Rhubarb

Ok, so here is my first attempt at cooking something a little out of the ordinary. I plan to take on a new ingredient each week that I've never cooked with, while at the same time giving my readers a little background history about my pick of the week.
This week I cooked a Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler. I have never seen or cooked with this crazy looking so called fruit until this year. I was educated by the nice Kroger produce guy here in Paris.




So, a little background info about rhubarb...it was originally deemed a veggie, but now considered a fruit. It is typically used in pies for its tartness. Rhubarb, a perennial, looks like a red hued celery. When purchasing, beware of limp, blemished, split ended stalks which indicates a not so fresh rhubarb. Rhubarb can be purchased in produce section or in frozen section in a bag. Shoppers usually see this "pie plant" in stores in late spring through mid summer.



This recipe is a weight watchers recipe, so for all you point counters, this desert is only 4 points!


Ingredients:

-16 oz unsweetened frozen strawberries, thawed for 15 minutes

-14 oz frozen rhubarb, or fresh , cut inton 1-inch pieces, thawed for 15 min if frozen

-1/3 cup sugar

-1 Tbsp cornstarch

-1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

-3 Tbsp sugar, divided

-3/4 tsp baking powder

-1/4 tsp baking soda

-4 Tbsp reduced calorie margarine, cut into small pieces

-1/2 cups fat free sour cream

-1/4 cup fat free skim milk

-1 large egg, lightly beaten



Instructions:

~Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

~In a large bowl, combine strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well and spoon mixture into bottom of prepared pan.

~To prepare dough, in a large bowl or food processor, combine flour, 2 Tbsps sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Add margarine and mix with your fingers or process in the food processor until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

~Add sour cream and milk and mix until dough comes together.

~Transfer dough to a lightly floured surace and knead 5 times, until blended.



~Divide dough into 16 eqaual pieces and roll eah piece into a small ball. Place balls on to p of strawberry-rhubarb mixture and gently press down to flatten. Brush the surface of dough with egg and sprinkle remaining sugar over top.







~Bake until filling is bubbly and top is golden brown, 45 min. Cool 15 min before serving. Yields about 1/2 cup fruit mixture and 2 biscuits per serving.