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Hungarian Shortbread Bars

DIRECTIONS

To make the Jam: Place the rhubarb, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean, scrape the soft, pulpy seeds into the pan, and toss in the pod. Bring to a simmer over low heat, and cook, stirring often, until the rhubarb softens and almost seems to melt, The cooking time will depend on the rhubarb, but it probably won't be more than 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, retrieve the vanilla bean and discard, and cool the jam to room temperature. The jam can be made up to a week ahead and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator Bring the jam to room temperature if necessary before using. (if you do not want to make rhubarb jam, substitute about 1 cup of your favorite jam or preserves.)
To make the Shortbread: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand-held mixer), beat the butter on high speed until it is pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and sugar and beat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is light. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients. mixing only until the ingredients are incorporated.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and cut in half. Shape each half into a ball and wrap each ball in plastic. Freeze the dough for about 30 minutes, until firm. You can freeze the dough, tightly wrapped, for up to a month at this point. Thaw overnight, still wrapped, in the refrigerator
To assemble and bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove one ball of dough from the freezer and, using the side of a box grater with the largest holes, grate the dough into a 9- by 12-inch baking pan. Pat the dough gently just to get it into the corners (you don't want to press it down) and spread with the rhubarb jam, Grate the remaining dough over the jam and press it tightly to distribute it evenly. Bake the shortbread for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
As soon as you remove the pan from the oven, dust the top of the shortbread heavily with confectioner's sugar. Cool to room temperature on a rack.
Cut the shortbread into bars when it is cool. You can cut whatever size bars please you, although, as a rough guide. 3-inch squares or rectangles 1-1/2 inches by 3 inches make nice servings.
Covered at room temperature, the shortbread will keep for about 2 days. It can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to a month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.