2.19.2012

Claudia Fleming's Rhubarb Cobbler


Guess what I found tucked in a corner of the produce section in The Fresh Market the other day? Rhubarb! No doubt hothouse rhubarb, but any rhubarb this time of year will do. It's my favorite. To quote 
Alice Waters: cooked rhubarb has a “subtle character, which reminds us of the smell of the earth in the spring.”
My mother always had some growing in her garden; I remember it well from my childhood. Often, she just stewed it and served it as a dessert for lunch. (We actually came home for lunch! Poor mom.) But her rhubarb pies were divine. My grandmother and great aunt owned a bakery in their youth and my mother learned her way around a pie crust at an early age. 

Anyway, this recipe was a real winner. And there are boiled egg yolks in the biscuit. Strange, so I looked it up. Here's what I found: To make biscuits richer, some shortcake recipes (and some biscuit recipes) call for cream as a liquid instead of milk or buttermilk. And some recipes—both biscuit and shortcake--call for cooked egg yolks, an innovation of James Beard.

We never stop learning, do we? Anyway...you're going to love this and the biscuits were exactly as advertised. 


Rhubarb Cobbler
From Claudia Fleming via New York Magazine 


Ingredients:
For dough
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 hard-boiled egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

For rhubarb

2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
1-inch piece of vanilla bean, split lengthwise, pulp scraped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Method:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, egg yolks, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the flour resembles coarse meal. Add 2/3 cup of cream and pulse until the dough comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it together, incorporating any stray crumbs.

Using a small ice cream scoop or a large spoon, form the dough into 2-inch balls, then flatten them slightly into thick rounds. Chill for 20 minutes (and up to 2 hours). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the rhubarb in a shallow 21/2- quart casserole dish and toss with sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch. Allow to macerate 15 minutes.


Arrange the biscuit rounds on top, leaving about an inch between them. Brush the biscuits with cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake the cobbler until the rhubarb is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. Serve with ice cream or crème fraîche.


38 comments:

  1. Great recipe Barbara! I don't know how I managed to get this far in life never having cooked with rhubarb. This one looks so good, and I can already think of a million uses for that biscuit dough.

    We came home for lunch, too, and as a mom I can't even imagine if my kids showed up back home every school day for lunch---!

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  2. I love cobblers and rhubarb! What a fabulous treat.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. I always smile as rhubarb typically brings back fond food memories for people. I can't say that I have experienced rhubarb but, once or twice (sigh).

    This looks quite delicious. I definitely get why egg yolk would be used in crust/topping it makes it denser, and a bit more delightful.

    Velva

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  4. I'm with you, love rhubarb. I also perked up when your recipe added hard boiled egg yolks. It seems so counterintuitive but I felt the same way when I did Jennie Benedict's mayonnaise and was pleasantly surprised with the best mayo! Looking at all those ancient cookbooks, you'd be surprised how many recipes called for grated egg yolk. For some reason it just flew out of fashion. I can't wait to try your recipe.

    PS I was never in the kitchen as a kid so didn't learn to make good piecrust until my late 30's. Before then, it would have soled your shoes!

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  5. I bet you were excited when you saw the rhubarb. I remembered that it's one of your favorites from past posts. The cobbler looks delicious.
    Sam

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  6. Look perfect and delicious dear barbara!!

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  7. I do have some rhubarb leftover from last year in the freezer...don't know why it is still there.

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  8. Looks delicious, I'd love to try it. I've only had rhubarb once and it was really tart. Interesting about the egg yolks.

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  9. cant' wait for the rhubarb season !!pierre

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  10. Gotta say that I simply love cobbler, and rhubarb is one of my favorites. Great recipe!

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  11. so i gotta say i am an admiring fan on so many levels!! first, your mom had a bakery . . . as in how cool would THAT be AND that you were given a fabulous opportunity to learn from her - i die . . . second, can we just agree that rhubarb is the bee's knees?!! and third . . . you have a copy of the one and only cookbook i've ever coveted in my life . . . Claudia Flemming's The Last Course . . . can you believe some ppl are selling copies of that book for over $700!!!!! i've been sleuthing used book stores in the hopes that someone would have donated, etc., but no luck so far . . . sigh . . .

