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RHUBARB

Rhubarb is excellent in the spring when the first of the crop appears in the shops but should not be eaten after midsummer's day if you want your plants to recover enough to give you a good crop in the following year.

To puree rhubarb, place in a little water and cook over a low heat until it collapses. Stir in suager to taste while still hot. Eat the rhubarb like this or add lumps of frersh bread to mop up the juices. This takes the tartness away. Serve with custard, cream or ice cream.

If you want the rhubarb to keep its shape, then bake it in the oven, sprinkled with the required amount of suagr (or use strawberry or raspberry jam) and covered. Serve as above.

Baked Rhubarb Sponge (new)
serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

  • Fruit:
    • 600g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into short chunks
    • 125g caster sugar
  • Sponge:
    • 1 lemon
    • 225g caster sugar
    • 225g of butter, diced
    • 225g self raising flour
    • 2tsp baking powder
    • 4 medium eggs
    • 100ml milk
METHOD
  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.
  2. Toss the rhubarb with the sugar and arrange over the base of a 32cm/2litre capacity gratin dish.
  3. Grate the zest of the lemon and place into a food processor with the rest of the sponge ingredients, reserving 2 tblsp of the sugar.
  4. Belnd until smooth and then spoon the mixture on top of the rhubarb. Scatter with the remaining sugar.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and firm.
  6. Serve hot with custard or crème fraiche.
You can make this dish in 8 x 250 ml individual ramekins and bake for only 30 minutes.

Rhubarb and Almond Tart

INGREDIENTS

  • For the pastry:
    • 350g plain flour
    • 170g cold butter, diced
    • 35g castor sugar
  • Filling
    • 90g soft butter
    • 90g castor sugar
    • 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks
    • 90g ground almonds
    • 300g rhubarb, cut into pieces
  • Topping
    • 50g flaked almonds
    • demerara sugar
METHOD
  1. Pastry - Rub the flour and butter together until it resembles breadcrumbs, stir in the sugar and add 5 or 6 tablespoons of cold water to form a dough. Chill for 20 minutes and then roll out to cover a 7/8 inch flan case. Cook blind for 20 minutes.
  2. Filling - cream together the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs, yolks and almonds. Spread the mixture over the pastry case. Scatter the rhubarb pieces over te almond mixture and bake for 15 minutes at 200C. remove from the oven and sprinkle the demerara sugar over the top. Reduce the heat to 180C and cook for a further 35 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and serve with single cream or custard.

Rhubarb and Custard Pots

INGREDIENTS

  • 450g (1lb) rhubarb, trimmed and cut into short chunks
  • 115g (4oz) caster sugar
  • 600ml (1 pint) single cream
  • 6 medium egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons clear honey
  • pinch of ground cloves
METHOD
  1. Place the rhubarb in a pan with the sugar and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, until soft. Simmer uncovered until you have a thick, dry puree.
  2. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2.
  3. Spoon the fruit into the bottom of 6 x 3½ inch ramekins and set these in a small roasting dish.
  4. Place the cream into a saucepan and bring almost to the boil.
  5. Whisk the egg yolks, honey and cloves together in a bowl, whisk in some of the hot cream and then return this to the pan and heat gently, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens. Be careful not to let it boil or the custard will curdle.
  6. Pour the custard through a strainer into the ramekins.
  7. Pour cold water into the roasting dish almost to the top of the ramekins and bake for 50-60 minutes until the custard is golden.
  8. Leave to coll, then cover and chill.

Rhubarb Crumble
serves 6

INGREDIENTS

  • 500g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into short chunks
  • 50ml water
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 200g plain flour
  • 100g cold butter, cubed
  • 125g demerara sugar
METHOD
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
  2. Put the rhubarb inro a 1.2l ovenproof dish and sprinkle the water and caster sugar over.
  3. Rub the butter into the flour in a bowl until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  4. Stir in the demerara sugar.
  5. Spread the crumble over the rhubarb and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
  6. Serve hot with ice cream, cream or custard.

