The New Rhubarb

Over the past week or so, the rhubarb has come on leaps and bounds. In fact all the plants now seem to be making up for lost time. I was going to wait a few more days before picking my first crop, but decided I would be giving the smaller shoots a chance by cutting some of the (not much) bigger ones, mainly by removing their leaf canopy. So it was a gesture of goodwill really.

I picked just under 600g once the leaves were removed, and chopped them into approx. 1cm lengths. They went into a heavy based pan on the simmering plate, stirred with 200g of sugar, (150g cinnamon sugar and 50g soft brown sugar,) and cooked for around 20 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally. 

After a few stirrings, the fruit breaks down and produces a lovely pulpy jam. This proportion of sugar to fruit works better for eating 'as is' than 50:50 (which I used last year.) It gives the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, and the cinnamon sugar adds an element of toffee apples. Highly recommended. I will mainly be eating this with Greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream, or straight out of the pan.

Edible Garden - The Beginning

This year I am determined to have an edible garden. We have the vegetable patches already allocated against the south west facing wall, and I have started the seeds off indoors. Here are some 'before' pictures. The rhubarb is already planted (from previous years) and is starting to come up. The espalier trees have nothing to show as yet. The lovage was donated by our kind next door neighbour, and the raspberry and blackcurrant canes have just been planted this month. Much weeding and bed reinforcements are on the agenda before the plants go in. Mainly I can't wait to get my new plant identifying sticks in the ground (check out the lovage!)

Cocktail of the Month

My husband Mark spends many an hour inventing and drinking cocktails at home. We don't get out much. With the rhubarb compote to hand, he decided to make a rhubarb based cocktail. This one is based on a 'Knickerbocker', but with the all important addition of rhubarb compote. Another one we tried which only involves one other ingredient is our south west Edinburgh take on the 'Bellini', the 'Balerni'. (Arf)

The Rhubocker
2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
2 tsps Rhubarb Compote

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard. Serve in a chilled martini glass.

The Balerni
Put 1-2 tsp rhubarb compote at the bottom of a champagne glass. Top up halfway with either champagne, prosecco or cava. Stir carefully with a swizzle stick, then fill the rest of the glass with bubbly. If you have enough of them it counts towards your five a day.

Here's a picture of the compote. I realise the colours aren't quite done justice, but please don't let that put you off.

Here's a couple of pics of the Victoria sponge. I used a mixture of whipped double and clotted cream in the filling alongside the compote. In hindsight I would have made the compote a bit tarter for using in the sponge as I like a bit of the sweetness cut through - it means you can eat more without feeling sick.

Rhubarb Rhubarb

So rhubarb has been the only successful vegetable in the garden this year thus far, and that's because it took it upon itself to come up again this spring, and keep coming up after I picked it. Any vegetables waiting for me to cultivate them have had a long wait. 
Anyway, I've had quite a few successful batches of rhubarb and ginger ice cream over the summer, even impressed a friend. The final crop of rhubarb sat in the ground for far too long, and I only picked it last week. The snails had had their fill and it took a machete like blow to cut through it, but after a night in the Rayburn simmering oven, an afternoon in the roasting oven and a good whizz in the blender, the most delicious compote was born.

Rhubarb and Ginger Ice Cream
500g Rhubarb stems, washed and cubed
250g Sugar
Heaped tsp ground ginger
150-200ml double cream

Simmer the rhubarb, sugar and ginger together until soft and pulpy, stirring occasionally.
Leave to cool.
Mix in the double cream and set your ice cream maker a-whirring. Empty into the ice cream maker and churn until nearly frozen. Transfer to your designated tupperware and either freeze for a further hour, or eat in semi freddo state. Enjoy!

Old Rhubarb Compote
Wash, chop and weigh your end of season rhubarb stems, then transfer to a heavy based casserole type dish with a lid. Add half your rhubarb weight in lovely brown sugar (ideally Barbados, otherwise Demerara).
Stir briefly, put the lid on and transfer to your Rayburn simmering oven overnight.
Transfer to the roasting oven the next day, but don't raise the oven temperature from the 'idling' setting. Sometime that afternoon/evening take the rhubarb out of the oven and whizz it with a hand held blender. Watch it transform from insipid lumpy murk to a rich fruity compote before your eyes. If it's still a bit fibrous you could sieve it at this stage.
You can eat this on its own with a spoon, with plain yogurt, vanilla ice cream or as a jam substitute. I'm going to use some as an alternative Victoria sponge filling with some whipped cream.