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  12. cooked egg yolks? we really do learn something new all the time, how interesting. this looks delicious! we love our rhubarb too!

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  13. Oh, we are gearing up for this season, ALREADY!!! And we have tons of rhubarb here in Minnesota! HEllo there, Barbara! Thank you for coming to visit today, and PIN AWAY MY DEAR! The photos out there are so wonderful. I am addicted,as many of us are!

    Enjoy a wonderful week full of surprises! Anita

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  14. lucky you! i got to make one rhubarb dish during rhubarb season (i use the term 'season' loosely!)--ONE! great cobbler. :)

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  15. Okay. Next time I see rhubarb in the store, I'm buying some and making ... something. I remember my paternal grandmother's rhubarb (and strawberry? maybe?) pie fondly, but don't have the recipe.

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  16. The Teacher Cooks20/2/12 2:26 PM

    Barbara, now that is a new one on me. Cooked egg yolks in a crust? I'm learning, too!

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  17. James Beard is a genius. Those biscuits look amazing. And the color in this dish is gorgeous!

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  18. Rhubarb at the market, tulips in the garden. Nothing surprises me this year. (Yes, my Tulips are awakening:)

    GREAT recipe, Barbara, I vow to think more widely about rhubarb this year!

    Thanks for sharing...

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  19. This is a very beautiful cobbler Barbara! Unfortunately in Greece we do not have rhubarb! So I guess I will have to wait until my next visit to the States to taste it! Thank you so much for your beautiful comment regarding my son!

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  20. Rhubarb was something we were introduced to in the Midwest and we loved it. Now, of course, I don't have any trouble getting it here.

    I think I'd love this, but hard boiled egg yolks in the dough? THAT's new to me!

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  21. Is it time for rhubarb already? yay, it's always my favorite! The cobbler sounds fantastic!

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  22. I'm going to try that boiled egg yolk tip now. That's really interesting! :D

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  23. Mmmmmmmmmm! I adore rhubarb too. That's a funny comment about your mother cooking lunch for you. Things really have changed. A "neighbor" in our community garden grows rhubarb. He told us it takes a few seasons before the stalks will turn red. I'd no idea. I like it in pies though your cobbler looks incredible.

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  24. my Dad would go crazy for this ;-) looks great I want it with custard

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  25. I didn't tell you--I did a story for a local magazine and one of the sources said rhubarb was impossible to grow here-- but not strawberries! :)

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  26. I actually saw fairly cheap rhubarb at Whole Foods just this past weekend and was shocked! Should have bought some. I hope they still have it so I can make this!

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  27. My husband adores rhubarb desserts and this is a perfect one for him.

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  28. No fair! We are MONTHS away from rhubarb. I am so jealous...

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  29. I always keep an eye out for rhubarb, it's such a treat when I find some.

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  30. Read your comment on Sophie Foodie File, Vegan Marinated Tofu. I think you will enjoy my Hoisin Tofu with Nuts and 3 Peppers recipe that I posted on 2/17/12.

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  31. Wow Barbara, your rhubarb cobbler looks great, interesting the hard boiled egg in the dough...
    And I want mine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream :)
    Hope you are having a fabulous week!

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  32. Beautiful! I made rhubarb cobbler last year with strawberries. I was in heaven. And, hey - it's winter. I'll take the hot house rhubarb. Spring is still a long way off ...

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  33. Confession here: I've never actually cooked rhubarb though I do love it. Your cobbler looks scrumptious! The egg yolk in the biscuit crust sounds just intriguing enough to make me want to try it. :)

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  34. I found rhubarb the other day too! But it is summer over here. We have it stewed and served with yoghurt and honey, although it's been so hot lately, we dollop it on ice-cream. I like the sound of this cobbler. Believe it or not, I've never actually made one before. Crisps (crumble) many times, but cobbler never. Thanks for sharing Barbara.

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  35. Mmmm.. I can't wait to find rhubarb again. It's one of my favourites too. This cobbler looks so delicious.

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  36. I love that trick with cooked egg yolks! I've used them in butter cookies before. The biscuits must have been fantastic. They look great on the cobbler!

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