Rhubarb

[carswell]

The only other tip (and I think it might be important) is to slice the rhubarb and cucumber very thinly, with a knife or a mandolin-type slicer.  This sounds like a terriffic accompaniement to salmon.

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Thanks for the correction, ludja. I've edited my earlier post as a result.

Funny, though. I made the salmon and the salad last weekend and had a serving's worth of fish left over, so the next day I made a lunchtime salad with the same ingredients. The only differences were that I sliced the rhubarb and cucumber thicker, flaked the salmon into the bowl with the other ingredients and softened the lemon juice with a tablespoon or two of the salmon poaching oil. Not bad at all, and the thicker-cut rhubarb wasn't mouth-puckering in the slightest.

[constanela]

Thanks everyone! I have lots of ideas. I'll pick one and try then report back this weekend.

[ludja]

The only other tip (and I think it might be important) is to slice the rhubarb and cucumber very thinly, with a knife or a mandolin-type slicer.   This sounds like a terriffic accompaniement to salmon.

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Thanks for the correction, ludja. I've edited my earlier post as a result.

Funny, though. I made the salmon and the salad last weekend and had a serving's worth of fish left over, so the next day I made a lunchtime salad with the same ingredients. The only differences were that I sliced the rhubarb and cucumber thicker, flaked the salmon into the bowl with the other ingredients and softened the lemon juice with a tablespoon or two of the salmon poaching oil. Not bad at all, and the thicker-cut rhubarb wasn't mouth-puckering in the slightest.

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hey, good experimentation trumps theory...

(i.e. wondering if rhubarb would be too puckery in the dish if it was not sliced thinly enough). Nice leftovers to have!

[Jim Dixon]

I like to slice the stalks, toss them with a bit of olive oil and salt, and roast for about 20 minutes. They still need a little sweetener of some kind (maple syrup is quite good, but even a sprinbkling of plain sugar works), but not too much. The roasted pieces retain their shape much better than stewed rhubarb.

Jim

[carswell]

wondering if rhubarb would be too puckery in the dish if it was not sliced thinly enough

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Since I was slicing on the diagonal, I ended up with thicker chunks from the ends of each stalk. Instead of throwing them out, I popped them into my mouth and was surprised to find them neither puckery nor searingly acidic. Another strange thing about the raw stuff: it has little of the rhubarb flavour familar from desserts. It's more a greenish citric burst and I'm suddenly wondering if it wouldn't make a nifty seviche. Hmm. The marinated fish could be served atop the salad. Or thinly sliced rhubarb could be mixed with the fish to add textural interest. But what'd really be interesting would be to make a rhubarb marinade. Anyone know how to juice a rhubarb? Lacking a juicer, I wonder if cooking sliced rhubarb in a bit of white wine until it fell apart and then transferring it to a strainer and pressing out the juice might work.

Nice leftovers to have!

Agreed. In fact, I planned for them.

[tazerowe]

Having purchased a new home this past fall, we are looking forward to our first chance to plant a major garden. In addition to a crash course on gardening, this year will also give me the chance to cook with some items that I have less experience with, and in some cases I will be forced to use more of a given item than I ever thought I would have. Thanks to plants that the prior owners put in, rubarb is first on the list. I am now in possession of more than I could ever imagine.

So, what to cook? Various pies are obvious, but I have no real entertaining plans over the next couple of weeks, so this is not a high priority. I wonder how rubarb ice cream would work? What I really need, however, is savory ideas. I cooked a Persian lamb and rubarb stew last year, but it really wasn't very good. How about rubarb risotto as a side dish? Something similar to a Friulian green apple risotto, maybe?

Your thoughts are appreciated.

[UkFoodie]

A spiced rhubarb compote is lovely with duck.

[Misa]

I really like chunky rhubarb-applesauce. Ok, so I admit: it was supposed to be a filling, but we modified the recipe and it was so good. This is, of course, not savory, but still very delicious.

[carswell]

Last week we had an interesting discussion on this very topic. See Savory Rhubarb Recipes?.

edit: And, yes, you can make ice cream, sherbet and ices with it. Or swirl some rhubarb compot into just churned vanilla or strawberry ice cream for rhubarb ripple.

