Rhubarb, with its vibrant pink color and tart flavor, is a true springtime treat. But what do you do when you find yourself with an abundance of this versatile vegetable? Fear not, rhubarb enthusiasts! This guide offers a plethora of ideas to help you transform your rhubarb bounty into culinary masterpieces.
Jam and Compote:
- Rhubarb Jam: A classic way to preserve the season’s flavors, rhubarb jam is a delightful spread for toast, yogurt, or even as a filling for pastries.
- Rhubarb Compote: This simple yet versatile sauce pairs beautifully with grilled meats, poultry, and even fish.
Sweet Treats:
- Rhubarb Crumble: A comforting classic, rhubarb crumble is a perfect dessert for a cozy evening.
- Rhubarb and Custard Scones: These fluffy scones combine the beloved flavors of rhubarb and custard for a delightful afternoon tea treat.
- Rhubarb and Custard Pancakes: Indulge in a stack of fluffy pancakes layered with creamy custard and syrupy rhubarb.
- Rhubarb Gin: Capture the essence of rhubarb in a refreshing and vibrant homemade gin.
- Rhubarb and Elderflower Cake: Celebrate the season with this stunning cake that combines the delicate flavors of rhubarb and elderflower.
- Cardamom, Rhubarb, and Ginger French Toast Traybake: Start your day with this impressive French toast traybake, infused with the warm spices of cardamom and ginger.
- Rhubarb and Custard Blondies: These blondies offer a clever twist on the classic crumble, with a chewy texture and a burst of rhubarb flavor.
- Rhubarb and Custard Tart: Impress your guests with this eye-catching tart, featuring a creamy custard filling and beautifully arranged rhubarb slices.
- Rhubarb Fool: This light and refreshing dessert showcases the vibrant color of forced rhubarb, paired with buttery pistachio and cardamom shortbreads.
- Rhubarb Crumble Muffins: Enjoy the flavors of a classic crumble in a convenient muffin form, perfect for a quick breakfast or snack.
Savory Delights:
- Rhubarb and Ginger Crème Brûlée: Elevate the classic French dessert with a rhubarb and ginger custard filling, topped with a caramelized sugar crust.
- Rhubarb and Gingernut Cheesecake: This no-bake cheesecake combines the tangy flavors of rhubarb with the spicy crunch of gingernut biscuits.
- Rhubarb and Vanilla Jam: Spread this homemade jam on toast or use it to swirl through creamy porridge or yogurt.
- Spelt Pancakes with Rhubarb: These pancakes offer a unique nutty flavor, perfectly complementing the vibrant rhubarb, orange, and almond topping.
- Rhubarb and Custard Cake: Enjoy a slice of this moist sponge cake, infused with the classic flavors of rhubarb and custard.
- Rhubarb and Date Chutney: This flavorful chutney adds a sweet and tart touch to cheeses, pâté, cold meats, and even sandwiches.
- Lemon and Rhubarb Rice Pudding: Spice up traditional rice pudding with the tangy flavors of lemon and rhubarb, perfect for a cold day treat.
- Russian Shashlik with Rhubarb Sauce: Elevate your lamb kebabs with a drizzle of homemade rhubarb sauce.
- Rhubarb and Ricotta Bread and Butter Pudding: Combine rhubarb with creamy ricotta in this classic bread and butter pudding.
Additional Rhubarb Inspiration:
- Rhubarb and Orange Slump: This American-style dessert features fluffy dumplings and a fruity sauce.
- Rhubarb and Star Anise Sorbet: This vibrant sorbet adds a refreshing touch to your desserts and cleanses the palate.
Tips for Using Rhubarb:
- Choose fresh rhubarb: Look for stalks that are firm, crisp, and free of blemishes.
- Trim the rhubarb: Remove the leaves, as they are poisonous.
- Wash and chop the rhubarb: Rinse the stalks and chop them into desired sizes.
- Cook or use raw: Rhubarb can be enjoyed raw in salads or cooked in various dishes.
- Store rhubarb properly: Wrap rhubarb in a damp paper towel and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
With these ideas and tips, you can transform your rhubarb bounty into a variety of delicious and creative dishes. So, get cooking and enjoy the unique flavors of this springtime vegetable!
How to prepare rhubarb
Even though it could be alluring to include them in a salad, rhubarb leaves should never be consumed. They contain oxalic acid, which is poisonous when ingested.
Using a small paring knife, remove any rough, stringy ribs from the maincrop rhubarb stalks; forced rhubarb shouldn’t need to be peeled.
After washing the stalks and cutting off the top and bottom, slice them into the shape you want.
Rhubarb can be cooked for 8 to 10 minutes in a stew or poached state, or it can be roasted for 15 minutes (forced) or 20 minutes (maincrop).
If you have too much rhubarb or don’t want to use it right away, you can freeze it in accordance with our instructions, whether it’s raw, blanched, or cooked.
Let’s start with a classic comfort food dish: rhubarb crumble. It’s the perfect pudding to serve to loved ones. Savor this divine blend of tart fruit filling, sugary crumble crust, and smooth vanilla custard.
These delectable scones have rhubarb and custard, two of Britain’s most popular flavor combinations. Serve with clotted cream for a delightful garden afternoon tea.
This gorgeous stack is a truly tantalizing treat, composed of layers of thick custard and syrupy rhubarb between fluffy pancakes. Also try our rhubarb & custard crêpes.
The popularity of gin isn’t going away, so stay up to date with our version with rhubarb. This is lovely and cool, and it will be perfect on a hot day.
This showstopping cake celebrates two seasonal crops: rhubarb and elderflower. When combined, they create a cake that tastes as good as it looks. Learn how to make best use of elderflowers.
