I like to poach rhubarb in a light sugar syrup – so that you can easily tweak the sweetness and texture according to your tastes.
Eat it for breakfast with some granola, yogurt, or creme fraiche, or serve it with a Wee Almond Cake…or serve it with a pork chop like a spring applesauce!
Place in medium saucepan:
- 2 C water
- 1 C sugar (add 1/2 C more if you like it sweet)
- One vanilla bean (scrape the seeds in, but throw the pod in too)
- zest of one lemon & one orange (use veg peeler for big ribbons)
- pinch salt
Heat and swirl to help dissolve the sugar. Simmer together for about 10 minutes, or make ahead and keep in the fridge till you’re ready to use it.
Poach the rhubarb in the sugar syrup for about 3 minutes – taste it, and remove with slotted spoon, or cook for a minute longer.
Try and not go too far – keep some of the ‘tooth’ of the rhubarb so that it holds its shape and has a slight crunch.
If you don’t have a vanilla bean in your cupboard, test out 1 Tbsp of black peppercorns – they’re surprisingly good with fruit like rhubarb, and it doesn’t come out as a really strong flavor, just something that is a little bit floral.
Now you have this beautiful rosy rhubarb syrup that you can use to make a spritzer or cocktail! Just add to mineral water with a squeeze of lemon, maybe some mint or vodka…