Rhubarb Ice Cream
Serves 6 - 8

INGREDIENTS

  • ¼ pint double cream
  • ¼ pint single cream
  • 675g (1½lb) rhubarb, cut into small pieces
  • 175g (6oz) caster sugar
  • pink colouring (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
METHOD
  1. Cook the rhubarb very slowly in a saucepan without any added liquid until the juices run, add the sugar and continue to cook to a pulp. Press the rhubarb through a sieve to make a puree and cool.
  2. Whip the creams together (until the consistency of a coating sauce) and fold in the cold puree.
  3. Add the lemon juice and stir.
  4. Taste and add more sugar if necessary.
  5. Stir in the pink colouring to give a delicate pink tinge if required.
  6. Turn into a 1.15litre (2 pint) jelly mould or plastic container and freeze until solid.
  7. Turn the ice cream out of the mould and serve decorated with thin slices of lemon around the base..

Rhubarb Pickle
This is very good served with British hard cheeses or mature goat's cheese. It also goes beautifully with cold roast lamb and grilled chops.
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

  • 300g (10½ oz) rhubarb, trimmed and cut into short chunks
  • 3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 150ml (5fl oz) white wine
  • 2tblsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • pinch of salt
METHOD
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4
  2. Arrange the rhubarb in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle 50g (2oz) sugar over. Cover and bake for 45 minutes until the fruit is soft and gives out its own juices.
  3. Strain off the syrup into a pan. Add the shallots with the rest of the sugar, white wine, white wine vinegar, ginger, bay leaf and salt.
  4. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-25 minutes.
  5. Pour the syrupy liquid over the rhubarb. Carefully tip into a small bowl and leave to cool.
  6. The pickle will keep well for several days in the fridge. Serve at room temperature.

Rhubarb Pie

INGREDIENTS

Pastry:

  • 140g (5oz) Butter
  • 140g (5oz) caster sugar
  • 1 medium egg
  • 250g (9oz) plain flour
  • 25g (1oz) ground almonds
  • Milk
  • flaked almonds to decorate
Filling:
  • 800g (1¾ lb) rhubarb, trimmed and cut into ¾in pieces
  • 150g (5½oz) caster sugar
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
METHOD
  1. To make the pastry, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  2. Beat in the egg, then add the flour and ground almonds.
  3. When the dough begins to stick to gether, wrap it in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for several hours.
  4. Place the fruit in a pan with the sugar and ginger. Cover and heat until the fruit softens. Uncover the pan and simmer for a further 30-40 minutes until no juice remains, stirring occasionally.
  5. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.
  6. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5.
  7. Roll out the pastry to fit the base of a 9 inch x 1¼ inch deep tart tin. Line the tin with the pastry and bake blind for 25 minutes.
  8. Spread the rhubarb over the pastry base and cover with thr rest of the rolled pastry. Decorate the pie with any trimmings, using a little milk to attach the decorations.
  9. Sprinkle the surfae with caster sugar ad bake for 30-35 minutes.
  10. Serve hot or at room temperature with custard, ice cream or cream and decorated with flaked almonds.

Rhubarb Sauce
This is very good served with oily fish such as smoked mackerel and eel or salmon.
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

  • 250g (9oz) rhubarb, trimmed and cut into short chunks
  • 3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
  • 25g (1oz) butter, melted
  • 2 heaped tsp caster sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tblsp thick Greek-style yoghurt
METHOD
  1. Sweat the shallots in the melted butter until soft.
  2. Add the rhubarb, sugar and salt and pepper and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until it softens and gives out its own juices.
  3. Simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes until you have a stiff dry puree.
  4. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.
  5. Stir in the yoghurt and adjust the seasoning and suagr if needed.
  6. Cover and keep in the fridge until needed.

Rhubarb Trifle

INGREDIENTS

  • 400g (14oz) rhubarb, trimmed and cut into short chunks
  • 100g (3½oz) caster sugar
  • 5-6 trifle sponges
  • 2 tablespoon dry sherry
  • 115g (4oz) strawberry jam
  • 200ml (7 fl oz) Double Cream
  • 1 pint of custard
METHOD
  1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5.
  2. Place the rhubarb in a baking dish, scatter with sugar and bake in the oven until soft. Cool.
  3. Make the custard and leave to cool.
  4. Arrange the sponges in the bottom of a trifle dish. Spoon the rhubarb over and add the sherry on the top.
  5. Pour the custard over the top and cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming. Leave to cool and set.
  6. Place the jam in a bowl and work until smooth. Spread it over the top of the custard.
  7. Whip the cream and smooth it over the jam.
  8. Decorate with nuts or to taste.
  9. Cover and chill. It will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge.
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