Thursday 13: 13 rhubarb recipes I'd like to take out for a spin!

s there a more vibrant and wondrous sign of spring than rhubarb? 

In my fridge there is a big pile of rhubarb and I'm very much looking forward to cooking with it this weekend. But what shall I make? My usual go-tos include a rhubarb crisp (popular with the husband) and rhubarb custard pie (less popular with the husband but and old family standby for me), but I'm feeling a bit experimental... and so, a thorough search of tastespotting turned up some real possibilities...

Thirteen frontrunners for my Rhubarb Dessert Extravaganza of 2010:

1. Rhubarb upside down cake. Looks pretty good, doesn't it? I think it might just need a little a la mode action though...

2.  Rhubarb curd. I don't know if this counts as dessert all on its own, though it does look good enough to eat out of the jar. The serving suggestion here is for curd to hold two macarons together. Not a bad idea either.

3. Rhubarb brown butter bars. Yum.

4. Rhubarb cream pie. Well, if I were going to make a pie, I'd go ahead and make my mom's rhubarb custard pie, which is The. Best. Pie. Ever. But this does look pretty.

5. Rhubarb quick bread. Well, it looks good. But it might just look a little too healthy...

6. Blueberry rhubarb crisp. This is a shake-up of the regular crisp routine, and we do have plenty of frozen blueberries on hand... The pistachios in the crisp topping is a brilliant addition too.

7. Rhubarb cake. I have a thing with fruit and cake, where I like to get the proportion of fruit to cake just so... this one looks like it could be just the ratio I like (lots of fruit)!

8. Rhubarb baked oatmeal. Probably not a real dessert option, but maybe a way to bring dessert into the breakfast realm? Oh yes!

9. Rhubarb vegan custard. A unique take on custard, with coconut milk and passion fruit. Sounds pretty tropical and delicious to me!

10. Bakewell tart. In honor of a new Prime Minister? Possibly. This one is entirely British, and I've always wanted to give it a try. Rhubarb might be the fruit to do it with...

11. Rhubarb shortcake. I love this idea. I'm a shortcake freak anyway, but usually save it for strawberries... I could always make it rhubarb AND strawberry...

12. Newtons. Yum. Might be just a bit too cookie-ish to really put in the DESSERT category, but looks like a recipe to take out for a spin sometime.

13. Rhubarb custard souffle. Just might have saved the best for last. Looks a little pudding, a little custard, maybe even a little cake. Oh yes.

So, which one (or ones...) should I make? Let me know your favorites in the comments.

And for more Thursday 13s, go here. Have a great Thursday!