I was reading a blog I like called The Culinary Cellar and the author often posts recipes from the once wonderful, but now defunct Cuisine magazine. This one featured a recipe called "Laura's Strawberry Rhubarb Bars" and I liked the idea of meringue with rhubarb. I'm a rhubarb purist, however, and prefer to keep strawberries far away from it. We are still at least a month off from strawberry season up here, anyway. I wanted to make something from my fantastic giant rhubarb plant growing in my yard. So I decided to try my hand at making something like this with just rhubarb.
Rhubarb Meringue Squares
1/2 c butter softened
1 c all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 c sugar
2 T all-purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 c half-and-half
2 1/2 c cut-up rhubarb
1/3 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1/4 c flaked coconut
Heat oven to 350°F. Mix butter, 1 cup flour and 1 tablespoon sugar. Press evenly in ungreased square pan, 8x8x2 inches. Bake 10 minutes.
Mix egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, the salt and half-and-half in large bowl. Stir in rhubarb. Pour over hot crust. Bake 45 minutes.
Beat egg whites in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy . Beat in vanilla. Spread over rhubarb mixture; sprinkle with coconut. Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown; cool about 30 minutes. Cut into about 4-inch squares.
