Why is the rhubarb cooked and pureed rather than used raw?

Cooking the rhubarb before pureeing and using in the curd produces the most concentrated and most deeply flavored rhubarb curd with the most beautifully smooth and completely silky texture. Raw rhubarb is extremely fibrous and would not blend to the most smooth purée and would not produce the same depth of sweet-tart flavor concentration that cooking achieves. The cooking process also allows the ginger to infuse most completely into the rhubarb for the most harmonious and deeply complex flavor combination.

What does the Swiss meringue have over regular meringue?

Swiss meringue is made by heating the egg whites and sugar together over a double boiler before whipping, which dissolves the sugar completely and pasteurizes the egg whites. The result is the most stable, most glossy, and most marshmallowy meringue that does not weep, deflate, or become grainy over time. Regular French meringue uses unheated egg whites and is significantly less stable and more prone to weeping and deflating, especially in humid conditions.

Can I make these bars without the meringue?

Yes and the bars are completely extraordinary without the meringue as well. Simply sift a generous layer of powdered sugar over the completely chilled bars immediately before serving for the most elegant and most classically lovely lemon-bar-style finishing. The rhubarb curd and shortbread base together are deeply satisfying without any additional topping.

Rhubarb Bars Easy Ginger Curd Shortbread Swiss Meringue Spring Recipe

Description

The most stunning Rhubarb Bars made with a cooked ginger rhubarb purée of chopped rhubarb sugar water and fresh ginger cooked until soft pureed and strained twice used in a tangy rhubarb curd of sugar flour eggs lemon juice and optional food coloring poured over a par-baked vanilla shortbread base of room temperature butter sugar vanilla salt and flour baked 20 to 25 minutes more until set chilled 4 hours and topped with optional silky Swiss meringue of heated egg white sugar salt and vanilla whipped to stiff peaks. A completely extraordinary spring rhubarb curd bar recipe.

Ingredients

Scale

3 cups Fresh Rhubarb chopped for purée

1/3 cup Granulated Sugar for purée

1/4 cup Water

2 tsp Fresh Ginger finely grated

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature for shortbread

1/4 cup Granulated Sugar for shortbread

1 tsp Vanilla Paste or Extract

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1 cup All-Purpose Flour for shortbread

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar for curd

3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour for curd

3 large Eggs

2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

1 cup Rhubarb Purée from above

Red or Pink Gel Food Coloring optional

1 large Egg White for meringue optional

1/4 cup Granulated Sugar for meringue

Pinch Kosher Salt for meringue

1 tsp Vanilla Paste or Extract for meringue

Instructions

1. Cook chopped rhubarb, sugar, and water over medium heat 10 minutes until soft. Add ginger in last few minutes.

2. Purée rhubarb mixture until smooth. Strain through fine-mesh sieve twice. Measure 1 cup purée. Set aside.

3. Grease and line 8×8-inch pan with parchment slings. Preheat oven to 350°F.

4. Cream room temperature butter and sugar 3 minutes. Add vanilla, salt, and flour. Mix until combined.

5. Press mixture evenly into pan getting into all corners. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

6. Sift sugar and flour for curd. Add eggs, lemon juice, and 1 cup rhubarb purée. Whisk until combined.

7. Add optional food coloring to brighten color.

8. Pour rhubarb curd over par-baked shortbread.

9. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until curd completely set with very slight center jiggle when tapped.

10. Cool on wire rack 1 hour. Refrigerate 3 more hours until fully chilled and set.

11. For Swiss meringue: heat 1 inch water in saucepan to boil. Place heatproof bowl over without touching water.

12. Add egg white, sugar, and salt. Whisk until warm and sugar dissolved about 160°F.

13. Transfer to stand mixer. Whip medium 1 minute then high until stiff peaks form.

14. Add vanilla. Mix once more.

15. Pipe or spread over chilled bars. Slice and serve. Alternatively sift powdered sugar over bars.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Category: Dessert, Bars
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American French

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 bar
Calories: 330
Sugar: 28g
Sodium: 95mg
Fat: 13g
Saturated Fat: 8g
Unsaturated Fat: 4g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 48g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 5g
Cholesterol: 95mg

Keywords: rhubarb bars, rhubarb curd bars with ginger shortbread and Swiss meringue, stunning spring rhubarb bars recipe, best rhubarb curd shortbread bars spring