Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

Recipe Search

Meringue Rhubarb Squares - Gluten Free



I froze my rhubarb this year following a 'trick'  told to me by my aunt who heard it from a friend who grows a field of rhubarb. Instead of cutting up the rhubarb before freezing, I froze the whole stalks.  I found that following this method the rhubarb did not have the tendency to form ice around the pieces and cutting up the frozen rhubarb just before using was like it was fresh!

I adapted this recipe from my friend Gwen's recipe. It is indeed a delicious dessert and while it has three steps/layers it is not difficult to make, nor does it take long. It is so good!!

For the base ...
  • 1 1/2 cups Julie's flour 
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum 
  • 3/4 cups butter 
  • 2 teaspoons sugar 
For the filling ...
  • 4 cups chopped rhubarb 
  • juice of one orange
  • 1/4 cup potato starch or cornstarch 
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 beaten egg yolks
For the meringue ...
  • 4 egg whites 
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/4 cup sugar  
  1. Prepare the crumb base. Since my wrist is often painful (rheumatoid arthritis) and using a blender difficult,  I put my flour and butter in my mixer and mix it until it forms fine crumbs.  So painless! 
  2. Press crumbs firmly into a 9 x 12 pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. 
  3. Put rhubarb pieces, sugar, starch , orange juice into saucepan and cook, stirring until mixture thickens. 
  4. Remove from heat, and add the beaten egg yolks. 
  5. Cool slightly and spread onto baked base. 
  6. Whip egg whites with cream of tartar and sugar until stiff, then spread over filling 
  7. Return to oven for 15 minutes (If meringue isn't golden,  turn on the broil element for a few minutes but watch dessert carefully. It won't take long for it to brown) 
  8. Remove from oven and cool - the base firms up nicely after it is cooled.  My husband likes this dessert warm , but I find the base crumbles before it is cooled  - my husband doesn't mind that., but I prefer the pieces to lift out nicely from the pan.  

8 comments:

  1. This looks yummy! Could you please explain what is "Julie's flour"? Love the rhubarb trick, am definitely going to give that a try! Thanks, Kim

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, please explain "Julie's flour". Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Freezing rhubarb stalks whole is a great tip, thank you for sharing :)

    I will have to make this using my frosty, cut-up rhubarb however I am sure it will still be delicious :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, this is a great method for freezing rhubarb! I do the same for apples, I freeze them in quarters. Before baking with them I let them thaw just a little bit until they are easy to cut through and chop into smaller pieces. This method allows you to bake with partially frozen fruit and you don't lose all the natural juices that would run out if you thawed it completely.

    ReplyDelete
  5. re Julie's flour ... if you notice 'Julie's Flour' is a link to the flour mix recipe that is my own recipe. If you wish to substitute a gluten free all purpose flour mix of your own that you like , it should work.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This sounds so good.. Is there a recipe that isn't gluten free?
    I was raised Mennonite and identify with all you gals. I love all the recipes I grew up with as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can make this by using a wheat flour shortbread/crumb base .. the filling and the meringue is the same.

      Delete
    2. There are several non gluten free versions of this dessert on our blog. Just check the index under desserts.

      Delete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.