As promised, here are some more good recipes for rhubarb. We've tested many more than we have space for in print, so if you love it, too, head to post-gazette.com/food for LemonButtermilk Rhubarb Bundt Cake (from the "Rustic Fruit Desserts," by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson (Tenspeed, $22), at right), and much more. -- Bob Batz Jr.

Pan-roasted Swordfish With Rhubarb-Cucumber Salad

PG tested

The vivid, spring flavors of this dish -- from Cafe Isabela's executive chef Dan Leiphart -- are the perfect antidote to grey skies and unseasonably low temperatures. The sourness of the rhubarb gives it real snap and vivacity, tempered by the cool cucumber and mild pickling effect of the lime juice. If you don't like or can't find swordfish, you can substitute blue marlin or some other type of firm-textured fish. I served this dish with couscous and a roasted carrot and butternut squash salad.

-- China Millman

• 2 stalks of rhubarb, strings removed and thinly sliced
• 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 dozen mint leaves
• 1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• Canola oil to saute

4 pieces fresh swordfish, about 5 ounces each

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put rhubarb, cucumber slices, mint, extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss gently to mix ingredients thoroughly and set aside.

Heat an oven-safe saute pan on medium-high heat. Add sufficient canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Season swordfish with salt and pepper then sear for 2 minutes on each side. Place the saute pan in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes for a medium doneness (swordfish, like tuna, is best when it is not fully cooked).

With a large spoon, place a quarter of the rhubarb salad on the center of a plate. Then place the swordfish on top of the salad and drizzle some excess dressing over the fish.

Makes 4 servings.

-- Dan Leiphart, executive chef, Isabela on Grandview

Rhubarb Relish

PG tested

This is a great with grilled chicken. Ginger adds a clean fresh flavor, cardamom, a lemony kick and orange juice, sweetness.

-- Arlene Burnett

• 2 cups diced rhubarb (about 3 stalks)
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots or red onion
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat and simmer until the rhubarb softens, about 12 minutes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

-- "Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary Edition" by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker (Scribner, 2006)

red Lentils and Rhubarb with Indian Spices

PG tested

When I want the flavors of India, I head for a restaurant because I have no background in the culture or its kitchen. But I've been working through "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" and I trust the author, Mark Bittman. His recipes always work and eliminate fussiness. So, with too few stalks of rhubarb to make a pie, I tried the dal below. -- Marlene Parrish

• 1 cup dried red lentils
• 3 to 4 stalks of chopped rhubarb, strings removed
• 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 ancho or other mild dried chile (optional, but good)
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons cold butter or peanut oil
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Combine lentils, rhubarb, ginger, garlic, cardamom, mustard seeds, cloves, pepper and chile in saucepan. Add water to cover by 1 inch. Cook at a steady simmer until lentils are quite soft, 20 to 30 minutes, salting as lentils soften.

Remove the cloves and, if you like, the cardamom pods (although they are sort of fun to eat). Stir in the butter or oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then garnish with cilantro and serve. Serve it warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.

-- "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman (Wiley, 2007)

Lemon Buttermilk Rhubarb Bundt Cake

PG tested

I'm not going to try to convince you that this is a great cake, but one woman I shared a slice with asked me to marry her.

I love it with the rhubarb, but what I also love about this recipe is that you can put in any fruit you like. "Depending on what produce is in season, you might find the cake studded with rhubarb, blueberries, or cranberries" at Baker & Spice, the Portland, Ore., bakery. So writes its founder Julie Richardson, who co-authored with Cory Schreiber the forthcoming "Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More" (Tenspeed, $22). "Depending on what produce is in season, you might find the cake studded with rhubarb, blueberries, or cranberries," she writes. "The result is a moist, yummy cake that gives new meaning to the term comfort food. The lemon glaze that coats the cake's exterior is quick to make and packs quite a zing. But do not worry; the cake has a mellow sweetness to balance the tangy glaze."

Even someone who said she does not like rhubarb loved this cake; it is quite lemony. I made my cake in a tube pan, rather than a bundt pan.

The book, due out next month, is a mouthwatering collection of my kind of fruity dessert recipes, including several made with rhubarb. The Apple and Rhubarb Pandowdy is a rustic pie sans any bottom crust. The authors also offer up Rhubarb Fool, which you can make with or without the Candied Rhubarb Strips, Rhubarb Compote Two Ways, Rhubarb and Bing Cherry Brown Betty, Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie with Fresh Strawberries, Rhubarb Buckle with Ginger Crumb and Rhubarb, Oat and Pecan Crumble.

I want to marry Julie Richardson!

In one recipe, she explains how when her Baker & Spice started as a booth at the Portland Farmers market, "the rhubarb items on display were usually passed over for pastries made with more familiar fruit. Today, it seems we are in the midst of a rhubarb renaissance, as the bakery cannot make enough rhubarb to meet the demand. Rhubarb's tart, sassy flavor, once so foreign to the mainstream, now has a devout following."

-- Bob Batz Jr.

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, for pan
• For the cake
• 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and very thinly sliced (3 cups prepped)

For the Lemon Glaze

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, or more as needed

Juice of 1 lemon juice

1 tablespoon soft unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-cup bundt pan.

To make the cake, sift the 2 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, then stir in the lemon oil. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. The batter will be very thick.

Toss the rhubarb with the 2 tablespoons flour and fold half of the rhubarb into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining rhubarb on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, then rotate the pan and cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until the top of the cake is firm and the center springs back when lightly touched. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes before inverting and removing the pan.

