Spring mania continues in my house.  It feels like summer now though... in fact it was so warm yesterday that in the course of about 12 hours my beans seedlings all popped through the ground and into the light.
We're cooking with asparagus, fiddleheads, wild leeks, dandelion greens... Spring Mania.
My rhubarb mania continues too.  A few weeks ago my Mom told me that she made this rhubarb recipe that was amazing and she was going to make it again and was totally over the moon about it and all that. She sent me the recipe and told me that I should make them ASAP... which I would gladly have done if I'd had enough butter... and sugar... and time.
The food box arrived yesterday full of wonderful spring vegetables... and butter... and sugar.  So, I made the bars.


Let's just be frank here, You. Need. To. Make. These. Bars.
Yeah, they're that good.  Truth be told, they're great.  Low in sugar they are not, so you will only want one at a time (not bingeing is always a good thing) but they are really really really good... and gooey... and sweet... and tart.  Ack, what a combination.
I shared, because I'm nice that way and I don't want fat hips and holey teeth, with my neighbours.  You could share too if you make them.  These beauties would be great at a potluck function, a spring festival, a bake sale... your own cookie jar.
I'm off to try another rhubarb recipe and I have to make sure that I save some for the strawberry rhubarb jam that will be coming with strawberry season.  Ahhhh!  I love spring!


Rhubarb Custard Bars... from my Mom
makes one square pan of bars

Base:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (hard is fine)

Filling:
2 cups (I used about 3 and it wasn't too much) fresh rhubarb, chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

Topping
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp butter, cold and cubed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a square 8x8 baking dish with parchment, leave a little draped over the edges so that it's easy to remove.
Make a crumble of the base ingredients by using a fork or a pastry cutter.  Press the crumbly dough into the bottom of the baking pan.  Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until the edges are beginning to turn golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the chopped rhubarb over the baked base.  In a bowl combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.  Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Pour the whole thing over the rhubarb.


In another bowl combine the topping flour and sugar.  Cut in the butter until it forms a crumb.  Sprinkle over the rhubarb/egg mixture.


Bake for about 35 or 40 minutes or until it's not jiggling too much in the middle.
Cool completely before cutting.