COOK'S CORNER THE RUBRIC ON RHUBARB, A FAVORITE FOR BAKING.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

Here are a couple of possibilities for Ruth Nebron, who requested a recipe for Baked Rhubarb. Reader Lois Schroeder noted that her recipe for Rhubarb Crunch is a good one that she has baked often.

Though rhubarb is generally regarded as a tart fruit, it's technically a vegetable. Two types of rhubarb - field grown and hot house - are available. In either, only the stalks are edible. The leaves should never be eaten, because they contain toxic oxalic acid.

Choose rhubarb with moderately thin, firm and crisp stalks that are brightly covered and with unwilted and blemish-free leaves. Fresh rhubarb is perishable, so wrap it tightly in a plastic bag to retain moisture, then refrigerate and use within three days. You can also freeze it, cut into 1-inch chunks, up to a year in an airtight bag. Figure that a pound of rhubarb will equal about 3 cups of raw, sliced rhubarb.

To prepare rhubarb, remove and discard leaves and rinse stalks just before using, patting dry. Trim the ends and cut into chunks. Remove any tough strings.

Now take your pick from these recipes; bake and enjoy.

RHUBARB CRUNCH

(Shared by Lois Schroeder, Winnetka)

1 cup flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats 

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted

4 cups diced rhubarb

1 cup granulated sugar 

1 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch 

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix flour, brown sugar, oats and butter until crumbly. Press 1/2 of mixture into 7x11-inch baking dish. Cover with diced rhubarb. In a saucepan, combine granulated sugar, water, cornstarch and vanilla; mix well. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until mixture clears and thickens. Pour evenly over rhubarb in dish. Sprinkle evenly with remaining crumbs. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 1 hour. Serve warm or cold with plain or whipped cream.

BAKED RHUBARB

(Shared by Joni Schaper, Lancaster)

1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, peeled and cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces

1/4 cup water

1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar

Dash salt

Arrange rhubarb in a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Add water, sugar to taste and salt. Cover tightly. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Chill and serve topped with whipped or sour cream or sour cream and fresh strawberries, if desired.

FUN PARTY CAKE REVISITED: If you're gathering a crowd for a summer party, consider serving a fun cake, assembled in a new clay flower pot. The show-stopping creation, which can double as a table centerpiece (just be sure you don't leave it out more than an hour), is a more sophisticated variation on the dirt flower cake theme (that uses instant vanilla pudding mix, cream cheese and non-dairy whipped topping layered with crushed creme-filled chocolate cookies). We developed the following recipe version more than a decade ago - and we continue to receive requests for it. So if you missed it, clip and save it to take to your next party. It's a definite conversation piece.

Be sure to garnish the top with chocolate cake or cookie crumbs to resemble dirt, then sprinkle with assorted colored candy gummy worms and gussy up by planting a bunch of colorful silk flowers in the center. Place a gardening trowel alongside for serving.

FLOWER POT CAKE

2 (15-ounce) packages chocolate loaf cake (See Note)

2 (1-pint) baskets fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced

1 basket fresh raspberries

1 1/4 cups milk

2 (3.4-ounce) packages INSTANT vanilla pudding and pie filling mix

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh orange peel

3 cups whipping cream, firmly beaten

6 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)

Slice chocolate loaf cakes into 3/4-inch slices. Process 6 cake slices into fine crumbs in bowl of a food processor. Set aside. Cut each remaining cake slice into 4 pieces. Set aside. Combine strawberries and raspberries in a medium bowl; set aside.

In large bowl of an electric mixer, combine milk and pudding mix; beat on medium speed until thick, about 2 minutes. Mix in orange peel. Fold in whipped cream.

Lightly butter inside of a new, cleaned 8 1/4-inch high pottery or clay flower pot that is 8 1/2 inches in diameter. Place a plastic lid in bottom of pot to cover hole. Line entire pot, including bottom, with plastic wrap to within 2 inches of top of pot.

Place enough chocolate cake pieces to cover bottom of pot (about 3 slices). Drizzle with 2 tablespoons liqueur. Top with 1 cup pudding mixture. Place about 1/4 of combined berries on top of pudding mixture. Continue layering ingredients in the same order for two more layers (each time drizzling chocolate cake with 2 tablespoons liqueur), increasing the number of chocolate cake pieces to fit the diameter of the pot (about 5 slices for second layer and 6 slices for the third layer) and dividing pudding mixture and berries evenly for each layer. Cover top of pot with reserved ground chocolate cake crumbs to resemble soil or dirt. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Just before serving, insert a bouquet of silk flowers (wrap stem in food safe plastic wrap) into center of pot. Top dirt with assorted colors of gummy worms. Serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftovers. Makes 12 or more servings.

NOTE: Prepare and bake your own chocolate cake, if desired, using a 1 (18.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix.

VARIATIONS:

--Use regular pound cake or lemon cake, lemon pudding combined with grated lemon peel and whipped cream, and a mixture of raspberries and peach slices. Top with chocolate wafer or Oreo cookie crumbs to resemble soil or dirt.

--Use banana cake, banana pudding mix combined with whipped cream and layer with tropical fruits such as papaya, pineapple, melon, kiwi, bananas and shredded coconut. Top with chocolate wafer or Oreo cookie crumbs to simulate soil or dirt.