COOK CLUB: A shortcake treat to make skeptics sweet on rhubarb

It's appropriate that April — the month that brings us fools and jokes — is also rhubarb season.

Rhubarb is no joke. It's a serious vegetable often used like a fruit with flavor that doesn't hold any punches. But its large leaves and pinky red stalks, which seem friendly enough, also hold surprises of the April fool's sort.

The leaves are poisonous to humans and deadly to some insects. In fact, the leaves are often used to make insecticides. The stalks, though, have a storied history in Asia where they have long used it as a medicinal plant.

While you may be unaware of all of rhubarb's many uses, you no doubt are aware of its flavor — a lip-puckering tartness. The stalks are far from sweet; for many it is an acquired taste.

When spring has just barely sprung, though, rhubarb is one of the few in-season produce choices.

This week you will begin seeing rhubarb in your produce section, making this month's Gazette KCRG Cook Club Rhubarb-Vanilla Compote with Short Cakes a seasonal superstar.

Rhubarb stalks vary from greenish pink to deep red and resemble celery stalks. Look for stalks that are unblemished. Large stalks may require peeling off the stringy outer edge so if you can, choose petite stalks, which are less fibrous. At home, trim off leaves and store stalks unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Most often rhubarb is paired with heaps of sugar to offset its razor sharp flavor. This flies in the face of rhubarb's nutrient dense stalks, which are high in vitamin C and K and also are a good source of calcium and dietary fiber. Since this month's theme is dessert, we had the task of creating a dish that still is a treat while not completely throwing out our desire to make healthier choices.

Instead of sugar, we opted for honey and fresh strawberries to bring sweetness to our compote. Lightly sweetened short cakes also offset the tart stalk as well as a drizzle of cream, which ups the dessert factor without adding extra sugar.

RECIPE

Rhubarb-Vanilla Compote

Serves: 6

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup water

2 pounds rhubarb stalks, chopped into 1-inch pieces (6 cups total)

1 cup strawberries, diced

2 vanilla bean pods, sliced down the middle

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, for serving

In a large pot, heat the honey and water over medium heat until honey is completed melted. Add in rhubarb, strawberries and vanilla bean pods. Bring to simmer over medium heat and once simmering, cook for 5 minutes or until rhubarb is softened and some pieces start to break down. Set aside to cool. Compote will thicken as it cools. Compote is best made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

Serve compote at room temperature over warm short cakes with a drizzle of heavy whipping cream.

Short Cakes

Makes 10 to 14 short cakes, depending on the size

3 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold and cut into cubes

1 cup milk

1/2 cup ricotta

Place dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Toss butter with dry ingredients and working with two forks, a pastry cutter or your hands, work the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal (and has a yellowish tint) and there are pea-size pieces of butter throughout. (Watch our Cook Club video to see exactly how to cut butter into flour.)

In a small bowl, whisk the milk and ricotta together. Pour into dry ingredients and gently incorporate until a ball of dough forms. It will be a little sticky.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead lightly 3 or 4 times. Pat out into a rectangle that is 1 inch thick. Cut with a 1 1/2- to 2-inch biscuit cutter. Continue this process until all the dough is used. Place short cakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in a 375 degrees for 10 to 14 minutes or until the tops are lightly brown.