NZOrgan Musings and Amusings, August 2008

Rhubarb, rhubarb,
rhubarb. . .

Rhubarb flan with cream.

Althea Bridgeman-Sutton has cooked up more ideas for things to do with a favourite, easy-to-grow vegetable

People who grow rhubarb will know what a useful and accommodating plant it is. It will grow in almost any soil, just feed and water it well - a top dressing of any available organic matter will help conserve moisture and be good for the soil. Even climate seems only to affect the length of season - it is said to grow within the Arctic Circle and Queensland holds a Rhubarb and Avocado Festival during October. Other places have festivals, too, in their own seasons.

Hint: although Rhubarb is tart, too much sugar kills the flavour
- serve it as an extra for the faint-hearted.

Stewed Rhubarb

To cook without breaking up, put the cut rhubarb in a bowl or small pan and stand this, covered, in a larger pan of boiling water.
For a change, flavour with orange, ginger or use golden syrup to sweeten. Crushed sweeteners are not easily detected.
Use in flans or (unsweetened) set in jelly made with less water than normal.

Pink Spring Pudding

Loosely fill a basin with rhubarb chunks, transfer to a pan and cook with a little water for extra juice.
Lightly oil the basin and line it with stale cake, add the rhubarb, put a layer of cake on top.
Stand the basin in a bowl, pour over any remaining liquid. Put a saucer on top and weigh it down. leave to cool overnight. Run a knife round the inside of the bowl to turn out the pudding. Serve with cream.

Rhubarb mosaic (for 6)

375 gm rhubarb, cut in tiny dice, about 0.5cm works well.
3 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or try grated orange peel or cinnamon)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Beat eggs, sift in flour and ginger, add half the sugar, beat well and leave to stand as long as is convenient.
Place rhubarb in shallow ovenproof dish and add remaining sugar, pour over the batter.
Bake at 180 degrees for20-25 minutes.
Can be served hot but is nicer cold, with creme fraiche or pouring cream.

Rhubarb Sorbet

(suitable for almost all fruit, especially gooseberries and damsons; strawberries and peaches need a little lemon juice)
250gm rhubarb
60gm granulated sugar,
pink food colouring
1 egg white
60gm caster sugar.
Cook the rhubarb slowly without water, add granulated sugar, blend or sieve to make puree.
Add colouring - this will lighten when egg is added..
Whisk egg white stiff but not dry, fold in caster sugar and fold all together.
Freeze about half an hour, then whisk to break any crystals. Freeze about two hours.
Remove to 'fridge half an hour before serving - try shortbread or a digestive biscuit to counteract the cold.

Pie Plant Pie

Line a dish with pastry. Mix a generous cup of rhubarb with 1 tablespoon of flour, 11/2 tablespoons sugar, a tablespoon of butter cut in small pieces and one egg yolk. Place in the uncooked pastry shell and bake 35-40 minutes in a moderate oven. Stiffly whisk the egg white, fold in 2 spoons of sugar and return to the cooling oven for 10 minutes or more. Beat fresh from the oven but cold leftovers are still good to eat if less visually attractive.

Rhubarb Windows

Grease a cake tin and put in a plain sponge mix -illustrated is a mix of 1 egg, 60gm butter, 90gm sugar, 125 gm flour. Arrange pieces of rhubarb in rows to look like windowpanes. Quantity and size of the pieces depend on what is available. Cut in slices according to appetite, serve hot with custard or cold simply with sugar shaken over.
Slice and freeze the leftovers for a useful standby.

Althea Bridgeman-Sutton, September 2008

See more of Althea's recipes: Summer puddings & Christmas Fare