Rhubarb and I have a troubled past. I was in college when I first saw it in stalk form and thought that it was celery gone bad. Then I tried this vegetable in a slice of strawberry-rhubarb pie. The strawberry part of the pie was tasty, but, once I took a bite of a stringy and hard pinkish-green chunk of rhubarb, I was repulsed. Rhubarb fail number one.

Fast forward several years and I’m in Southeastern Pennsylvania, with neighbors who grow a variety of uncommon produce. One late spring evening my next-door-neighbor Frank drops off a grocery bag filled with jagged stalks of what appear to be pink celery. Ah, yes. My old nemesis. After instructing me to wash and chop the rhubarb before putting it in a casserole with some water and baking it until soft, he sets off. I do exactly as instructed and create a mouth-puckering sour, mushy dish that even our dog won’t touch. What Frank failed to mention was that I should have added a liberal amount of sugar to the dish. Rhubarb fail number two.

From “Yuck!” to “Yum!”

Eventually, I learned how to make rhubarb not only edible but also delicious. First, bake or simmer it until it’s soft or “fork tender.” Generally, baking time ranges from 15 to 25 minutes. If you’re cooking it on your stovetop, let it simmer for 10 minutes. If you plan on pureeing it, simmer it for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

Second, add sugar and a splash of water to your baking dish or saucepan. Sugar will cut the tartness and make this vegetable more pleasing. Along with sugar, rhubarb pairs nicely with vanilla, ginger, lemon and orange.

Most often you’ll see rhubarb partnered off with strawberry in a pie. Yet, it makes a colorful, flavorful topping for not only ice cream but also the following upside down cake.

Rhubarb-Lemon Upside Down Cake

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 pound rhubarb, sliced into 1-inch long diagonal pieces

2 cups sugar, divided

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch baking pan with butter.

Slice one stick of butter in half; you’ll have four tablespoons. Dice the four tablespoons of butter and scatter the butter pieces over the bottom of the baking pan.

In a medium bowl toss the rhubarb and 1 cup sugar together. Allow the rhubarb to macerate as you prepare the batter.

In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Using an electric hand or stand mixer, beat the remaining 1 1/2 sticks of butter until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the remaining sugar and beat until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the lemon zest and juice. Beat until incorporated and then beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between the addition.

Add a third of the flour and beat to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add half of the sour cream, beating to combine. Repeat until all of the flour and sour cream have been added and the batter is smooth.

Spread the rhubarb over the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon the batter over the rhubarb and smooth out the top.

Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting the cake onto a plate. Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing and serving.