Sweet and Tart

Rhubarb delivers rewards early in the growing season.

By Annemarie Ahearn

Come spring at the family farm in Dresden, my great-grandmother Edna would head out to the garden and gather fat, ruby stalks of rhubarb in her apron. Back in the kitchen, she measured out flour and plenty of sugar to tame the tartness of the vegetable. Then she rolled in a few nubs of cold butter, added a pinch of salt, and crumbled the dough over the rhubarb. Her bramble would be cooling on the windowsill when my friends and I returned home from our adventures in the woods, hungry for a snack. With a memory like that, is it any wonder rhubarb is a fixture on my May menus today?

Rhubarb Hand Pies

Makes 4 hand pies

In a medium-size bowl, whisk flour, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, scramble the eggs with the cream. Cut each stick of butter into eight pieces, then cut each piece into quarters. With your hands, crumble the butter into the dry ingredients until no piece is larger than a pea. Make a well in the center and pour in the egg-and-cream mixture. Bring dough together by hand until it’s consistent in texture, then split in two. Form two disks, wrap in plastic, and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and water and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, stirring occasionally until it resembles a loose jam, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

Take out the dough and roll each disk between two sheets of parchment paper into rectangles, about 8-by-6 inches. Cut the edges to square them off. Now cut each rectangle in half, widthwise, so you have four rectangles that are 4-by-6 inches. Whisk egg and cream together quickly. Place two-ish tablespoons of jam at the center of each rectangle and brush egg wash around the outside of the jam. Fold the dough over the jam and seal the edges by pressing them together. Place the hand pies on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush each with egg wash and place in the oven for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.

_{Photo by Mark Fleming.}

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