Rhubarb Season

Oh, how I love rhubarb. It always seems like such a huge treat, probably because fresh rhubarb is relatively hard to come by. I've spent the last few weeks trying to corner the local market on rhubarb, and may even freeze some for later if I can convince myself not to eat it right away. A big thank you to all of the folks who have been reporting their rhubarb sightings or who have purchased rhubarb on my behalf. I think the other main reason that I love rhubarb is that I associate it with family and friends. Rhubarb is not something that you find served commercially that often, so most of the occasions that I've eaten it have been with my grandparents, aunties, or parents. It turned out to be nice then, that Mom and Dad came to visit last week and I was able to serve them rhubarb pie. For crust, I used the same Cuisinart all-butter crust that I have been making a lot of lately. Unfortunately the dough I used had been sitting in the fridge for a week which had some ill effects. I kind of cheated on the filling and topping - I was really craving rhubarb crisp, so I used Aunt Susie's rhubarb crisp recipe and put it in a regular pie shell. The filling and topping were great, as expected, but the crust was a little leathery. Fortunately, it was a pie that aged well, and with each passing day it was better than the day before.

My second rhubarb pie of the week was eaten at work. I was sitting at my desk one morning and Jeff came up and handed me a piece of rhubarb pie. Nothing says "this is going to be a great day at work" like receiving pie from your boss first thing in the morning. I asked Jeff if it was okay if I posted a picture of his beautiful slice of pie here, and he modestly claimed that if I posted that as a "before" picture, I might need an "after" picture of myself spitting out the pie in disgust. Which, of course, was not necessary, as the pie was delicious. However, I think his kids might be disappointed, because it sounds like they were eagerly anticipating said "after" picture. Jeff managed to find rhubarb that was actually pink in color (what I bought was mostly green) so his pie has a lovely rosy color. Once again, his crust was lovely and flaky as well, not like the old boot that my rhubarb pie was cooked in. I also approve of the fact that Jeff, like me, is generally opposed to the combination of strawberries and rhubarb. Personally, I think strawberries and rhubarb is for rhubarb haters with a palate so unrefined as to be unable to enjoy rhubarb alone. It's one of those combinations where the two parts are actually worsened in combination. I took a rhubarb cake to a coffee at work on Friday, and was surprised at the number of people who told me that they were afraid of rhubarb! More for the rest of us, I guess. (Pictures: Dad with my rhubarb pie, Mom and Dad at Natural Bridge, Jeff's rhubarb pie, top view and profile)