Spring is only round the corner. I love forced rhubarb – it’s such a wonderful product. It’s the acidity levels – it’s a lot more piquant.
The great thing about rhubarb is its diversity. Chefs are starting to experiment more with sweet and savoury uses for forced rhubarb – it works wonderfully with fish, for example. Thanks to some of the more modern techniques like water bathing you are able to do a much more in terms of poaching and controlling temperature.
Rhubarb is such a delicate thing you have to poach it really gently. You used to have to put it into hot liquids and let it cool down but with water baths and sous vide techniques you can treat it more carefully.
Sous vide is a great way to keep its shape without damaging the shape. You can put different flavours in – like orange. You put orange oil, juice and / or zest – some people would reduce it have more of a concentrated flavour then poach at a low temperature.
You can poach the skin and dry it and make it rhubarb crisps. What I learnt is you take the pink bit and dip in stock syrup then dry over heat lamps or a low oven – like you would do with meringue. Or a fairly cool oven with door oven. You have to have time and patience. It’s makes a nice garnish and when you dip in stock syrup you get pink colour and shine and colour.
With a dehydrator you can make rhubarb powders by dehydrating then blending as a powder. Imagine – with a piece of Sole fish, for example. You can sprinkle over some powder. Instead of adding lemons or acid you are adding a piquant rhubarb. The skin bit you dip in a stock and dry out and becomes like a tuile. How about a rhubarb and custard meringue. You are getting the flavour profile as you can colour the meringue yellow then you sprinkling on the rhubarb dust.
