Rhubarb meringues, Rhubarb yogurt brulée and Rhubarb orange blossom pie
Certain fruit and vegetables remind me of very particular times of the year.
Asparagus brings us the taste of spring.
Rhubarb is also a sign that a new growing season is upon us.
The forced kind starts making an appearance in early spring.
These stalks have been protected from the worst of the elements by a greenhouse or rhubarb pot and have beautifully pink stalks, softer than their hardier outdoor counterparts.
The rhubarb plant originally came from Asia but grows well in most Irish soils, as along as it is fertile.
Regular mulching with well-rotted manure or compost will help. Plants will need to be given a year to establish before the first picking.
In subsequent years, the stalks can be picked early in the season when they are thin as pencils or allowed longer to grow to full size.
Rhubarb has a clean, tart flavour and is usually eaten like a fruit, although it is technically a vegetable.
A sweetener such as honey, maple syrup or sugar will temper its acidity and will be essential in baking.
The first recipe is a twist on a cremé brulée but has yogurt added to lighten it.
Ginger and rhubarb work particularly well together as does orange and rhubarb. By adding orange juice you will need a little less sweetener.
In two of these recipes you will need to drain the rhubarb after stewing but do not discard the juice.
Save it and use it in sparkling water or prosecco for a very refreshing drink.
- 3 egg whites, at room temperature
- 75g of caster sugar
- 75g of icing sugar
- 500g of rhubarb, cut into inch lengths
- the juice and zest of an orange
- 1 tsp of vanilla essence
- 3 tsp of brown sugar
- 4 tbs of whipped cream
Preheat the oven to 100 degrees
Whisk egg whites until they form stiff peaks, making sure the whisk and bowl are completely free of grease.
I often wipe them down with some white malt vinegar before I start whisking.
Whisk in the caster sugar a dessertspoon at a time.
Fold the icing sugar in a third at a time.
Line a baking tray with parchment and spoon the mixture onto the tray in 12 dollops.
Bake for an hour and a half until they are a very pale golden and sound hollow when you tap the base. Set aside to cool.
While the meringues are cooking gently simmer the rhubarb in the orange juice, zest, vanilla and sugar until of soft. Set aside to cool.
Pile up the meringue, whipped cream and rhubarb into a nice bowl before serving.
- 400g of shortcrust pastry
- 750g of rhubarb, cut into inch long pieces
- 100g of of golden caster sugar
- juice and zest of a medium orange
- 2 tsp of honey
- 1 tsp of orange blossom water
Heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and flour a 9 inch tin.
Roll the pasty to fit the base of your tin and save any excess.
Cut remaining pastry into small flower shapes with a cookie cutter and set aside.
Prick the base of the tart with a fork and cover with baking parchment.
Fill the parchment with baking beans or coins and bake blind for 20 minutes.
Remove the beans and parchment and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Set aside to cool.
Roast the rhubarb after it is tossed in the caster sugar, orange juice and zest and honey. Roast until soft and set aside.
Drain any excess juice and keep this. Stir in the orange blossom water.
Scoop the rhubarb into the pastry case, tasting to make sure it is sweet enough.
Dot the pastry flowers on top and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve warm with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- 600g of rhubarb, cut into half inch size pieces
- 1 tbs of honey
- 1 tsp of ground ginger
- 2 tsp of stem ginger, finely chopped
- 200g of natural yogurt
- 300g of cream
- 120g of demerara sugar
Gently stew the rhubarb, honey and powdered ginger for five minutes and set aside. Taste it to see if it is sweet enough and if not add a little more honey.
Once the rhubarb is completely cool drain off any liquid and stir in the stem ginger. Save the liquid to use as a drink.
Spoon the rhubarb into four ramekins.
Heat the grill to hot.
Whisk together the cream and yogurt and spoon this on top.
Cover each ramekin with 40g of demerara sugar and place under the very hot grill until the sugar has melted and then crisped up.
Serve immediately.
