Resembling mutant celery and smelling rather strangely green and vegetative, rhubarb hasn’t necessarily been a favored springtime pick for me.

If given the choice, I’d much rather reach for strawberries instead.

But a recipe for “Rhubarb Brownies” captured my fancy enough to want to place a bunch in my grocery basket.

The recipe is from the new cookbook, “Coastal” (Chronicle Books), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Chef Scott Clark of Dad’s Luncheonette in Half Moon Bay, with assistance from James Beard Award-winning food journalist Betsy Andrews, who is a contributing editor at Food & Wine magazine.

If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Dad’s Luncheonette, you know that it’s the cutest little cafe that operates out of a permanently parked, historic train caboose.

It may only be 250 square feet inside, but it turns out remarkable food. That’s because Clark is no ordinary short-order cook, but a fine-dining chef who has cooked at Michelin three-starred Benu in San Francisco, and Michelin two-starred Saison in San Francisco.

In 2017, the Northern Virginia native moved to Half Moon Bay with his family to open Dad’s Luncheonette and to enjoy a slower pace of life.

At this little caboose that could, you can tuck into a gloriously messy grassfed-beef hamburger sandwich with a runny organic egg on top, a divine maitake sandwich that won’t ever make you miss meat, and fluffy miso walnut cinnamon rolls.

The 130 recipes in the book include many items that he serves at Dad’s Luncheonette. They also serve as a delicious salute to Clark’s adopted Central Coast of California with fun dishes that spotlight its many bounties. There’s everything from “Confit Tuna Salad with Sea Salt Lavash,” “Asparagus Grain Bowl Benedict,” and “Chicken-Fried Morels with Red-Eye Gravy” to “Dungeness Crab Rice,” “Shio-Koji Roasted Goat Leg,” and “Red Miso Caramel Apples.”

These brownies start with making a jam out of the tart stalks of rhubarb. Clark has you peel the skins off first so that there aren’t any stringy fibers in your jam. That also means you’re getting rid of most of its pinkish red color. But since this jam gets stirred into a dark chocolate brownie batter, you won’t end up seeing it anyway.

The peeled, sliced rhubarb is simmered with sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds until broken down and jammy in texture.

Melt sugar and butter in a double boiler, then stir it into a mixture of beaten eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Finally, fold in flour, a generous amount of chocolate chips, and the rhubarb jam. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking pan that’s been coated with non-stick spray, and bake until the edges start to pull away ever so from the sides of the pan.

These brownies are profoundly fudgy and rich tasting. They taste intensely chocolatey. The rhubarb adds an almost cherry or raspberry characteristic that only enhances the deep, dark chocolate.

I gave some to a friend and her husband, who declared it the best brownies he’s ever had.

As for me, I may still favor strawberries at springtime. But from now on, I’ll be seeking out rhubarb, too, just to make these brownies again and again.

Rhubarb Brownies

(Makes one 9-by-13-inch tray of brownies)

For rhubarb jam:

1 pound (455 grams) rhubarb

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod discarded

For brownies:

Pan spray, if needed

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups (100 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/4 cups (450 grams) sugar

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour

2 cups (360 grams) dark chocolate chips, preferably 70% cacao

1 1/2 cups (500 grams) Rhubarb Jam

To make the rhubarb jam: Trim the tops and bottoms off the rhubarb. Starting at one end of a stalk, tuck a paring knife just beneath the skin, and peel it off in strips. Repeat to peel the rest of the rhubarb. Cut the rhubarb into 1/4-inch thick slices, then put in a medium pot. Add the sugar, vanilla, and 1/4 cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Knock the heat down to a simmer and cook it, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the jam has thickened, about 30 minutes. Cool the jam to room temp. You should have about 1 1/2 cups (500 grams).

To make the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with pan spray, line it with parchment paper, and spray the paper.

In a medium bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix together the eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, baking powder, and salt until they’re smooth.

Make a double boiler: Add 2 inches of water to a medium saucepan, set a medium stainless steel bowl over the top, combine the sugar and butter in the bowl, and stir over medium heat until they are melted together. Add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix it until it’s smooth and uniform. Fold in the flour, chocolate chips, and rhubarb jam. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake until the edges pull away from the pan but the center is still jiggly, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool the brownies to room temperature, then let your people devour them, slicing them to serve. Store leftover brownies at room temperature in the pan, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. They keep like that for up to 5 days.

Note: You want slick, shiny, fudgy brownies. If you don’t use a double boiler, you’ll get cakey brownies.

From “Coastal” by Scott Clark

More: A Visit to Dad’s Luncheonette

Plus More Unique Brownie Recipes to Try: Butterscotch and Fudge Brownie Bars

And: Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

And: Flourless Soy Sauce Brownies

And: Guinness Brownies

And: Red Wine Brownies