17 May 2008

Joining the Rhubarb Ranks

So here's one of the after-the-fact photos, so you can at least see the wine I raved about and (sort of) see the dessert, though not as pretty as it was originally. These coconut creams with poached rhubarb are, however, quite tasty, and the recipe is fantastically easy. Though I first saw it on nami-nami's blog, I used the original version from the BBC's Good Food website because it has more sugar and I'm a fan of sweet things. I also used powdered gelatine, not leaf. A warning: gelatine is not, technically, vegetarian. Normally I wouldn't eat it for that reason, like I don't eat Worcestershire or Caesar dressing, but for some reason I can't bring myself to switch to agar agar. I'm not quite that hard core. If you are, you could probably substitute some other gelatine-like thing, but I have no idea what the proportions would be. Anyway, the basic idea is that you soften a packet of gelatine with just enough water to moisten all of it, and let it sit a few minutes while you warm a can of coconut milk on the stove with 2 T sugar. Stir till the sugar dissolves, and let it come just to a simmer. Remove from the heat and vigorously stir in the gelatine until you can't see any lumps. Let it cool a little before pouring into four glasses or small bowls (hot liquids might crack glass). Chill for at least four hours. Chop a bunch of rhubarb stalks (I used about 300 g), discarding the ends, into one-inch pieces. Weigh the rhubarb and stick it in a saucepan with 1/3 as much sugar (so 100 g for me) and just a splash of water. I used a large splash, and it was super liquidy, but that was all right. What you see pictured is less liquidy because it thickens in the fridge. Stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar and bring it up to a boil over medium heat. The whole process should take about ten minutes and the liquid should be reduced somewhat when it's ready, the rhubarb soft and broken down but still chunky. It will be pinker than mine, probably. My rhubarb was pretty green. Let cool at least to room temperature before spooning over the creams and chowing down.

2 comments:

Christopher said...

This sounds absolutely delightful and easy. I have to admit my first (and so far only) experience with rhubarb, in pie, wasn't so good, but I was young and my tastes have changed...although fortunately I've never outgrown my love of anything coconut. This really makes me want to try it.

Avory said...

Christopher - I feel like I must have had rhubarb pie before, and liked it, because there's something familiar about the taste, but I can't put a finger on it. Thanks for stopping by!