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Recipe Detail Page
Spiced Rhubarb Cobbler
Early Summer 2003
The light, cake-like texture of this cobbler topping will barely hold in the scent of simmering spices within the sweet, rose-tinted rhubarb compote. Have a few overripe strawberries hanging around? Toss those in for even more intense colour.
Serves 6 to 8
6 cups (1.5 L) rhubarb
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) granulated sugar
3 tbsp (45 mL) cornstarch
1 vanilla bean (To gather seeds, cut vanilla bean in half with the point of a knife, and scrape out seeds.)
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) Chinese 5-spice powder
2 tbsp (25 mL) water
2 tbsp (25 mL) unsalted butter
Topping
1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 cup (50 mL) unsalted butter
1/3 cup (75 mL) milk
1 egg, room temperature
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. If rhubarb stalks are thick, peel away the outside with a paring knife. Dice rhubarb and place in a saucepot.
3. Combine sugar with cornstarch, the scraped seeds from vanilla bean, cinnamon and Chinese 5-spice powder. Add to rhubarb and stir in with water. Bring just up to a boil, stirring on occasion and pour into a 4 cup (1 L) baking dish. Dot fruit with 2 tbsp (25 mL) butter.
4. For cobbler topping, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
5. Melt butter and warm milk to room temperature and combine. Whisk egg into milk mixture and pour over flour. Stir just until batter is evenly incorporated-it will look like thick pancake batter.
6. Spoon cobbler topping over rhubarb, leaving spaces between spoonfuls for the topping to expand.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cobbler looks cake-like underneath when a centre piece is lifted. Serve warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Serves 6 to 8