To make the lemon glaze, whisk the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and butter together. The mixture should be thick. If it is not, whisk in another tablespoon or two of confectioners' sugar. Spread the glaze over the cake as soon as you remove the cake from the pan.

Storage: Covered with a cake cover or plastic wrap, the cake will keep at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.

Serves 10 to 12.

-- "Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More" by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson, (Tenspeed, June 2009, $22).

Lamb Chops with Rhubarb Strawberry Sauce

PG tested

After a couple of pies and cobblers, you might be ready for a savory dish starring early spring's favorite gift from the garden. The sauce also pairs well with pork and chicken. Serve the dish with steamed rice tossed with slivered almonds and chopped chives. Keep the spring theme going with fresh herb-tossed, just-clipped salad greens.

-- Marlene Parrish

• 4 rib or loin chops, about 2 1/2 to 3 ounces each
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Good grinding black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces rhubarb, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons ruby port or balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup sliced strawberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the broiler or grill pan. Season the chops with the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the rhubarb and cook for 6 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft. Add the port or vinegar and cook or 2 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed by the rhubarb.

Add the strawberries, sugar and nutmeg. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is well-blended.

Meanwhile, cook the chops, turning once, for a total of about 5 minutes, or until browned and a thermometer inserted in the center registers 145 degrees for medium rare. Serve the chops with the sauce on the side.

Makes 4 servings.

-- "Simply Organic" by Jesse Ziff Cool (Chronicle, 2008).

Poached Rhubarb with Elderflower Cream

PG tested

"Delicious with clouds of meringue or good-quality shortbread," writes Diana Henry in the new American edition of "Pure Simple Cooking" (Ten Speed, $21.95). "You can also make an orange or lemon cream by mixing the yogurt and cream with store-bought orange or lemon curd." I could not findnon-alcoholic elderflower cordial anywhere in Pittsburgh, but did find St.-Germain Elderflower Liqueur at one of the Liberty Avenue, Downtown, state stores, just as another couple was buying one of the gorgeous bottles, too.

-- Bob Batz Jr.

• 2 pounds rhubarb
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• A good squeeze of lemon juice
• For the elderflower cream
• 1 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• A good squeeze of lemon juice
• About 3 tablespoons elderflower cordial or to taste (or elderflower liqueur)

Trim the rhubarb and cut it into 2 1/2-inch lengths. Mix the water, sugar, and lemon juice and heat, stirring from time to time, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the rhubarb to the sugar syrup and poach gently until just soft (the rhubarb must not collapse). Remove the rhubarb carefully with a slotted spoon and boil the poaching liquid to reduce it. The liquid should be slightly syrupy. Leave to cool and then add to the rhubarb. It's lovely chilled, so put it in the refrigerator.

To make the elderflower cream, beat the yogurt and heavy cream together until blended. Add the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and elderflower cordial (or, as I did, liqueur) and mix well. (The cream will thicken when you add the lemon juice, but you will balance this out when you add the cordial. You should end up with a mixture that is firm but not stiff.) Cover and keep in the refrigerator until needed.

Serve the rhubarb in broad, shallow bowls, such as soup plates, with a good dollop of the cream.

Serves 4 to 6.

-- "Pure Simple Cooking" by Diana Henry (Ten Speed, $21.95).

Grilled Rhubarb Chicken

PG tested

Knowing how finicky my kids are about vegetables, I wasn't going to tell them the main ingredient in this sweet-and-tangy light-pink sauce was rhubarb. Yet even when I spilled the beans, they couldn't stop spooning it over their grilled chicken; my son even had it the next day over a bowl of white rice.

-- Gretchen McKay

• 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups chopped rhubarb stalks
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• Prepare a medium-hot grill.

Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic and pound to an even thickness of 1/2 inch. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Combine rhubarb, orange juice, wine, sugar, mustard and orange zest in a heavy 2-quart saucepan, and stir well. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, or until rhubarb is tender. Transfer 2/3 cup of mixture to a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade, and puree until smooth.

Grill chicken 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Baste with pureed sauce for last 2 minutes per side of grilling. Serve immediately, passing chunky rhubarb sauce separately.

Serves 4 to 6.

-- "Great Year-Round Grilling in the Northeast" by Ellen Brown (Lyons Press, 2009, $19.95)

Lamb Chops with Rhubarb Strawberry Sauce

PG tested

After a couple of pies and cobblers, you might be ready for a savory dish starring early spring's favorite gift from the garden. The sauce also pairs well with pork and chicken. Serve the dish with steamed rice tossed with slivered almonds and chopped chives. Keep the spring theme going with fresh herb-tossed, just-clipped salad greens.

-- Marlene Parrish

• 4 rib or loin chops, about 2 1/2 to 3 ounces each
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Good grinding black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces rhubarb, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons ruby port or balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup sliced strawberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the broiler or grill pan. Season the chops with the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the rhubarb and cook for 6 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft. Add the port or vinegar and cook or 2 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed by the rhubarb.

Add the strawberries, sugar and nutmeg. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is well-blended.

Meanwhile, cook the chops, turning once, for a total of about 5 minutes, or until browned and a thermometer inserted in the center registers 145 degrees for medium rare. Serve the chops with the sauce on the side.

Makes 4 servings.

-- "Simply Organic" by Jesse Ziff Cool (Chronicle, 2008).