Breakfast, Desserts, DIY, Fruit, SpringPaul Shetler Faststrawberry, rhubarb

Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Strawberry Jam Bars

Breakfast, Desserts, DIY, Fruit, SpringPaul Shetler Faststrawberry, rhubarb
Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Strawberry Jam Bars

We made these Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Strawberry Jam Bars five times in the last two weeks. Each time we swore to ourselves it would be our last. But then another picnic would pop up on the calendar. Each time we turned to the jars of crimson hued roasted strawberry rhubarb jam perched in the fridge, tempting us. And so another batch of Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Strawberry Jam Bars would hit the oven, followed by much happy gobbling.

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Yield: 10-12 bars (9x9 pan)

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup Roasted Rhubarb Strawberry Oven Jam

Steps:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon). Using your hands, work in the butter chunks until it forms an even crumble (it should clump together when squeezed, this is a similar process to making pie dough). Divide this crumble mixture in half.
  3. Press half the crumble into the bottom of a greased 9x9 baking dish. This will form the base of your bars. 
  4. Spread the rhubarb strawberry jam evenly over the crumble base (it works best to dollop and then smear), and top with the remaining half of the crumble, patting it gently just to ensure it hangs together.
  5. Bake the bars for 40 minutes, until the top is lightly brown. Allow to cool completely (about 30-45 minutes) before serving. Keeps well covered in the refridgerator. 

Breakfast, Desserts, Fruit, Quick, Whole GrainsPaul Shetler Fastguava, oats, butter, allspice, cinnamonComment

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Every year, in the hot months of summer, my Oma would make oven jam. My Opa would buy her bushels of fresh apricots and plums from the farmers markets, and she would slow roast the fruit until they caramelized and the juices thickened, creating silky fruit jams that she tucked into layers of her torte cakes for celebrations throughout the year. In the years since she died, I find myself craving the custardy texture, and caramelized fruit taste of her jams. I started experimenting with my own oven jams recently, and found them to be simple, fail-safe, and delicious. My favorite is this tangy spring rhubarb strawberry jam, with rhubarb fresh from a friend's garden.

DIY, Breakfast, Desserts, Fruit, Gluten Free, SpringPaul Shetler FastComment
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Mornings around our house typically involve a lot of bleary-eyed animal wrangling with infrequent interludes of serene calm involving both breakfast and the news.  Last week, Paul upped the ante when he started classes for his second Masters degree, this one in Public Health.  Between full time work, a 2 hour commute each day and now evening classes, we needed a new weekday breakfast strategy.  Enter Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal in jars. In this smartly conceived dish, Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal is cleverly baked up in small canning jars, which, when cooled, can be lidded and refrigerated for up to a week for later reheating.  This is a winner breakfast that we warm-up in the morning with a dash of milk, perfect for eating on the go.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with baked oatmeal, it is somewhere between a less sweet fruit crisp and porridge (oatmeal) and thanks to being chock full of whole grains and nuts, it makes for a substantial breakfast.  We found the addition of strawberry and rhubarb at the bottom of the jar to be a good incentive to keep digging into our baked oatmeal.  Warmly spiced with cinnamon and orange, Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal is a filling, healthy, and make-ahead way to tackle morning meals for busy week-days.  

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The mercury is rising, and the days are lengthening.  It is the season of backyard barbecues and farmers markets. We find ourselves craving Strawberry Shortcakes this time of year, and wanted to remake this classic dessert to feature the seasonal bounty. To highlight the first stalks of rhubarb and early strawberries, we made a tangy strawberry rhubarb sauce, sweetened with handfuls of fresh strawberries. For shortcakes with bright flavor and fantastic crunch, we mixed together a dough dotted with citrus zest and crisp cornmeal. Top these lovely Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcakes with heaps of fresh whipped cream, and your family and friends will thank you.

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