE: Pro Cooking Tips from 16 of NYC’s Best Restaurant Chefs


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine rhubarb, sugar, and wine in a medium baking dish or ovenproof skillet. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean and toss to combine.

Roast until rhubarb is very tender and juices are syrupy, 30-40 minutes, depending on thickness of stalks. Let cool. Discard vanilla bean.

Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk cake flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and 1 cup all-purpose flour in a medium bowl to combine. Add 1 1/2 cups cream; gently mix just until dough holds together.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a 9x6-inch rectangle about 1-inch thick. Cut dough in half length-wise, then cut crosswise 3 times to form 8 rectangular biscuits.

Arrange biscuits on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Brush tops and sides of biscuits with butter. Bake until golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool (biscuits can be served warm or at room temperature).

Beat remaining 1 1/2 cups cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Split biscuits and brush cut sides with remaining melted butter. Fill biscuits with roasted rhubarb and serve with whipped cream.

DO AHEAD: Rhubarb filling can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill. Reheat slightly before serving. Biscuits can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool completely and store airtight at room temperature.

See more from Bon Appetit:
5 Ways to Totally Screw Up Popcorn
27 NON-Boring Chicken Recipes
8 Mistakes People Make When Cooking Pork Chops
Homemade Hummus: Worth the Effort?