Rhubarb!

Rhubarb! Some may know, some may wonder what I am speaking about.

Rhubarb is definitely not, or maybe not yet, a fixture in the average customer’s grocery trolley.  In places it is even hard to find. Well, well, it is the right season around Sydney. Let me introduce you to it.

The rhubarb plant

Rhubarb is a perennial (it means it grows again and again every year on its own) low-lying plant.  The plant is half a metre tall and consist of long stalk of reddish colour which thick very large leaves. As a kid, we used to pinch leaves from the veges garden’s plant and use them as umbrellas!

The plant typically grows in temperate climate, hence you shall find plenty reference to it in Northern France, England, Belgium, Germany, etc and their equivalent climate countries around the world.  The stalk is what is eaten, cooked.  The leaves (I recently learned) are toxic!

rhubard stalk preparation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhubarb Preparation

This is something you can get your child to help with, it is fun.

rhubard stalk preparation

  1. Cut the leaves and discard.rhubard stalk preparation
  2. Rinse/wash the stalks.rhubard stalk preparation
  3. Cut the bottom part of each stalk and pull any stringy skin that comes with it

Your rhubarb is ready.

What to do with it?

Here are 5 ideas of what to do with it:

Stewed rhubarb:

stewed rhubarb

This is the easiest use! Just cut in 5 cm pieces, place in a saucepan, add water until mid-heigth (of the rhubarb) and cook gently for about 15 minutes. When stirred it should come apart, just add some white sugar to taste. Want more precision, look HERE.

Rhubarb, yogurt and cereal breakfast

A great combination for an uncommon breakfast.  The name and the photo say it all. More HERE.

rhubarb, yoghurt & cereal

Roasted rhubarb

This one works great as a side to a vanilla pannacotta or the topping of a cake.  To find how to prepare it, click HERErhubarb

A simple rustic rhubarb tarte

This one is a french classic.  A short crust pastry, the rhubarb stalks are diced quite small and placed on the pastry.  There are 2 choices then: just add sugar and a few nuts of butter (not pictured here) or add an egg, milk, almond mixture, then bake! Yummy. The details HERE.

rhubarb tarte

And finally, a leavened dough rhubarb tart

This dough makes use of the roasted rhubarb and a northern France traditional tarte which dough is made with fresh yeast, the sugar tarte (tarte au sucre).  I will cover that tarte au sucre in an upcoming post, just delicious!

Rhubarb roasted on leevened dough Rhubarb roasted on leevened dough