Rhubarb provides a unique contrast of flavour for a variety of dishes.
Spring has arrived and with it the teasing choices of a new season of produce. The garden has burst into colour, the cherry trees are mid-flower, and among the roses and lush foliage of the buxus, the thick red stems of the rhubarb are tempting me to use them.
It’s sold in bunches of 5-6 stems, and I look for well-coloured rhubarb with firm, upright stalks and glossy green leaves. Although the stalks are edible, the leaves are toxic, being high in oxalic acid, so always remove them completely and discard. I cook rhubarb in an old enamel roasting dish that I have, because anything aluminium will react unpleasantly.
When poached and served for breakfast with a spoonful of yoghurt, rhubarb has a distinct sourness that revives the spirits. Soon I will roast it with strawberries and serve with soft mascarpone cheese for an elegant yet simple dessert. The juice that comes from baking rhubarb can be kept separate, to be served with panna cotta. Occasionally, I will make rhubarb into a chutney to be served with dishes using pork, venison or wild duck, where it provides a unique contrast of flavour; I even have a jar of rhubarb jam that is wonderful on freshly baked scones with some softly whipped cream, or with a plate of steaming pikelets.
I love the classicism of panna cotta, their simple elegance. Eat them straight from the cup, or turn them out.
Buttermilk Panna Cotta with poached Rhubarb
300ml cream
250ml buttermilk
2 tbsp honey
3 gelatine leaves, softened in cold water
Whisk the cream and buttermilk in a large bowl until smooth, then pour into a small saucepan, gently simmer for 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Add the honey to the buttermilk mixture, squeeze the excess water from the gelatine leaves, then stir in until both have dissolved. Pour the mixture through a sieve over a jug, then divide among 4 small cups. Cover each with cling film, place in the refrigerator and set overnight. Dip the bases of the panna cotta cups in warm water and turn out onto individual serving plates. Serve with the poached rhubarb and spoon some of the juice onto the plates.
Poached Rhubarb
600g rhubarb
1 lemon
175g sugar
Trim the rhubarb, discarding the leaves, and with a small knife, pull away and discard the stringy outside skin of the rhubarb. Cut the stalks into 3cm lengths and place into a deep saucepan. Grate the zest from the lemon and add to the pan. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and, along with the sugar, add to the rhubarb. Place the pan over a medium heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 15 minutes. The rhubarb should have released a lot of its own juices. Carefully lift the stalks from the syrup and place in a container. Bring the syrup to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes, until lightly thickened, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once it is cold, cover the rhubarb with the syrup. It will keep for 2 weeks refrigerated.
Enough for 4.
The soft pink of the rhubarb is a pleasant contrast to the yellow of the cake. The lime curd brings a lip-smacking acidity that works well without being bossy.
Polenta Cake with Roasted Rhubarb and Lime Curd
200g sugar
125g unsalted butter
3 tbsp cream
3 tbsp cream cheese
2 eggs
185g self-rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g polenta
Preheat the oven to 180°C and butter and line a 23cm springform tin. Cream together the sugar and butter until pale in colour and light and fluffy, then add the cream and cream cheese. Combine together well, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the mixture and fold it carefully in, keeping a light and airy texture. Add the polenta and pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 30 minutes until the centre is cooked and the top is a lovely golden brown. Remove from the oven and turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool. Place the cake onto a plate and dust with icing sugar. Serve with the rhubarb and spoonfuls of lime curd.
Roasted Rhubarb
600g rhubarb
½ cup water
175g sugar
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Trim the rhubarb, discarding the leaves, and with a small knife, pull away and discard the stringy outside skin of the rhubarb. Cut the stalks into 3cm lengths and place into a roasting dish. Add the water and sugar to the rhubarb. Place in the oven and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 30 minutes. The rhubarb should have released some of its own juices and be a deep red colour. Carefully lift the stalks from the roasting dish, place in a container and once it is cold cover the rhubarb with the juices. It will keep for 2 weeks refrigerated.
Lime Curd
2 limes
120g sugar
30g unsalted butter
2 free-range eggs
Grate the zest of one of the limes and set aside. Squeeze the juice from both limes and place with the sugar and butter into a saucepan. Beat the eggs together, stir into the saucepan and place over a low heat for 15 minutes, whisking frequently until the mixture has thickened slightly. Pour the curd through a sieve into a bowl and stir in the zest. Set to one side until cool and then refrigerate. The curd will keep for 1 week, covered with cling film.
Serves 8.
Tartlets are a real treat, and should be no more than three mouthfuls. Soft clouds of mascarpone dreamily ooze up around the rhubarb and for something that has such a rich base, it is surprisingly light and refreshing.
Rhubarb and Mascarpone Tartlets
SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY
250g flour
100g icing sugar
130g unsalted butter
2 eggs
FILLING
250g mascarpone
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
a splash of vanilla extract
250g cooked rhubarb
icing sugar to serve
Combine the flour and icing sugar in a food processor and add the butter. With the motor running, add the eggs one at a time and continue to mix until the dough forms a ball. Scrape the dough from the bowl and wrap it in cling film and refrigerate until required. Because the dough is very soft, roll it out thinly between two pieces of cling film. Remove the top piece of plastic and use a 5cm cutter to cut 12 circles of pastry. Press into a greased muffin pan, pierce the dough with a fork and then refrigerate for 30 minutes. While the dough chills, pre-heat the oven to 180°C, then bake it for 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool.
Mix the mascarpone with the sugar and vanilla. Spoon into the cooked tartlet cases and top with the rhubarb. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Makes 12. z