Rhubarb & Ginger Chutney makes the grade

I was delighted to support a Doncaster Heritage Skills baking session earlier in the year and  demonstrate a few recipes. Grandma’s mantra was ‘Waste not want not’ and when there were gluts of produce, nothing ever went to waste.  This year has been a good one for Rhubarb, but there are only so many Rhubarb Crumbles to eat so I made this spicy Rhubarb and Ginger Chutney. It got thumbs up all round!

What you need …

1kg/2.2lbs rhubarb

300ml/½ pint white wine or cider vinegar

2 onions (chopped)

10g lump root ginger peeled and finely chopped

1 cinnamon stick

½ tsp salt

350g brown sugar

How to prepare …

Trim and wash the rhubarb, slice it into fairly fine chunks. Heat the chopped onions, vinegar, ginger, sugar and salt in a wide based non aluminium pan. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, then add the rhubarb. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Put into sterilised jars and leave to cool.

Meryl says : It needs a bit more boiling than other chutneys but well worth the effort and especially if you like a milder chutney it will go well with cheese and meats throughout the year.

Try more Rhubarb recipes

Rhubarb Betty

Rhubarb Crumble

French Rhubarb Flan

Rhubarb Tart/Rhubarb Lattice Tart

Rhubarb Tutti-frutti Crumble

or Chutney Recipes 

Apple Chutney

Cranberry & Apple Chutney

Mango & Apple Chutney

Mango Chutney

Meryl says : Whatever you bake this month, enjoy it!

French Rhubarb Flan isn’t just rhubarb, rhubarb!

French Rhubarb Flan 

The annual Rhubarb Festival in Wakefield in February marks the appearance of forced rhubarb. I love the tender sweetness of the young rhubarb, grown in dark sheds in the Rhubarb Triangle in West Yorkshire. It makes delicious rhubarb crumbles and tartes to savour. Looking through an old recipe book, I came across French Rhubarb Flan. It looks impressive but is easy to bake.

 French Rhubarb Flan

250g/9oz Rhubarb

1 tbsp Demerara sugar

175g/6oz shortcrust pastry

50g/2oz butter

50g/2oz (golden) caster sugar

2 eggs – yolks and whites separated

1 tbsp milk

50g/2oz plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

25g/1oz ground almonds

½ tsp ground ginger

50g/2oz (white) caster sugar

Pre heat the oven to 325F, Mark 3, 160C, 140C Fan.

Prepare the Rhubarb

Wash and cut the rhubarb into 2cms/1 inch chunks. Place on a baking tray and sprinkle the sugar over them. Then cook the pieces in the oven for about 15 minutes until tender but so they still hold their shape. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly. Line a 21 cm/8 inch flan dish with the pastry, wrap in cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Prepare the Filling

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the yolks of eggs and mix with the milk. Then mix the flour, ground almonds, ginger and baking powder together. Add the flour and egg mixtures alternately to the creamed butter and sugar, mixing well. Place the cooked rhubarb pieces in the flan dish over the pastry and then spoon the mixture over the rhubarb. Bake for 30 minutes and remove from the oven to add the meringue topping.

Prepare the meringue topping

Whisk the whites of the eggs in a bowl until stiff. Add the sugar a little at a time and continue to whisk. Spoon the meringue on the top of the tart and make a pattern of swirls. Cook in a slow oven for about 20-25 minutes until the meringue is slightly brown.

Meryl says : Serve hot or cold with crème fraiche, yoghurt, ice cream or custard. It will keep well for a couple of days. What your favourite Rhubarb recipe? 

Fiesta time in the Rhubarb Triangle

Glorious forced pink Rhubarb

February marks the major event of the year in the Rhubarb calendar. Grown in an area around Wakefield in the north of England, in warm, dark ‘forcing sheds’, this pink fleshy plant is a popular Yorkshire treat. There’s a big Rhubarb Festival going on around the end of February in Wakefield.  The area where it’s grown is famously called the Rhubarb Triangle and you can even go on a tour of the forcing sheds.

Grandma’s Tips for cooking Rhubarb

Grandma usually stewed Rhubarb by cutting off the leaves, washing the sticks and cutting each stick into pieces each one about 2 inches/50 cms long. Then she placed them in a pan over the hob with a little water and sugar.

When she had lovely forced pink Rhubarb, she would wash and cut the pieces and sprinkle demerara sugar over them. Then she would cook them in the oven (325F, Mark 3, 160C) for about 15 minutes until tender. This way the Rhubarb retains its maximum flavour and the pieces look like pink jewels!

Sprinkle with sugar 

Cooked Rhubarb - jewels in the crown!

Grandma used to make delicious crumbles and pies but one of my favourite desserts is Rhubarb Tart.

Rhubarb Tart

To make Shortcrust pastry

4 oz(110g) butter

8 oz (225g) plain flour

Salt

1 egg

A little water (or a little milk and water)

Rub the butter into the flour and salt. When the mixture is like breadcrumbs, make a well and add the egg. Add the water to make a dough. Let it stand for ½ hour in a cool place before rolling out. 

For the filling

Rhubarb (about 450g) prepared and cooked as above

2 oz (50g) butter

2 oz (50g) caster sugar

1 egg beaten

2 oz (50g) self raising flour

1 oz (25g) ground almonds

A little milk to glaze

Sugar to sprinkle on the top

Roll the pastry out to cover a 9 inch (23 cm) flan dish, reserving the trimmings of the pastry for the lattice decoration. Spread the cooked Rhubarb on the bottom of the pastry base. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, a little at a time, fold in the flour and ground almonds. Spread over the Rhubarb. Bake in the oven at 35oF, Mark 4, 180C for about 25 minutes.

If you have spare pastry trimmings you can make a Rhubarb Lattice Flan. Roll out the trimmings of the pastry and cut into thin strips to criss cross the top of the flan. Moisten the ends of the strips with water and arrange over the filling, pressing the wetted ends to seal. Brush the lattice with milk and sprinkle with sugar. 

 Rhubarb Rhubarb