Rhubarb Jam Bars with Brown Butter Crust

Rhubarb Jam bars
Patty Price
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Ingredients

Rhubarb Jam
1cup sugar
Grated zest and juice of 4 tangerines
1/2 vanilla bean
4large rhubarb stalks cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Brown Butter Crust
1/2cup unsalted butter
1/2cup powdered sugar
1 1/2cups all-purpose flour
Brown Butter Filling
3large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
Grated zest of 2 tangerines
3/4cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 vanilla bean
1/2cup plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

Rhubarb Jam:

  1. Place the sugar, grated zest and tangerine juice, the pod and pulp of ½ vanilla bean that has been split in half and scraped and the sliced rhubarb in a medium heavy pan.
  2. Bring to a boil over high heat, cook and stir until rhubarb mixture turns into a thick jam, about 10 minutes.
  3. Transfer to a bowl (discard the vanilla pod) and cool while you prepare the crust and filling.
Brown Butter Crust:
  1. Melt the butter over a medium-high heat while whisking.
  2. Cook the butter for about 5-7 minutes until the milk solids separate, it will brown and become fragrant, remove from heat.
  3. Pour the browned butter into a shallow bowl and freeze solid, about 30 minutes.
  4. Place the powdered sugar and flour into a medium bowl and whisk together.
  5. Remove the brown butter from the freezer and cut into small cubes.
  6. Mix the butter cubes into the sugar/flour mixture until large crumbs begin to form.
  7. Work the crumbly mixture into a dough that can be evenly pressed into a foil lined 9×13 pan.
  8. Chill for 30 minutes.
  9. Preheat the oven to 375F.
  10. Bake the crust on a middle oven rack for 15-18 minutes or until lightly brown.
  11. Cool the crust before assembling the bars.
How to prepare the brown butter filling:
  1. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, zest and flour in a medium bowl.
  2. Split and scrape out the pulp of the other half of the vanilla bean and place in a saucepan with the butter.
  3. Cook the vanilla bean/ butter mixture over a high heat until the milk solids separate, turn brown and become fragrant (discard the vanilla pod).
  4. Gently pour the brown butter into the egg mixture, whisking until smooth.
How to assemble the bars:
  1. Spread half the brown butter filling over the baked cooled crust.
  2. Spoon the rhubarb jam over the filling, reserving about a quarter of the jam to finish the top.
  3. Spread the remaining brown butter filling over the rhubarb jam and finish by spooning smaller dollops of rhubarb jam over the top.
  4. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the filling is deep golden brown.
  5. Remove pan from the oven and cool completely before cutting into small (1&1/2″) squares.

This recipe from Honest Cooking was republished with permission. It originally appeared at Patty’s Food as Rhubarb Brown Butter Bars.

Rhubarb Jam Bars

Patty Price