Friday, April 06, 2007

Rhubarb, rhubarb...

One of my favourites is Rhubarb Fool - equal quantities of pureed sweetened Rhubarb, custard and whipped cream, just folded lightly together. Any fruit puree could be used instead of rhubarb.
How about Rhubarb and Ginger Ice-Cream? The easiest way to make this is use a tub of soft-scoop vanilla ice-cream, turn this out into a large bowl and fold in (ripple effect if you like) some sweetened rhubarb puree, and add some diced preserved ginger. Then return the ice-cream to the freezer and use as required.
Another suggestion would be to use an apple cake recipe and substitute small chunks of rhubarb instead of apple. And what about Rhubarb Pie?

For cheffy style Rhubarb, slice the rhubarb into even sized finger lengths, lay side by side in a shallow baking dish, sprinkle with sugar and bake in the oven until tender. Then stack up neatly like building blocks and serve with whipped cream.
These cooked fingers of rhubarb can also be placed side by side in a pre-baked oblong pastry case and covered with a glaze. Eat hot or cold with custard or cream.
Tip: As the year progresses, the rhubarb loses its colour and the outer part gets tougher. Use a potato peeler to remove any stringy bits and add a few drops of red or pink food colouring to give the rhubarb a more attractive appearance.
Chunks of rhubarb, shaken in a bag with sugar, will freeze, so can be eaten out of season.
Rhubarb also makes good wine.