Try cleaning out your freezer. You never know what you’ll find. I did. I found a bag of rhubarb cut from last summer (2015 vintage).

It was encased in a global-formed block of ice and looked pretty shameful.

But, you know the saying, pour on some sugar – just a little – and suddenly you have the ingredients for a pie.

Recalling that quote, I went to work. This meant halting my cleaning job. Instead I put on my baking cap. Here’s what happened next.

I nuked the block of ice for 60 second and found the cut rhubarb. Gave it another 30 or so, and the rhubarb begged to become a pie.

I eyeballed this glob of perennial rhizome and guessed I had the required 6 cups – more like 4, but I was hungry.

Filling - use 4 to 6 cups of rhubarb – frozen for one summer – cut into 1-2 inch slices
1 cup white sugar (I use much less than most recipes)
2 tablespoons of orange juice
¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg (this might be the secret ingredient)
3 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons cold butter, sliced into lima bean-like pieces.

Stir mixture and I hope you have a pie crest ready in a pie plate.
Turn the oven to 400 – bake pie for 30 minutes
After 30 minutes reduce heat to 375 and cover pie with aluminum foil.

Clean up the dishes and 60 minutes passes quicker than you think.

Remove from oven and cool the pie on a rack until you can’t stand it. (The longer you wait the more firm the pie.) But, who’s looking.

Since it’s 90 degrees outside, we prepared some iced coffee to go with the pie.

This pie tastes just as good as 2016 vintage rhubarb.