This is another one for rhubarb lovers. I don’t see why you couldn’t use store bought custard instead of making your own. Homemade custard tastes creamier, but if you don’t have the time or the inclination, use the bought ……….
When I was growing up Dad grew a healthy rhubarb crop each year and Mum mainly stewed it and served it with ice cream as a dessert I don’t think she ever made jam with it. It’s never been one of my favourites, but I think adding orange and lots of sugar could make into a nice jam.
This recipe comes out of a Woman’s Weekly pullout called Pies without Pastry. When I first saw the title I thought the filling was rhubarb and butternut pumpkin which sounded very strange. On reading the recipe I was relieved to discover the butternut was actually butternut biscuits crushed to make the base. When you top that with the filling of rhubarb and apples and the crust of coconut and brown sugar you end up with a great tasting pie.
While rhubarb is not popular in my household it was in Mum’s. She made a lot of relishes and chutneys with the produce from Dad’s garden, although I’m not sure she made this one. Personally I think making relishes and chutneys is much easier than jams as they don’t need to set. As long as you cook them until they’re thick they work really well.
My husband would say that nothing you can add to rhubarb could make it taste any better, but Mum and Dad enjoyed a bowl of stewed rhubarb with custard or ice cream and she must have thought this recipe would be a nice change. Obviously she couldn’t find the scissors to cut it out, I think it’s just lucky she didn’t rip through through more of it.
This is very much one of Mum’s classic hand written recipes. Written on a page from an old notebook, with spelling errors and extra instructions added. I can see her in her kitchen hunting through the recipe drawer trying to find it and then enjoying making it – lots of memories.
The combination of rhubarb, banana and orange seems unusual to me in this recipe, but I think the banana and orange would take some of the tartness out of the rhubarb, which could be good. I haven’t cooked it as my husband hates rhubarb, but you might like to try it out.
Beb's Recipe Drawer 