Rhubarb Ambrosia Betty
July 14, 2011 at 11:36 pm Leave a comment
Sounds sassy doesn’t it? That and the fact that I love rhubarb meant I had to try it!
Found this recipe at a table the Seward Co-op had at a recent farmers market.
Rhubarb Ambrosia Betty
5 c rhubarb, cut in ½” pieces
1 3/4 c sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp grated orange rind (the zest)
Sections from 1 orange, cubed
4 c bread cubes (½”)
½ c melted butter or margarine
½ c shredded or flaked coconut
Mix rhubarb, sugar, flour, salt, 3/4 teaspoon orange rind and fruit. Add 2 cups bread cubes and 1/4 cup butter; mix. Put in a greased 8 x 8 x 2 inch pan. Combine the remaining bread cubes, butter, orange rind and coconut. Sprinkle over the top of the rhubarb. Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) about 40 minutes, until browned. Serve warm. 6-8 servings.
MY NOTES: First, let me share with you that you will never find margarine in my kitchen. Butter, usually unsalted, that’s it. Why? Because I believe that all the fat I could ever eat from butter will still be healthier for me than the following combination: whey protein concentrate, soy lecithin, vegetable monoglycerides, potassium sorbate, vegetable color, artificial flavor, vitamin A palmitate, alpha-tocopherol acetate. I have a high preference for products with few ingredients. Less chemistry lab mumbo jumbo. There is definitely more to “healthy food” than fat and calories.
As for the recipe, did I say, I love rhubarb? Oh yes. I love that Minnesota has such fabulous amounts of rhubarb in the spring and early summer. This dessert (which even served as breakfast for me one day) had an excellent mix of sweet and tangy flavors. It was also a good way to use up some bread that was getting dry, but was not yet stale. Also, I used shredded coconut, I think I’d like flaked better next time. I highly recommend serving this with vanilla ice cream.
When baking, I usually do not alter sugar or salt amounts, however the baking in this recipe is only for the purpose of cooking the rhubarb and heating it all through, so I decreased the amount of sugar by a half cup. Still excellent. I believe that in general we rely much to heavily on sugar and salt to satisfy our taste buds when there are hundreds of combinations of herbs and spices – or in this case orange zest – that would be much more enjoyable and exciting. So, don’t be surprised in the future if I tell you again that I cut the amount or eliminated completely the sugar or salt listed.
foodaccordingtoemily 
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