Rhubarb recipes

Delicious (we hope!) recipes from you the reader!

Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter

newbutkeen
KG Regular
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2007 5:38 pm
Location: Staffordshire

Hi folks,

Just thought I’d share these rhubarb recipes with you.

First, I can’t claim them as my own as I got the original recipes from Tesco food club but I have adapted them to suit my own tastes, sensitivities (lactose) and budget. Butter or margarine can be directly substituted for the spreads. I try to buy/use organic/fair trade/local/home grown wherever possible.

Rhubarb and almond cake

Crumble topping

50g (2oz) finely chopped almonds
75g (3oz) light brown soft sugar
75g (3oz) plain flour
40g (1½ oz) dairy free Vitalite sunflower spread or Pure soya spread, melted

Cake

500-600g (1lb 5oz) trimmed rhubarb (beautiful pink type looks best but the green stuff tastes just as nice)
200g (7oz) caster sugar, plus 2tbsp
225g (8oz) dairy free Vitalite sunflower spread or Pure soya spread, softened
4 large eggs (or as I use all the small eggs that my mother-in-law can’t sell, any combination of eggs that add up to 260-280g (9-10ozs)
150g (5oz) self-raising flour
50g (2oz) ground almonds
1tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Baking parchment

The method

1. Turn the oven to 180ºc/375ºf/gas 4
2. Grease a 20x30x3cm baking tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment, then lightly grease the paper
3. To make the crumble topping: Place the almonds, light brown sugar, plain flour and melted spread in a bowl and mix until the crumble clumps together.
4. Cut the rhubarb into 2cm lengths, toss with 2tbsp caster sugar and set aside.
5. To make the cake: Cream together the softened spread and remaining caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
6. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
7. Fold in the self-raising flour, ground almonds, vanilla extract and the pinch of salt.
8. Mix until smooth.
9. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared tin.
10. Spoon half the crumble mixture over the batter.
11. Arrange the rhubarb on top.
12. Scatter the remaining crumble over the rhubarb.
13. Bake on the middle shelf for about an hour or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with a moist crumb.
14. Serve warm or at room temperature with cream, crème fraîche, ice cream or custard.

Freezes well. Cut up into portions when completely cool and freeze separately.

The next recipe is a work in progress.

Roasted rhubarb tarts

375g pack chilled (or defrosted frozen) ready rolled puff pastry (or you can be really saintly and make your own!)
3tbsp of light muscavado sugar (I have used light brown soft sugar when I have run out of the muscavado)
8 pieces of stem ginger in syrup (In my last batch, I just used 1tsp powdered ginger because although the children like the ginger flavour, they didn’t like the stem ginger and I have to admit, it was very strong)
350g (12oz) fresh forced rhubarb, trimmed (I have used fresh unforced and frozen with equal success)
1 tbsp syrup from the stem ginger jar
I also added an egg wash to the edges of the pastry of my last batch to create a golden crust

1. Remove the pastry from the fridge about 10mins before it is needed.
2. Heat the oven to 220ºc/200ºc fan/Gas 7.
3. Place 2 baking sheets in the oven to warm up (this is important as it cooks the bottom of the tarts from below and helps to seal the rhubarb and juices in).
4. Grease two pieces of greaseproof paper, cut to fit baking sheets and put to one side.
5. The pastry comes in two roughly A4 sheets which is handy. Gently unroll one on a chopping board and carefully cut into even rectangles. How many is up to you. The original recipe said 4 but I find 8 to be better. For a really light bite you could even go to 16.
6. Carefully lift off rectangles onto prepared paper, allowing room around the edges for expansion. I find one sheet of pastry to one baking sheet is ideal. Repeat with second sheet.
7. If you’re using the stem ginger, sprinkle just the sugar in the centre of each rectangle, leaving 5-10mm of pastry around the edge. If you’re using the powdered ginger, mix it thoroughly with the sugar then sprinkle.
8. If you’re using the stem ginger, slice thinly and scatter over the sugared pastry.
9. Slice the rhubarb into lengths to fit the pastry again leaving 5-10mm of pastry round the edge. If you are using rhubarb from the freezer, any size or shape will do as long as it fits within the 5-10mm border. Defrosting is unnecessary.
10. If you are using the sugar and powdered ginger mix, sprinkle any left over, over the top of the rhubarb.
11. Brush egg wash around the edge of the pastry.
12. Transfer to heated sheets quickly.
13. Bake in the centre of the oven until the pastry is risen and the rhubarb cooked.
14. If using the stem ginger, brush with a little ginger syrup from the jar.
15. Serve with cream, crème fraîche, ice cream or custard.

As before, it freezes well. Freeze separately. No more moaning from the rhubarb haters. You can sneak into freezer for an illicit snack in minutes, if the children have left any. Then go and work it off in the garden!!!