Tea with ‘barb
About two weeks ago, I was walking through our produce department and noticed that the first bright red stalks of rhubarb were piled on the shelf. Naturally, I had to buy some—though I had no idea what I was going to do with it when I got it home. This type of thing happens a lot, usually when I am driving through the valley and see a farm stand. I am a visual shopper.

Like most people, when I think rhubarb I think pie. But, I don’t always have the time, or energy, to make a pie crust. Then I go the easy route and make it into a crisp ‘cause I always have oatmeal. And, let’s face it, you could put that topping on anything and make it taste good. It should come as no surprise that I ended up doing just that…and it was fantastic.

At least the few bites I got were fantastic. My family of vultures ate it all before I had a chance to get my fill.

Because of this, I have been on the lookout for something different to do with the rhubarb we have downstairs in the shop. When I came across this recipe for Baked Rhubarb, I was fascinated. Earl Grey is my tea of choice. I drink it all day, every day. So, I am very familiar with its citrusy flavor. And, I get why this recipe would work, rhubarb and citrus complement each other nicely.

So this experiment will be happening this week and I will be hiding my own stash in the fridge. I am looking forward to finding out what it will taste like when it is mixed in with some yogurt…when no one is looking!

Baked Rhubarb with Earl Grey Tea, Cardamom, and Orange Zest
Adapted from Food 52

Ingredients
1 lb. fresh Rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 firm apples, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Seeds of one green cardamom pod crushed well with mortar and pestle
2 bags of Earl Grey tea steeped in 3/4 cup just-boiled water for 3 minutes and then cooled
Zest of 2 small oranges

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 350º F.

Place the chopped rhubarb and apple in a medium casserole dish or an oven-safe pot.

Add the lemon juice, sugar, cardamom and tea and gently toss to mix.

Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir the ingredients, then bake an additional 15 minutes until the fruit is tender.

Allow to cool and serve in a bowl with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Completely cooled rhubarb is great over yogurt.