With this easy yet decadent make-ahead French toast traybake, get your day started off right. This visually striking bake blends the zesty flavors of lemon and rhubarb with sweet orange, vanilla, cardamom, and cinnamon. It’s a great dish to serve up to six people and takes only 15 minutes to prepare. Everyone can help themselves from the baking dish. Just make sure no one’s hogging it!.
See our guide to the greatest large festive breakfasts for a crowd, and find more recipes for French toast if you’re planning a big breakfast bash.
This recipe achieves the traditional rhubarb flavor by ingeniously utilizing custard powder in the blondie batter. Discover more delicious blondies.
Bake these striking rhubarb Layer the remaining stems in tidy rows after blending some of the rhubarb into the custard filling for an extra flavor boost.
If you can’t decide between a tart and a crumble, try a rhubarb crumble for the best of both worlds.
With this gorgeous rhubarb fool, you can celebrate the gorgeous color of forced rhubarb. Perfectly complimenting the buttery pistachio and cardamom shortbreads is the creaminess of the fool. Discover how to create delicious, crumbly biscuits by using our shortbread recipes.
These delicious rhubarb crumble muffins are another clever reimagining of the traditional crumble. The rhubarb stalks give these generously sized bakes a beautifully moist texture, and the crunchy topping perfectly embodies the flavor of a crumble.
Make more delicious baked goods with these rhubarb Custard powder gives the blondie mixture an extra fudgy texture.
Consider using stewed rhubarb and ginger custard as the filling for a unique take on the traditional French dessert. It requires a bit more work, but it’s the ideal way to go all out for a special dinner. Discover more dinner party desserts.
Gingernut biscuits and tart rhubarb combine to create a creamy, no-bake cheesecake that’s ideal for spring. Later in the week, drizzle the remaining homemade rhubarb syrup over porridge. Try more no-bake cheesecakes.
Prepare some of our incredibly fruity rhubarb Swirling this compote through yogurt or creamy porridge is another delicious way to use it.
Sample our rhubarb
These pancakes have a distinct, nutty flavor from the spelt flour and olive oil, which goes well with the bright tang of the rhubarb, orange, almonds, and crème fraîche topping. Savor them as dessert, or better yet, combine them into a sumptuous breakfast spread to kick off your weekend?
Check out our tastiest pancake recipes if you’re planning a pampering weekend. Pancakes are always better when eaten with friends. To make sure you throw the greatest pancake party possible, follow our tips.
It makes sense that the traditional pairing of rhubarb and custard would be transformed into a fruity and light cake. Use homegrown roasted rhubarb to maximise on flavour. Snacky dessert options include serving this moist sponge with a dollop of yogurt or enjoying a slice with a cup of tea.
There are tons more rhubarb-infused baked goods available for you to sample:
Our rhubarb Give this hot spread a month to mature so that the flavor becomes rich and complex. It tastes just as good as a sandwich filler and pairs well with cheeses, pâté, and cold cuts.
If you’re pressed for time, try making our easier rhubarb chutney, which comes together in a matter of minutes.
For a tart, jammy treat, try blending rhubarb and lemon curd into traditional rice pudding. It’s free of gluten and a great treat on a chilly day!
See more of our rice pudding recipes and our gluten-free desert recipes for ideas on how to serve treats without gluten.
It’s easy to prepare and even quicker to eat this refreshing and zesty syllabub. The rhubarb compote will have a lovely spicy kick from the fresh ginger, which blends well with the creamy filling.
In addition to being a delightful dessert, rhubarb works well in savory recipes. A smear of rhubarb sauce accentuates these lamb kebabs prepared in the Russian manner. If the weather cooperates, they would be fantastic to share with friends and family at a laid-back get-together or spring barbecue.
Serve pork fillets stuffed with black pudding with roasted rhubarb for a sophisticated dinner party dish.
In a traditional bread, blend rhubarb with smooth ricotta cheese. Or try using rhubarb in other classic desserts like a steamed pudding, or venture further and prepare an American-style rhubarb
Why not try these decadent puddings with a bright pink rhubarb if these don’t sate your rhubarb cravings?
What to look for when buying rhubarb
While prime maincrop has bright green leaves and a redder tone, forced rhubarb should have watermelon pink color and pale green leaves. Choose plump and crisp stems instead of ones that are limp or slimy. Remember that the rhubarb will turn limp very quickly after the leaves are removed.
Rhubarb 101 – Everything You Need To Know About Rhubarb
FAQ
Can you freeze rhubarb?
What is the best use of rhubarb?
How do you preserve rhubarb?
What can I do with extra rhubarb?
This oatmeal is the perfect way to use up extra rhubarb. It’s fruity and delicious with just a little tang. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free and can be sugar-free. Made with fresh strawberry rhubarb simple syrup, this Lemonade is a refreshing and fun twist on the classic drink.
Can one use green rhubarb?
Green rhubarb is a vegetable similar to celery. You can eat its stems. Its leaves are toxic, so you should not eat them.
What is a good rhubarb snack?
It has tart bits of rhubarb, warm cinnamon, and a brown butter glaze that’s so good! Get the Cinnamon Rhubarb Bread recipe. These bars have a buttery crust, a gooey fruit filling, and a crumby oat topping. It’s just about the best snack you can have come spring! Get the Strawberry Rhubarb Bars recipe at Preppy Kitchen.
What can I eat with rhubarb compote?
You could use maple syrup or honey instead of sugar if you prefer, and add some ginger for a tasty antioxidant boost too. That’s really all there is to it. You could eat your rhubarb compote with yoghurt or alongside your grilled pork chops at dinner.