Rhubarb season is here, and it’s ready to add a pop of pink to your desserts. Often paired with strawberries, this underrated plant is still a mystery for many home cooks. Is rhubarb a fruit or a vegetable? Though you’ll typically find it in sweeter dishes, it’s actually in the veggie family. When eaten raw, rhubarb has a bitter, funky taste—even with the stalks removed. (Note: Only the pinkish-red part of this plant is edible!) Still, the spice of rhubarb can add a deep, intense flavor to any sauce when combined with a favorite sweetener. The result is a lush, delicate syrup that boasts the power to jazz up even the most basic desserts, like vanilla or fiordilatte gelato.
Rhubarb has many nutritive benefits and can be used in countless recipes—like tarts, pies, and crisps. It’s also a great resource for plant-based cooks since it has the ability to satisfy cravings of your eyes and mouth at the same time.
Food stylist Daniela Gerson developed a recipe for vanilla-poached rhubarb that calls for just three ingredients: lemon, sugar, and vanilla. This style of rhubarb tastes fantastic on pancakes, for a sophisticated breakfast. This tart from Tivoli Road Bakery in Melbourne will certainly brighten up your afternoon tea break.
Want even more creative ideas? At Winsome — a new, highly acclaimed Los Angeles restaurant in Playa Vista — they whip up a refreshing cocktail called “Pimms Cup,” which they sell on their to-go menu. In this spritzer, you’ll find Bombay Sapphire gin, strawberry, vermouth, lemon oil, bubbles, and (you guessed it) rhubarb! Over at Cotogna and Quince in San Francisco, executive pastry chef Jenn Felton has created the ultimate spring dessert: crème fraîche and rhubarb panna cotta. The bright pink hue and intense flavor of rhubarb perfectly elevate this quintessential comfort food.
Crème Fraîche and Rhubarb Panna Cotta
Rhubarbs are popping up in your local farmers market and it’s time to make a dessert to experiment with this bright pink, rich-in-nutrients veggie. This recipe, Crème Fraîche and Rhubarb Panna Cotta, comes from Jenn Felton, executive pastry chef of Quince and Cotogna in San Francisco. It's a delicate and refreshing after-dinner treat.
For the Panna Cotta
Ingredients:
1600 grams cream
400 grams milk
350 grams sugar
12 SHT gelatin
1000 grams crème fraîche
Zest of 3 lemons
Juice of 1 lemon
Method:
- Bloom gelatin.
- Warm cream, milk, and sugar.
- Add in gelatin, strain over crème fraiche, lemon zest and juice.
- Immersion blend then portion into coupes – 80gr.
For the Rhubarb Compote
Ingredients:
650 grams rhubarb, washed, peeled and diced
130 grams water
260 grams sugar
Zest of 2 oranges
150 grams orange juice
Method:
- Bring water and sugar to a light caramel.
- Toss in rhubarb and cook over medium-low heat until color deepens, and rhubarb begins to dry out.
- Add in orange zest and juice and cook just to thicken the compote slightly.
- Compote should be rosy and shiny. Small, tender bits of rhubarb will be suspended in jam.
Roasted Rhubarb
Ingredients:
100% Rhubarb stocks, cleaned and peeled
10% sugar
1 spent vanilla pod for every 400 grams rhubarb
2 Seville oranges for every 400 grams rhubarb
Method:
Add all to a roasting pan. Cover with aluminum foil and cook at 325°F for 15 minutes. Stalks should be tender but not falling apart. Remove cooked rhubarb and return uncooked pieces to the oven as necessary.
Dehydrated Rhubarb
Ingredients:
Rhubarb stocks, cleaned, peeled, and sliced on a mandolin.
Simple Syrup
Method:
- Dip each rhubarb slice in simple syrup and place on plastic-lined dehydrating trays.
- Flip after 1 – 2 hours and shape into curls.
- Continue to dry overnight.