Should you too be an upturned flower pot short of a rhubarb crown, though taken by the pertly perfumed, sweet, sharp, cerise strands of new season rhubarb. It’s time to succumb to its allure, distinctive flavour I proffer a sprinkling of ideas to to kick off spring, which can officially turn up as soon as it likes.

Since pancake day loomed, pancake bites were gifted greek yoghurt, a dollop of over-cooked (sigh) rhubarb, a few random blueberries, some chopped ginger, with a drizzle of the ginger syrup and yay it’s fruit poker pancakes for breakfast. Pulp fact, not pulp fiction.

 

  

  

 

For the unaware, the rhubarb triangle being the Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield area, ooop north. There’s something wistfully superb in that it is grown in vast candlelit forcing sheds to it’s own self-orchestrated, squeaky serenade. The damp, cold and wet weather suits the rhubarb crowns perfectly, not so your writer who prefers the more warmer climes of the South West UK hence one buys it from ye olde farm shoppe.

Ditching the creamy stuff (gutted) I proffer a, swift snowy, sorbet. Very roughly 500g rhubarb cut into pieces, half as much sugar which takes about 150g of water (just to cover) then gently poach which takes 10-20 minutes.

 

 

 

Though my usual preference to cook rhubarb is to zap it in the microwave (without water) in an appropriate lidded dish, lightly sprinkled with sugar and 4 faff free minutes later, bingo. Drain the liquid (gulp or freeze) and apply a pastry overcoat or crumble mix to the pulp.

 

 

 

Allow the rhubarb to cool before freezing, then simply whizz in a food processor until it’s ultra smooth.  Set in an appropriate lidded vessel for the old scratch and scrape (every few hours) routine. Alternatively use ice cube trays (once frozen remove the cubes and do the poly bag bash) or dust off the ice cream maker and let it slug around until set. Rhubarb sorbet sorted.

 

 

 

Should you choose the cube option another variation is to strain the pulp, use for breakfast et al.  Simply freeze the luscious liquid. Once frozen, and duly whizzed in your food processor, serve as (frightfully posh) rhubarb snow. OR …maybe consider a trickle of gin or vodka over a few cubes in a martini glass which brings a yah-yah-mardi-gras to your rhubarb cocktail dessert table.

 

 

Both you say….. whoo-hoo don’t mind if I do. Rhubarb Rocks! Glasses dipped into the syrup and then fine sugar for frosty edges, pipets of the syrup and similar of gin, adding a lovely fragrance too. It’s  a dressing rather than full on booze up. The garnish twists are just strands of the rhubarb twisted around a handle and left to dry overnight.  ( … sadly the hellebore flowers are not edible, just really pretty!)

 

 

 

Rhubarb has a slightly ferrel flavour but makes a lovely palette cleanser and will have your tastebuds jumping for joy.

 

 

 

 

Just make it belong to you, using appropriate produce to suit your dietary needs or preference, and with that the rain subsides and sun pours through the kitchen window  … ahhh.

 

Toot toot x