Question
I have a glut of rhubarb in my garden and am not sure what to do with it other than make crumble. Could you please give me some ideas?
Answer
Although treated as a fruit, rhubarb is actually a vegetable. It grows in various shades of vibrant pink and red, but perishes quickly, so look for bunches that are crisp and bright and remove leaves before storing in the refrigerator. The leaves are poisonous but the stalks have a multitude of uses — other than crumble.
Baked, poached or pureed, rhubarb has a wonderful affinity with custard and cream, fruit such as apples, pears, raspberries and strawberries and flavours such as coconut and ginger. It makes wonderful jam, ice cream, cakes, tarts and steamed puddings and also makes great chutney and relish to go with rich meat and cheese.
Pics: Rob Shaw/ bauersyndication.com.au
