POACHED RHUBARB WITH BUTTERMILK PUDDING, HONEYCOMB & GINGER WINE

 POACHED RHUBARB WITH 

BUTTERMILK PUDDING,

HONEYCOMB & GINGER WINE

INGREDIENTS

BUTTERMILK PUDDING

 150ml/'/4 pint whipping cream

65g/2oz caster sugar

l ^3/4 leaves of gelatine

300ml/1/2 pint buttermilk

Juice of I lemon

 POACHED RHUBARB

3 sticks of rhubarb

200ml/^1/3 pint sweet white wine

 200g/7oz caster sugar

 50ml/2fl oz beetroot juice

RHUBARB CRISP

 IOOg/3 1/2oz water

100g/3 1/ 20Z caster sugar

2 drops of red food colouring

I stick of rhubarb

RHUBARB SORBET

250g/9oz poached rhubarb skins

100ml/3 1/2 fl oz rhubarb syrup

 40ml/l 1/2 fl oz inverted sugar syrup

I leaf of gelatine

HONEYCOMB

I 10g/4oz caster sugar

55ml/2fl oz honey

  

40ml/1 1/2fl oz liquid glucose

4 tsp water

1 tsp sodium bicarbonate

 GINGER WINE FLUID GEL

40g/1 1/2oz caster sugar

125ml/4fl oz Stone's ginger wine

  

1/3 tsp agar agar powder Juice of 1/2 a lemon

TO DECORATE

  

Wild wood sorrel leaves

Early-season rhubarb signifies the start of spring and at The

Grove we grow three heritage varieties, ‘Victoria, ‘Timperley’ and

‘Champagne’, which generally see us through until the end of

summer. Its natural sweet ’n’ sour flavour makes it perfect for

sweet and savoury dishes, and if Duncan has a lot left at the end

of the season he uses it for chutneys and preserves. For this recipe

his preference would be to use the ‘Champagne’ variety of

rhubarb - its delicate crisp flavour and vivid pink colour are

perfect. However any rhubarb variety can be used, but add a little

extra sugar if it is particularly sour.

 METHOD

1)    For the buttermilk pudding, in a small saucepan, warm 50ml/2fl oz of the cream with the sugar until the sugar

dissolves. Soften the gelatine in cold water, squeeze out any excess water and add to the warm cream and sugar. Stir

until the gelatine is completely dissolved. Place the buttermilk into a mixing bowl, add the cream mixture and

combine well. Lightly whip the rest of the cream to the ribbon stage and fold it into the buttermilk. Fold in the lemon

juice. Pour into .lightly greased moulds and refrigerate until set.

2)        For the poached rhubarb, using a vegetable peeler, peel the outer red skin from the rhubarb. Retain the skin and

the stalks. In a saucepan, combine the wine, sugar and rhubarb skins, Bring to the boil and remove from the heat,

Allow to cool, then pass the mixture through fine sieve. Retain the skins and the syrup for poaching and to make the

sorbet. Cut the peeled rhubarb into pieces about 3cm/ 1/4in long and place in a vacuum pouch along with 100ml/ 3

1/2fl oz syrup. Vacuum and seal the pouch, then cook in a water bath at 60°C/140°F for 12—15 minutes until the

rhubarb is soft to the touch. Allow tool then remove from the bag. Retain the rhubard pieces and the syrup.

3   For the rhubarb crisp, make a stock syrup by combining the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil

until the sugar has dissolved. Add the food colouring, mix well and allow to cool slightly. Peel the outer skin from the

rhubarb stalk and, using a vegetable peeler, remove even strips of rhubarb from the top of - to the bottom. Dip the strips of

rhubarb and lay the strips flat and straight on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. Place the rhubarb strips in a

dehydrator, or a very low oven (65 C/150 F/gas mark 1/4) with the door slightly ajar until they are completely dry. Remove the strips from the silicone mat and store until required in an airtight container.

For the rhubarb sorbet, in a blender, puree the poached rhubarb skins until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve to

remove any stringy fibres. Gently warm the rhubarb syrup and inverted sugar

4  syrup in a saucepan, then add the rhubarb puree. Soften the gelatine in cold water, squeeze out any excess water and

add to the warm mixture to dissolve the gelatine. Allow this mixture to cool and churn it in an ice cream machine until

it forms a sorbet. Remove from the ice cream machine and keep in a freezer until needed.

5       For the honeycomb, place all the ingredients, except the sodium bicarbonate, in a large saucepan and cook over a

high heat until the mixture turns a light caramel colour. Remove from the heat and add the sodium bicarbonate to the

pan and quickly whisk into the mixture for 10—15 seconds until the mixture achieves a honeycomb colour. Using a

spatula, carefully pour the honeycomb from the pan on to a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper and allow to

cool. The honeycomb can be broken or chopped into smaller pieces and kept for up to a week in an airtight container.

6   For the ginger wine fluid gel, in a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar into half of the ginger wine. Add the agar agar

to the saucepan and mix in well, bring to the boil and continue to 

stir well for 1-2 minutes until the agar agar has

dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and add the rest of the 

ginger wine and the lemon juice and combine well.

Pour the mixture into a container and refrigerate until the jelly 

has set firm. Place the jelly in a blender and blitz it at

high speed until the mixture is a smooth puree. It can then be 

transferred to a squeezy bottle to serve.

7 To serve, arrange the rhubarb pieces and a crisp rhubarb on a 

plate, On them, scatter some of the chopped

honeycomb, followed by the buttermilk pudding and rhubarb 

sorbet. Squeeze a few drops of the ginger wine fluid gel

around the dish and finish with a few wild wood sorrel leaves.

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