A Single Step: Pin Mining - Rhubarb Edition

Some could argue that Spring has been here since Autumn left us. We really didn't have much of a Winter in Southern Ontario. A scant dusting of snow a few times, and I think there was enough to shovel a couple of times. The kids were both thrilled that the grass was finally covered enough to go sledding and bummed that it only happened once.

This past Easter weekend is the first I can recall where I saw dandelions, Magnolias, the last of the Forsythia blossoms (they've been out for weeks) and fruit trees in bloom. We've gone looking for fruit blossoms on Mother's Day and been too early. At this rate, there will be Lilacs by the first of May!

Our own garden is coming to life as well. The peas and radishes the kids and I planted last month are doing nicely under some protective plastic. My kitchen window is bursting with beans and cucumbers and melons. The only thing missing is a patch of rhubarb.

Ah rhubarb. I fondly remember my cousin and I sitting on our grandmother's glider swing, under the big tree, reading first edition X-Men and Richie Rich comics and eating stalks of rhubarb, fresh from the garden, dipped in little dishes of white sugar. How much of her patch did we go through each year? And whatever happened to those bags of comics anyway?

My grandmother's meringue topped rhubarb custard was another treat I fondly remember. Made in a deep dish pan, the fruit was tangy and stringy, tempered by the custard-y filling and topped with mounds of fluffy, golden meringue. My mother has the recipe. I must get it, even if I may be the only one to eat it.

So as my thoughts have turned to rhubarb, I thought I'd go digging through Pinterest for some Spring inspiration. There are plenty of recipes for rhubarb/strawberry desserts, rhubarb/raspberry creations and even a few that look like my Nana's pie. But here are three that are new to me and look like they're worth a try.

Rhubarb Baklava