Early summer is rhubarb season, and nothing goes better with rhubarb than strawberries! This gluten free strawberry rhubarb reduction can top anything from breakfast cereal to gluten free shortcakes, and make them all better!
If you’ve never had rhubarb, you should know that looks are deceiving! Once they’re cooked up, there’s no stringiness or tang as with its cousin, celery. It offers a slight crispy counterpoint to the soft, sweet strawberries that makes pies and reductions like these so classic.
I remember my grandfather tending his enormous garden — it was one of his greatest passions — and piling up the rhubarb stalks for my dear grandmother to bake strawberry-rhubarb pies.
While she never cared for rhubarb, it didn’t stop her from faithfully baking pies for family and neighbors every spring to celebrate the sun, warm weather and bounty to come from their garden. We all loved it, and when I was old enough, my grandfather kept me stocked with fresh veggies and fruits, and starting in April, with rhubarb.
So it’s with a touch of wistfulness that I always think of the strawberry-rhubarb combination. Maybe you have a special connection to it, too?
Rather than make my annual berry-rhubarb pie in honor of my grandparents, I thought I would ring in the spring season with strawberry-rhubarb shortcakes in honor of both my grandparents and my mother, whose favorite fair weather food seems to always involve shortcakes.
Those of you who have tried my shortcakes recipe already know that it was one of the desserts at the top of my “Must Convert to Gluten-Free List” when I was first diagnosed with celiac disease. It just wouldn’t be warm weather without them!
Enjoy this recipe with your family and friends soon. It tastes as sweet as spring itself, and will leave you eager for all the fresh fruits and veggies on the near horizon! (If you’re still yearning for a Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, never fear, I’ve got a recipe for that too!)
Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Reduction
This gluten free strawberry rhubarb reduction can top anything from breakfast cereal to gluten free shortcakes, and make them all better!
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb. rhubarb, washed, ends trimmed & sliced in 1 inch sections
- 1/4 lb. strawberries, washed, hulled and diced
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Prepare the rhubarb and strawberries, then combine with remaining ingredients in an oven-safe skillet or baking dish. Stir before baking.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the rhubarb is at least fork-tender. Remove to cool.
Spoon over warm shortcakes and top with fresh coconut whipped cream, if desired.
Don’t forget to pin it for later!
