This mid-century recipe for Rhubarb Brown Betty is tart and delicious with the unexpected addition of mincemeat to sweeten the rhubarb. While rhubarb is a summer treat, the mincemeat gives it an autumnal-winter holiday twist. Pair with hot custard sauce, vanilla ice cream, or freshly whipped cream.
The original recipe worked with condensed mincemeat which depending on where you live can be a little tricky to find these days vs the soft jarred mincemeat. What’s the difference? The moisture content. The jar version is soft, goopy, and ready to go. While condensed mincemeat allows you to control just the moisture level and re-work the mincemeat into what you need. Add a shot of whiskey, add some brown sugar, or just crumble to work with drier mincemeat for filling cookies or topping where too much moisture could lead to soggy results.
Taste-wise there is also a difference. Condensed mincemeat also has a (you guessed it!) more condensed flavor punch. If you can find it or order it online, we recommend it. If jarred mincemeat still yields solid results and stands up to the robust rhubarb flavor. If using jarred, skip the initial hydration step and just measure and mix.
Rhubarb Brown Betty - 1940
Ingredients
- 9 oz Condensed Mincemeat*
- ½ cup Cold Water
- 3 cups Rhubarb (diced)
- ½ cup Sugar
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 2 cups Bread Crumbs
- ¼ cup Water
- 1 Tbs Butter
Instructions
- Butter baking dish and preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a sauce pan, crumble condensed mincemeat and add ½ water. Heat over medium, stirring to help breakdown until boiling. Boil 2-3 minutes and remove from heat and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar, salt, and mincemeat. Stir to combine thoroughly.
- Spread half of mixture in baking dish, top with half of bread crumbs. Evenly spread remaining rhubarb mixture and top with remaining crumbs.
- Drizzle with ¼ cup water and dot with 1 tablespoon butter.
- Bake in preheated 350° oven for 40-45 minutes of until rhubarb is tender.
Notes
Suggestions
+ Add a shot of rum or whiskey to your mincemeat mix.
+ Add 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar to the bread crumb topping before baking.
+ Serve with hot custard, vanilla ice cream, or freshly whipped cream
Source
Adapted from a recipe appearing in “250 Delectable Desserts” (1940 edition).
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