Chris Jacobson lived only a few blocks away from her grandmother in suburban Milwaukee, and they enjoyed cooking together. Although her grandmother's Christmas cookies were always the best, this recipe is another one of her favorites. It's a bit of work, but Chris assures us that the results are superb.


RHUBARB TORTE
(from Chris Jacobson)

Ingredients-crust:
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cup flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 3 Tbsp. sugar
  • dash salt
Ingredients-filling:
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 cup canned evaporated milk
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 4 Tbsp. flour
  • 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • 4 cup cut up rhubarb (buy about 1-3/4 lbs.)
Ingredients-meringue:
  • 6 egg whites, room temperature
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • dash salt
  • 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
Preparation:

Start with 6 eggs, and have three teacups handy. Separate 2 eggs for the crust, putting the whites in one teacup and the yolks in another. When separating the other 4 eggs for the filling, put the whites in the whites teacup, but put the yolks separately in the third teacup.

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine crust ingredients until crumbly, press into bottom and sides of a greased 9x13 pan. Mix filling ingredients and pour into crust. Bake 35 minutes until custard is set.

Reduce oven to 325°F. Beat egg whites, water and salt until frothy. Add cream of tartar, whip until stiff but not dry. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time while continuing beating. Spread meringue on hot filling and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Enjoy.