Pink of Perfection

All the seasons have their signifiers — the arrival of tomatoes in August, the emergence of pumpkins in the fall — but none seem quite so ecstatic as the harbingers of spring. We get pumped for the arrival of spinach, strawberries, asparagus, and artichokes, and this year, for the first time, I got to know another spring debutante: rhubarb.

Here’s the story: I’ve been eyeing my Grand Diplôme books on the book shelf, knowing its high time for a lesson. But when I pulled out week 7 (oh boy, is it going to take a lifetime to get through all 72 books), the lessons seemed woefully out of season. Who wants to make crème caramel or Bavarian cream in late April, I thought?

But the particularly gorgeous and inspiring May issue of Martha Stewart put everything right again. There were not one but two recipes for custards, which looked perfect and sounded delicious. And that’s when it hit me. The lessons in the Grand Diplôme lessons rarely seem appealing or seasonal, but I think it’s a matter of bad packaging and poor lighting (the photography, as previously established, is vile and a true testament to its age). In other words, from now on, as soon as a lesson rubs me the wrong way or seems stodgy or just plain blah, I’m turning elsewhere for a little inspiration.

And then I’ll turn back to the el grosso ’70s pictures for “the lesson.”

Have you ever had raw rhubarb? I snagged a piece as I was chopping up the stalks and found myself floored at its complex flavors. It’s tart with a citrusy zing that reminded me of lemongrass, which got me thinking about all the wonderful ways in which rhubarb could be used in savory dishes. But as for the recipe at hand, this is perfect spring comfort food. The custard is rich, but each bite is punctuated with the bright pink tartness of rhubarb. The milky caramel wards off the chill in the air and the rhubarb braces you for warmer days ahead.

Rhubarb Custard
from Martha Stewart Living
Serves 6

I almost didn’t make this recipe because it called for 5-1/2 inch gratin dishes. Who has these? But upon closer examination of the recipe, here’s what I learned: it doesn’t matter what size your baking dish is, just as long as you keep the depth of custard at about 1-inch (you could divide the batter between 2-3 shallow baking dishes). This recipe is also a perfect entree to the world of custards as you don’t have to fiddle with a water bath.

3/4 cup sugar, plus more for dishes
12 ounces rhubarb, trimmed and cut crosswise 1/4 inch think
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
coarse salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking dishes and dust with sugar; arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss rhubarb with 1/4 cup sugar, and divide among dishes. Cover each first with parchment and then with foil, and bake until rhubarb is just beginning to release liquid and soften, about 30 minutes. Leave oven on.

Purée milk, cream, flour, eggs, and yolk, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth. Divide evenly among dishes. Bake uncovered, until just set, 22 to 24 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes.

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