Val's Rhubarb Cheesecake

When Spring finally arrives here in the valley after a long Canadian winter, rhubarb is one of the first garden plants to appear in our garden. It is a very beautiful garden plant with huge extravagant, lush green leaves and pink or red stalks. It is often considered a fruit, but is actually a leaf stem vegetable. If you cut down the leaves after the first harvest in Spring you will enjoy a second late summer harvest in August. The deeper the red, the more flavourful the stalks are likely to be. Medium-sized stalks are generally more tender than the larger ones, which can be stringy. Rhubarb requires the marriage of sugar to combat its tartness. The creaminess of the cheesecake marry well with the natural tartness of the rhubarb for this recipe I devised and is requested often.

Photo was taken in the Spring overlooking Okanagan Lake in Naramata, British Columbia. The Locust tree is in bloom.

**Val's Rhubarb Cheesecake**

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter

3 cups rhubarb, chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
1 T all-purpose flour

2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese
3 eggs (separated)
2 T flour
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar

Topping:

1 cup sour cream
2 T white granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter. Mix until crumbly and pat into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

In a medium bowl, toss together the rhubarb, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 T flour. Pour onto crust. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350F.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites and 1/4 cup sugar into a meringue; set aside.

Cream the cheeses, egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and flour. Add in milk and vanilla. Fold meringue into the mixture and pour onto crust.

Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cover with the sour cream topping while still hot. To make topping: In a small bowl, combine 1 cup sour cream, 2 T sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix well and spread on top of cake.

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