Wine-Roasted Rhubarb

Day 2 of the rhubarb frenzy. (Don't worry. There are only three days.)

(So far.)

This recipe is v. easy and v. tasty and v. easy to adjust to suit your own palate as far as sweetness and tartness and the highly personal delicate balance we all try to find between them go.

Hi. My name is Edith and I like to write awkward sentences.

This recipe is from Orangette. I am reading A Homemade Life, a sort of coming-of-age memoir/cookbook written by Molly Wizenberg, the creator of Orangette. She's cute. Because I can't not critique things I read, I'll note that conciseness sort of eludes her, but her writing is sweet and honest and quirky and funny and her recipes are v. good, and anyway maybe conciseness is overrated because books look better on shelves than pamphlets. What I like most about this particular book is that her writing style and tone and maybe even her attitude/perspective on life remind me a lot of my BFF of twentysomething years, Nicole. That's a compliment to them both. They're both quite charming and they both write passionately about food and family and love.

But back to the rhubarb frenzy!

Since I like the recipes in her book and the small handful on her blog that I've tried, I figured Ms. Wizenberg's v. simple roasted rhubarb recipe was worth a shot, particularly since I had all the ingredients on hand. I was right. It's delicious. And I didn't even use fresh wine. I used wine that my husband and I had opened and forgotten about (an unfortunate rarity) for about a week in the refrigerator. But I am the opposite of wasteful, so I saved it anyway for cooking or baking and here we are.

It's a bit tart as written below. If you want something more rhubarb-pie-like, double the sugar, and then actually you'd be following the original recipe more precisely. I was a little sugared-out when I made this, so I thought I'd go for something more subtle so I could have it for (a guilt-free) breakfast. I also wanted to see how much the roasting itself brought out different flavors in the rhubarb. All in all, it proved to be a worthwhile mini-experiment. I'd make it exactly the same next time.

Wine-Roasted Rhubarb

Ever-so-slightly adapted from Orangette

Yield: about 2-3 servings

1 lb. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup white wine

1 vanilla bean, split

Set a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the rhubarb in a pie plate. Add the sugar, wine, and vanilla bean, and stir to mix. Bake (uncovered) for about 25 minutes, or until very tender, giving the rhubarb a gentle stir about midway through to ensure even cooking.

Great served while warm (particularly with ice cream) and pretty darn tasty right out of the refrigerator the next morning.