I have a confession to make. Before this summer I've never eaten or baked with rhubarb. Our neighbors to the house I grew up in had a healthy patch of rhubarb and I do remember him running out and shouting if we got to close. I wouldn't call him a crazy old neighbor but he did have some peculiarities so I ignored him. I think though, now, I might understand his angst.

I don't have rhubarb of my own growing but I've gotten some from farmers markets and from the local horticulture vegetable sale and set out on a mission to learn to bake from it. Lots of experimentation in the kitchen let to, what I believe to be a seriously delicious dessert. I started with this recipe and adapted it from there until I got to this final product.

Ingredients

•  3 cups of rhubarb, cut up into small pieces (about the size of a die)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of dark brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg

(topping)

• 1/2 cup (one stick) of butter
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 and 1/3 cup flour
• pinch of salt

The instructions are pretty easy, combine the fruit ingredients and place in a 9x9 pan.

Melt the butter for the topping and mix the topping and spread out over the top of the fruit.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Let cool a bit but try to serve warm . . . with ice cream.