Rhubarb Custard Bars

When Marilyn Court bakes these rhubarb custard bars they don’t last long at her house. “One of my grandsons eats most of the pan when he comes over,” she said, and jokingly added, “once in a while the rest of us get a piece, too.”

I’ve sampled these bars a few times myself when she’s brought them to gatherings we’ve attended. And, I’ve seen them disappear quickly — it’s hard to stop at just one piece!

Marilyn has discovered a few tricks to making this dessert a little lighter than the original version and also how to successfully substitute frozen rhubarb for fresh. Check out the notes corresponding to the asterisks for her special tips. CJK

Rhubarb Custard Bars

(Marilyn Court)

Crust

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup cold butter or margarine*

Filling

2 cups sugar

7 tbsp. flour

1 cup whipping cream**

3 eggs, beaten

5 cups fresh rhubarb, finely diced****

Topping

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup whipping cream, whipped***

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9x13-inch glass baking pan.

Crust

Combine the flour and sugar and then cut in butter or margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into prepared baking pan and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.

Filling

Combine sugar and flour in large bowl. Whisk in cream and eggs. Stir in rhubarb. Pour over crust. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes or until custard is set. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center — if it comes out clean, the bars are finished baking. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Topping

Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Gently fold in the whipped cream and spread over the top of the completely cooled crust and filling. Cover and chill. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Yield: 15 bars

A note from Marilyn: I often substitute *butter-flavored Crisco baking sticks for the butter or margarine in the crust and generally use **skim milk instead of whipping cream in the filling. Any kind of cream cheese works — regular, fat free or “Neufchâtel” (one-third less fat). I tend to swap the whipped cream in the topping with an 8 oz. container of ***whipped topping. It’s OK to use a light or fat free variety. 

If I harvest more ****rhubarb than I need at the time, I like to finely dice it and freeze five cups together in a freezer bag or container. To use it in this recipe, I thaw it overnight and drain it — this method works out equally well.

A note from Carol: Marilyn and her husband, Francis, have been members of St. Joseph Parish in St. Joseph for more than 40 years. They are the parents of six adult children and grandparents of 10.