Hungarian Shortbread with Rhubarb Jam

I've been curious about rhubarb for quite sometime. I've also been intimidated by it. I only learned about rhubarb a few years ago. I usually see it paired with strawberries over ice cream or in a pie. Every year when it's in season I tell myself that I'm going to buy it and make something with it and then I usually don't BUT this year I did (thanks to Tuesdays with Dorie/Baking with Julia)! This week's recipe for Hungarian shortbread called for rhubarb jam but don't worry if you're not a rhubarb fan or if you're having trouble finding it (there seems to be a shortage this year) you can use your favorite preserves. I'm thinking Nutella might even be a good edition for the next batch I make.

 (Making the rhubarb jam)

Believe it or not this was my first time making shortbread. This was a very unique way to make it too! Once you make the dough, you freeze it until firm and then grate the dough with a cheese grater. While I was grating away, I kept thinking about my friend, Sara, who has a horrible fear of cheese graters! 

 

(Right out of the oven) 

The shortbread and the rhubarb jam came together very nicely. Some other bloggers were having trouble with the bottom layer baking all the way through, luckily I didn't run into that problem.  The tartness of the rhubarb jam paired so nicely with the sweetness of the shortbread. All in all, I think this recipe turned out to be a success! 

(The finished product)

Thanks to Lynette of 1SmallKitchen  & Cher of The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler for hosting this week! Visit their blogs for the Hungarian Shortbread recipe! 

** Tuesdays with Dorie is an online baking group. We're baking our way through Baking with Julia. Visit Tuesdays with Dorie if you'd like to join in the fun! **