Rhubarb Torte and a perennial friendship

Rhubarb grows like a genuine friendship, perennially, wildly and occasionally untended.

I made this discovery this weekend when I popped in to see my friend Jeannie, the obedient girl assigned to welcome me to the St. Therese second grade classroom more than 40 years ago.

Though chunks of time sometimes pass between our visits, we still enjoy the same strong friendship that blossomed under the strict, habited gaze of our Catholic school teachers all those years ago.

I asked Jeannie if I could have a few stalks of rhubarb from her backyard bush and she harvested the whole bush for me.

I had no particular plans for the rhubarb; I’d never actually cooked the stuff before. Inspired by a recipe emailed to me by my new co-worker Dale, I just wanted to give rhubarb a whirl.

I pulled the pan of Dale’s Grandma’s Rhubarb Torte out of the oven Sunday evening and invited Jeannie over for a taste. The result was a perfectly delicious evening of warm dessert and heart-to-heart conversation.

Treat yourself to some rhubarb torte this week, and then call an old friend to share it. You’ll be very glad you did.

Dale’s Grandma’s Rhubarb Torte

Ingredients

1.Crust

2 cups of Flour

¾ cup of powdered sugar

pinch of salt

2 sticks of softened butter

2.Topping

4 eggs

2 cups of sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 cups chopped fresh rhubarb

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or spray an 11 x 15 pan.

Mix crust ingredients and press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes and remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, stir topping ingredients together.

Pour topping onto the crust and bake for another 45 minutes.