Rhubarb Brownies with Rose Salt
Rhubarb and brownies. A perfect pairing. Am I right?
In my mind brownies are an all year round kind of treat that are not endemic to any one particular season. Like a cookie that you may have a favorite base recipe for but change up the flavor and what not in each season or as the mood strikes.
Welp, this summer, the mood struck to use up some of the massive amounts of Rhubarb harvest at my local farmers market. The softness of these brownies mixed with the juicy moist crunch of rhubarb is a flavor I truly didn't know I needed in my life.
Rhubarb is an incredibly nutrient dense vegetable. It's a bit tart and is high in vitamin K, is rich in polyphenols and has a good amounts of Vitamin C. Polyphenols help protect the body against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative diseases, and other conditions associated with oxidative stress.
Substitutions:
Tigernut flour: If you don’t have access to tigernut flour, you may use almond flour instead. It has a similar texture but comes from the almond nut whereas tigernuts are not a nut at all but a tuber. I use the gemini brand of tigernut flour which can be purchased at whole foods or on amazon.
Plantain flour: Plantain flour is made from unripe green plantains, is dehydrated and then ground into a flour. If you can’t find any, a good substitute is green banana flour which is made in the same way.
Cassava flour: Cassava flour is a fantastic anti-inflammatory plant to use. You may try substituting with tapioca flour which is derived from the cassava root. Or, you may try almond flour as well.
Carob powder: Carob is my go to for sweet treats. I don’t recommend using traditional cocoa or cacao powder because it is more bitter than carob. Carob is naturally sweet and when added to baked goods, creates a nice sweet flavor. When you swap it for cocao powder, you add in a bitterness that requires extra sweetener. If you do decide to use cacao instead of carob, I would recommend adding in 1/4 - 1/3 cup coconut sugar to increase the sweetness profile.
Gelatin Egg:
To make your gelatin egg, bring a small amount of water to a boil. Add 2 tbsp boiling water and 1 tbsp room temperature to a small dish. Then slowly pour in 1 scoop or 10g of bovine gelatin to the mixture. As you pour, stir with a spoon or chopstick to ensure you get a smooth blend. Pour this mixture directly into your bake. It will harden as you continue working.
Ingredients:
170g banana
120g avocado
1/4 cup tigernut flour
1/4 cup plantain flour
1/2 cup cassava flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup carob powder
cinnamon, to taste
1 egg or 1 gelatin egg
2 cups, roughly 3 stalks rhubarb
Preparations:
Wash and chop your rubarb into chunks. Set aside.
Blend the banana and avocado in a food processor until creamy and well combined. Add in the egg, if using and blend again. If you're using a gelatin egg, wait to add it in later.
Add in the flours, cinnamon, baking soda and carob powder. And blend again. If using a gelatin egg, make it now. (See notes on how to make a gelatin egg). Then, add it to the blender and mix again until combined. Remove mixture from blender.
Oil a baking dish with avocado or coconut oil. Then pour a third of the mixture in. Place a layer of rhubarb on top. Then, pour in another layer of mixture and place a second layer of rhubarb on top.
Bake in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes. Cool, and then slice.