Rhubarb time

It's springtime... and that means Rhubarb is in season!

What is Rhubarb? It is a tart stalky looking vegetable (yes it's a vegetable, not a fruit!) that is most often used in pies and cobblers. It can range in color from light green, to light pink, to a dark crimson, and the stalks can be about 12-18 inches in length. Rhubarb is very tart, and is usually paired with fruits that have sweetness to balance it, like strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries. Rhubarb recipes often call for a generous amount of sugar to cut the tartness. It is in season in spring and early summer.

I usually like to use rhubarb in fruit cobblers, but I found this recipe for rhubarb muffins. These are a little different, as there is only rhubarb and no other fruit. A whole cup of brown sugar adds the sweetness here, so they have a slightly darker color once baked, and a bit of a sticky consistency that I can only describe aptly as very "brown-sugary". And any recipe with buttermilk in it, I know I am going to like it. They are just delicious, I always serve them with a little pat of butter.

Tips about rhubarb: I like to chop my rhubarb into smaller pieces than what the recipe says. So if the stalk is more than an inch wide, I will slice it in half lengthwise, sometimes even in thirds, and then dice it crosswise for little 1/4 inch pieces.

This recipe comes from the Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine. Here is the recipe - enjoy!!

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 lg egg
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6-8 ounces rhubarb, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch chunks (1 1/2 cups)
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With an electric mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar in lg bowl until smooth. Beat in egg, add buttermilk, and beat to combine.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, beat until smooth. Fold in rhubarb.

3) Coat a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. You do NOT use paper muffin liners with this recipe. Trust the recipe on this one and just use the spray. Spoon mixture into prepared tin, dividing evenly among the cups. Sprinkle the tops with granulated sugar.

4) Bake at 375 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes (this is another step you can't skip). Turn out muffins onto a rack, cool completely.