Rhubarb cooked with fresh orange juice and zest until smooth and spreadable. It’s brightly colored and great on ice cream, toast or straight out of the jar.
Spring is off to a pretty slow start here in Minnesota so we are (happily!) still enjoying a bumper crop of rhubarb. I’ve always been a fan of the puckery tartness of rhubarb. When I was young it grew like gangbusters in our backyard. Filthy and sunburned from playing outside all day, it was a favorite springtime treat for my sister and I. We would break off the bright red limbs, brush off the dirt, snap off the leaves and dip it straight in a bowl of sugar. That gritty sweet sugar and juicy stringy tart rhubarb combination was so perfect and symbolized the start of summer vacation.
As an adult, I still enjoy gnawing on a sugar-dipped rhubarb stalk every now and then but there are many more graceful ways to enjoy this oddly sour spring treat. Simply simmered with sugar, orange juice, and orange zest, rhubarb creates a quick jam-like texture that is smooth, sweet and delicious. The term ‘butter’ in this case just means that it was slow cooked into a highly concentrated mixture that is soft, thick and butter-like in consistency.
This recipe only makes about a cup but is easily doubled or tripled. It’s fabulous served warm over ice cream, spread on toast with butter, stirred into oatmeal, or eaten from the jar by the spoonful!
PrintRhubarb Butter
Rhubarb cooked with fresh orange juice and zest until smooth and spreadable. It’s brightly colored and great on ice cream, toast or straight out of the jar.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: about 1 cup 1x
Ingredients
- 8 oz chopped rhubarb (about 2 cups)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
Instructions
- In a 2-quart heavy bottom skillet stir together all ingredients. Heat to boiling over medium heat. Reduce to low. Simmer, covered about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until very soft. Mash with a potato masher if necessary, to remove all lumps. Simmer uncovered for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no liquid separates from pulp.
- If desired, purée the mixture in a blender or food processor for an ultra smooth texture.
- Spoon into a glass jar. Let cool, then cap and refrigerate. It will thicken a bit more as it cools.
More Rhubarb recipes to check out:
10 Amazing Rhubarb Recipes without Strawberries from The Kitchn
Recipes from Rhubarb Festival in Lanesboro MN from Rhubarb Festival – How did I not know that this was a thing? It’s right in my backyard!
Vanilla-Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries from Epicurious
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