Edited May 6, 2005 by carswell (log)

[tazerowe]

Last week we had an interesting discussion on this very topic. See Savory Rhubarb Recipes?.

edit: And, yes, you can make ice cream, sherbet and ices with it. Or swirl some rhubarb compot into just churned vanilla or strawberry ice cream for rhubarb ripple.

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Sorry, I searched but must have missed that thread. Good stuff!

[snowangel]

Reminder that rhubarb also freezes well. I just chop it up and put in a ziplock.

[chefgy]

rhubarb Napolean

[bloviatrix]

Rhubarb ketchup

[kitwilliams]

Rhubarb compote or baked rhubarb or rhubarb jam -- any of the above -- on a croissant. That is my newest favorite thing. Absolutely, unbelievably simple and exquisite.

By the way, where do you live, tazerowe? If you're nearby, I'd be happy to come over and help you harvest your rhubarb!

[Sackville]

For a drink, you can cut up rhubarb and freeze it. Then set it in a colander with a bowl underneath and let thaw. Juices will collect in the bowl. You can squeeze the rhubarb to get the most juice possible out of it. Mix with 7UP or Sprite or sparkling water and a bit of sugar to taste. We like this when we get sick of all those pies and crumbles!

[ludja]

rhubarb fool

rhubarb mousse

[Pan]

My cousin makes a rhubarb-raisin chutney that she rolls out ever Passover Seder. It makes a tasty accompaniment to the brisket, but I don't have a recipe for it.

[onehsancare]

I've made a commitment to my co-worker with rhubarb plants--if she brings me rhubarb, I'll bring in a rhubarb treat. So far this week, I've made a rhubarb cake (twice) and rhubarb strudel. Both were received very well. Let me know if you want the recipes.

[Jonathan Day]

There's a simple method for rhubarb ice cream here.

[Ktepi]

I've just taken a rhubarb-blueberry pie out of the oven -- haven't tried that combination before, but I generally think blueberries go with any fruit. Dinner tomorrow night is pork belly braised with rhubarb.

[beccaboo]

I've just taken a rhubarb-blueberry pie out of the oven -- haven't tried that combination before, but I generally think blueberries go with any fruit.  Dinner tomorrow night is pork belly braised with rhubarb.

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I made "bluebarb jam" once, and it was really good.

Just last week I made a pie with 1 1/2 lb rhubarb, a pint of frozen sweet cherries, and a pint of frozen mixed berries. My mother thought it was the best pie she'd ever eaten!

[tazerowe]

OK, so after a full weekend of rubarb, I guess I have discovered that I am relatively ambivalent about the stuff. Here is what we've had so far:

Roast venison with rubarb saffron risotto. I made a regular saffron risotto and added roast minced rubarb toward the end. It added a decent acidity, but didn't really integrate too well or add much unique to the dish. Still, a decent meal.

Rubarb sorbet - more or less froze sweetened rubarb that had cooked down. Nice flavor, unique rubarb texture. Strawberries would be nice with this, and maybe even added to the mixture.

Cucumber-rubarb salad, per the Paula Wolfert recipe posted around here (or maybe in the other rubarb thread). Nice, but I think I needed to add more rubarb to get it beyond a relatively plain salad.

Lobster with rubarb-ginger sauce, based loosely on an Alain Ducasse recipe. Cooked wine, lobster shells, rubarb and ginger to make a broth. Strained, enriched with a little butter and served over sauteed lobster meat with leeks. Decent, and similar to the risotto, added acidity but not a lot of unique flavor.

We also made a rubarb paste by taking some of the simmered sweetened rubarb and concentrating it in a low convection oven for a few hours. It tightened into a relatively thick paste. My wife is planning to make pastries with this as a filling.

Thanks for all the ideas.

[MicBacchus]

No-one mentioned rhubarb-strawberry pie !!

[YoChefGregg]

Rhubarb tart made with an egg custard mix.

[Pan]

If we're going to talk about tarts, I really prefer French-style rhubarb tarts without berries. I love strawberries, but I don't think that strawberries add anything to improve a rhubarb tart. The thing that's great about rhubarb is similar to what's great about granny smith apples, only more so: The tart succulence. Just add sugar to taste, but not so much that there's no tartness left. YoChefGregg's suggestion is more to my liking. I think I prefer the rhubarb tart without custard, but I'll take it either way, without complaint.