FoodFrom4 » rhubarb

Rhubarb Cheesecake

Ian Fischer — Thu, 05 May 2011 19:26:19 +0000

To put it mildly, my rhubarb this year hasn’t been a success. Spindly, green and very very bitter. Having to add so much sugar to make it palatable undoes all the good eating home grown, organic food does for you. So I cut it all down, smothered the whole lot in well rotted manure and now I wait to see if it grows back pinker and sweeter.

In the meantime my allotment neighbour, Lesley the Vicar’s wife, kindly allowed me to pick some of hers. I must say that every time I look at what she’s growing a strange feeling starts to take control. I think it may be allotment envy.

So, shiny, sweet, pink rhubarb in hand, I thought a nice tangy cheesecake would go down a treat with this early Summer we have been experiencing. The base is classic unbaked cheesecake. The topping is a sort of mix between a cheesecake mixture and a fruit fool.

This made about 8 individual cheesecakes which I served in a selection of old school desert glasses found in various local charity shops.

for the base
200g digestive biscuits – crushed
100g butter – melted

the topping
4 sticks of rhubarb – chopped
4 tablespoons caster sugar
4 tablespoons water
½ ball of stem ginger – very finely chopped
a little of the syrup from the stem ginger
200g low fat cream cheese
200ml double cream

Start by making the base. Mix the melted butter into the crushed biscuits, divide equally into your glasses or dishes, press down a little then place in the fridge to set.

Place the rhubarb, water and sugar in a pan, cover and heat gently until the rhubarb is nice a soft. Add the chopped ginger and the syrup. Leave to cool.

Beat the cream cheese and add the cooled stewed rhubarb. Whip the double cream until it holds its shape. Fold into the cheese and rhubarb mixture. Divide equally into the glasses onto the biscuit base. Chill again in the fridge for about an hour.

Steamed Rhubarb & Ginger Sponge Pudding

Ian Fischer — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:18:42 +0000

Rhubarb growing well down the allotment, seemed a shame to leave it there not being eaten. I used two sticks for this. Turned out nice, but I couldn’t find any ice cream or cream in the house to go with it. I think perhaps a little créme fraiche would go nicely with it to cut through the sweet tartness of the rhubarb.

To make the rhubarb and ginger syrup

200g rhubarb cut into smallish rough chunks
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons caster sugar
½ a piece of stem ginger – very finely chopped

Heat gently with the lid on until mushy. Remove lid and allow to cool then add a further 80g caster sugar and mix well.

For the sponge
100g softened butter
100g self raising flour
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar then add the eggs, flour and baking powder. Mix well.

Take either one pudding basin or eight mini ones. Brush the inside with a little melted butter.

Now put the rhubarb mixture at the bottom of the basin, or divide evenly between the eight mini ones. Then cover with the sponge mixture.

Cover the basins with foil, place in a large pan, add about 2cm of water, cover and boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour for small ones, hour and a half for a large one. Serve hot with something creamy.

Rhubarb

Ian Fischer — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:27:58 +0000

The rhubarb I planted last year starting to come through on the allotment now. I thought I had lost it but a bit of TLC and a lot of horse manure and it seems to be flourishing again. The trick appears to be to expose the crown to very cold frosts over winter then cover them with a blanket of nice warm manure around mid February.

Here is a simple, but delicious recipe that will impress dinner party guests. Very quick to make, but you need to allow plenty of time for the fool to chill before serving. The quantities below will make enough for six people.

Rhubarb Fool

450g rhubarb – cut into 1cm chunks
Place in pan with 4 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp water
Heat until the sugar dissolved and the rhubarb softened – about 10 mins.
Add some more sugar (about 80g). Stir gently and leave to cool

Take 284ml carton of double cream and whisk into soft peaks.

Fold in the rhubarb along with the syrup

Divide the mixture into six martini or similar glasses and place in the fridge for at least two hours before serving with some good quality shortbread.