Forgotten Rhubarb Recipes • from crumble to fool! (2024)

FAQs

How do you reduce the rhubarb tartness? ›

Solution: Soak the rhubarb in water to reduce the acid, simmer in orange juice and sugar (and don't stir too much) to retain texture and color, and layer with lightly whipped, sweetened cream for ideal flavor and texture and an attractive, unusual presentation.

Rhubarb has a lot of water, more than you would think when you look at it and cut into it. This means, if you don't add enough thickener to it, the juices will create a soupy filling that is difficult to serve and quite watery.

You'll usually find rhubarb baked into sweets, like rhubarb crisp (topped with a brown sugar crumble), rhubarb pie, or rhubarb custard cake. It's great solo, but also plays well with sweeter fruits. In one classic pairing, strawberry-rhubarb pie, the sweet flavor of the fruit complements tart rhubarb.

Sweeten It: Rhubarb's natural tartness can be balanced with sugar or other sweeteners. You can make rhubarb compote, pie, or jam by simmering chopped rhubarb with sugar until it becomes tender and sweet. Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste.

How Do You Neutralize Sour Taste in Food? If a dish is too sour, add a little bit of sugar! Sweetness balances out sour flavors, so if something makes your mouth pucker, a dash of sugar may help soften the blow of the sour food.

Rhubarb shows off it's stripes

This article recommends poaching the rhubarb in a sugar syrup first and you can add flavors like vanilla, cardamom, star anise or even lemon to add a unique twist and a recipe for Vanilla-poached rhubarb pound cake.

If possible, drain or dip off some of the liquid. Then, stir in a little flour or oats, and bake a little longer. About 10–15 minutes should do. To add even more crisp, top generously with granola.

If you think it's too wet, add a little more flour to soak up the extra butter.

If you already have kidney disease, avoid rhubarb. Kidney stones: Rhubarb contains a chemical that the body can convert into kidney stones. If you have ever had kidney stones, don't take rhubarb.

What does rhubarb do to your body? ›

Health benefits of rhubarb may include:

Aiding digestion. Lowering blood pressure. Reducing the risk of cancer. Reducing inflammation.

Rhubarb leaves contain a poison called oxalic acid, so should never be eaten – cut them off and discard. Maincrop rhubarb can sometimes have tough, stringy ribs, so after washing it, strip these off with a small, sharp knife and slice the stalk thinly or thickly as required.

In Jenny's mind, rhubarb needs little more than two additional ingredients and 30 minutes in the oven to come to life. It also can rely on some of nature's best sweeteners—honey and orange juice—to bring it to its sweetest, most flavorful heights.

The perennial plant is a member of the Polygonaceae family and is widely grown outside and in hot greenhouses (hothouses). Rhubarb can be a healthy addition to your diet because it is naturally low in sugar and high in fiber. Many recipes that include rhubarb are desserts and can sometimes be high in sugar.

Stick to the stems if you're eating rhubarb raw—the leaves are poisonous. I repeat: Rhubarb leaves are poisonous. The leaves contain oxalic acid, which can be fatal to both people and pets if consumed in large amounts.

Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal.

Rhubarb varieties

The stalks come in two different colors, red and green. It is said that the green varieties are a bit more tart and have a sharper taste than the red types.

Sourness comes from acidic ingredients (including tomatoes, wine and vinegar). If your dish tastes too sour try to add sweetness—think sugar, honey (it's healthy!), cream or even caramelized onions. You can also dilute the dish (same as you would with a dish with too much salt).

Removing the first layer of skin will take away its "rubbery taste" and bring out the stalk's most appealing flavors, and the brown sugar will temper the tartness.