This blog post also is available in German.
We are in the merry month of may and local rhubarb is high season right now. It is well known for it`s slightly sour-fruity taste, which makes it very suitable for baking delicious goods. The acidity depends on the type of variety you are using, the greener the sourer. You can still enjoy rhubarb up until the month june, then the season is over. Way too short amount of time where this veggie is available if you ask me. And yes, in case you are surprised now, rhubarb is a veggie. Didn`t know either for a long time.
So now let`s move on to the interesting things in life. What is your favorite flavor combo for rhubarb and what do you like to do with it in the kitchen? My personal favorites are rhubar & vanilla, rhubarb & strawberry and rhubarb & raspberry. The usual classic combos I guess. In the kitchen I mostly use rhubarb for baking. They are a neat ingredient for cupcakes, muffins, tartes, crumble cakes and pies. Also quite recommendable to make your own rhubarb compote, which I like to add to my granola or porridge for breakfast. Have you ever tried rhubarb jam or adding rhubarb to your beverages, like lemonade or ice tea? It`s super yummy as well. Hopefully you got some nice ideas what to prepare with these sour stalks. And if not, keep on reading, as I am going to share this awesome vegan, no refined sugar rhubarb pie recipe with you guys. Still here? Ok, then let`s move on!
Before we dive in, just a small little tip, I read somewhere, but don`t remember anymore where. In case you are handling green rhubarb stalks like I did in this recipe. Cook them with some raspberries, as the rhubarb can get a nice red color. Tried it in this recipe, but I have to admit, using only five raspberries didn`t do the job for me. You obviously need more.
Ingrediens (for one middle size baking sheet):
- 225g spelt flour, organic
- 1 dash of salt
- 30g coconut blossom sugar, organic
- 40g date syrup, organic
- 150g vegan margarine
- 400g rhubarb, organic
- 5 frozen raspberries, organic -> optional, they are just for the red color, also try to add more, as 5 didn`t do the job for me
- 100ml water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp of the water you cooked your rhubarb in
- 2 tbsp soy cream, organic
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven at 180° Celsius.
- Add all the ingredients up to the margarine into a bowl, knead very well until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough in cling foil and put it in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, rinse off, peel and cut the rhubarb stalks into small pieces.
- Add rhubarb pieces, frozen raspberries, lemon juice and water into a pan and simmer for about 15 minutes at low temperature.
- Drain the cooking liquid (only keep 2 tbsp of it). Mix the rhubarb compote together with soy cream and the 2 tbsp of the cooking water.
- Remove the dough from the fridge, sprinkle some flour on a flat surface and thinly roll out the dough. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Place some baking beans on your pie bottom. Blind-bake your pie crust for 5 minutes on the middle rack of your oven. Try to use baking beans to prevent your crust from forming bubbles.
- Remove the baking beans, pour the rhubarb pie mixture onto the bottom of your pie and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes on the middle rack of your oven.
Happy baking time & enjoy the pie!
I am probably going to be back with another blog post at the beginning of this week. After that it`s going to be a little bit silent here for a few weeks. First of all I need to finish setting up this website and the German side-kick of it, which I am planning to do. Then I have to dive in deeply into the new data protection law to make sure everything is going by the rules by 25 of May.
Read you soon,
Sarah