Baked Sticky Rhubarb Pudding Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to cook rhubarb? ›

Method. Put the rhubarb into a saucepan with the orange zest, juice, sugar and 2 tbsp water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 8 mins until the rhubarb is cooked but still holds its shape.

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.

Wash rhubarb with cool tap water, but do not soak.

Absolutely not. I have never pre-cooked the rhubarb. In fact, I think it would be a runny mess if you did.

Peeling it seemed to somewhat reduce the bitterness. Rhubarb can be baked into muffins, cakes, squares, even used as a pizza topping. Stewed up with a little sugar (to taste) and water, it can be a topper for ice cream or biscuits, or eaten on its own.

Crisp apple slices compliment rhubarb's flavor as well, along with other in-season fruits, like plums and peaches. However, there's a softer, floral flavor that might just be the ultimate match for this sharp-tasting veggie, and that's lavender.

To pick rhubarb, hold the stalk firmly, pull and twist. Do not use a knife to cut the stalks from the plant. The knife can carry diseases from plant to plant, and the remaining stalk can be a point of entry for other pests.

Typically, you would only eat the stalk of a rhubarb plant, which is safe to eat both raw and uncooked, according to Richter. The stalk contains no poisons, and you will normally not get sick eating it, though you'll likely want to sweeten or cook the stalk before eating it to make it more palatable.

Why do you put a bucket over rhubarb? ›

Earlier harvests of sweeter, tender, pale stalks can be produced by covering rhubarb plants with a forcing jar, tall bucket or dustbin in mid-winter, so the stems form in the dark. Choose an early variety, such as 'Timperley Early', and only use a strong, healthy plant.

By the time the flower stalks (which you should remove) appear the stalks will be getting more stringy and woody. By early summer you should be done harvesting and should be letting the rhubarb plants recover and grow stronger. It needs to build up food supply for itself in its roots for next spring.

As rhubarb cooks it releases a lot of moisture, so there's rarely any need to add much extra liquid.

Rhubarb is acidic – you shouldn't cook it in aluminium, copper, or iron pans that react. In metal pans, rhubarb turns brownish and the pan discolours. Instead, cook rhubarb in coated pans or glass baking pans.

The fiber in rhubarb helps keep things moving through your digestive tract, preventing problems such as constipation. It also contains compounds called sennosides, which act as natural laxatives. The tannins in rhubarb also provide anti-diarrheal effects.