Righteous Rhubarb

Rhubarb strikes a nostalgic chord for me.  It reminds me of lazy summer days visiting my Aunt True and Uncle John in Manchester, CT.  They had, what seemed to me back then, a storybook home.  It was a 100+ year-old white three-story colonial house with black clapboards located on Main Street (yes, Main Street!).  It had a white picket fence,  a red brick walkway and a big American flag waving from the front porch.  I spent hours getting lost in the maze of rooms only to find my way to the kitchen where Aunt True, my grandmother’s youngest sister, was creating something amazing from Uncle John’s garden.  The yard was anchored by a spectacular Mulberry tree on one end and a most amazing vegetable garden on the other.  I’ll never forget the smell of freshly picked tomatoes.  And the rhubarb… the crazy giant rhubarb!

My Aunt True would come back from the garden with armfuls of giant stalks she’d then turn in to delicious pies and jams.  Technically a vegetable but adopted as a fruit in 1947, it’s a tart, leggy stalk that sweetens up nicely with just a little love.   And when you’re a kid, boy does it need a lot of love!  My aunt would cut a young, tender stick of rhubarb, dip the fresh cut in sugar and give me a taste.  Not a fan!  It’s a tradition that can be traced back to Sweden and the UK where the first rhubarb of the year is harvested by candlelight in dark sheds. 

It’s possibly that rhubarb gives me such a nostalgic feeling because it is actually ancient plant.  It’s been used medicinally by the Chinese for more than 5,000 years and is noted in The Divine Farmer’s Herb-Root Classic (2700 BC).  It also appears in medieval Arabic and European prescriptions.  Rhubarb came to the U.S. in the 1820’s via Maine and Massachusetts and thus worked it’s way into the gardens and hearts of New Englanders like my aunt and, yes, me.

Add this chutney to couscous and top with Moroccan chicken or used it as an alternate topper for the Parmesan pudding bites from Word of Mouth’s Oscar Night Menu post.

  The first stalks of locally grown rhubarb are just starting to hit the stores.  If you pick yours up from the farmers’ market, ask them to remove the leaves.  They’re slightly toxic and terribly bitter so you’re better off leaving them.  You can boil them down (about 1/2 cup sugar to 2 pounds sliced rhubarb) but I like it roasted.  To change up classic creme brulee, I roasted sliced rhubarb for an hour and mixed it with sugar and cinnamon and added it to the bottom of a ramekin for a fruity surprise.  For a savory bite, I combined rhubarb and dried cherries for an amazingly easy chutney.    Simply Righteous!!

Sweet, tart rhubarb on the bottom is an interesting foil to this vanilla creme brulee.

Recipe:  Vanilla Rhubard Creme Brulee

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 lbs. rhubarb stalks

6 Tbl. sugar

2 tsps. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

5 large egg yolks

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 Tbl. vanilla

1 3/4 c. heavy cream

1 tsp. fresh ginger root, minced

4 ramekins

2 Tbl. Turbinado (brown. raw) sugar

Prepare

Preheat oven to 375°.  Generously butter a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.  Cut rhubarb into 1/4” slices (5 - 6 cups).  Lay flat in baking dish and roast for 1 - 1 1/4 hours.  Reduce oven temperature to 325°.  Mix granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Transfer rhubarb to a medium bowl and mix with sugar/cinnamon/nutmeg.  Let cool (can be made up to 2 days ahead.)

In a medium large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar.  Whisk in vanilla.  In a heavy medium sauce pan, heat cream with ginger until just simmering.  Add cream to egg mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly.  Skim any foam from the top.

Divide fruit filling evenly among 4 oven proof ramekins.  Pour custard over to fill.  Place ramekins in a roasting pan and fill the pan with hot water to come 1/2 way up the ramekins.  Cover lightly with foil and bake custard in the place in the middle of the oven until set but slightly wobbly, about 50 minutes.  Remove ramekins from the pan and cool on a rack.  When cool, cover with plastic wrap and chill from 4 hours up to 2 days. 

To serve, sprinkle 1 tap. turbinado sugar evenly over the top of each custard cup and caramelize with kitchen torch by moving the fame evenly back and forth just over the sugar.  You can also broil custards under a preheated broiler set 2 - 3 inches from the heat until sugar is a deep golden brown. 

This super simple and speedy chutney is great paired with chicken, fish or on a crostini topped with goat cheese or fresh ricotta.

Recipe:  Spiced Rhubarb Chutney

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients

3/4 c. sugar

1/3 c. cider vinegar

2 Tbl. minced peeled fresh ginger

1 Tbl. minced garlic

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

4 cups 1/4” cubes fresh rhubarb (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/3 cup dried tart cherries

Prepare

Combine first 8 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add rhubarb, onion and dried cherries; increase heat to medium-high and cook until rhubarb is tender and mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Cool completely. 

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