Ravishing Rhubarb Rounds

Ravishing Rhubarb Rounds

Hellooooo! I’m here! I’m back! 🙂 Not that I was ever really away, but some of you may have noticed I’ve been a bit distracted lately. This evening was the first time in almost a week that I ‘really’ thought about this post! The alphabet A-Z challenge has kept me blogging daily (as usual) but I’ve hardly had any time to spend in the kitchen. I’m very excited by this post! From when Sophie posted a rhubarb photo the other day I knew that ‘R’

had to be rhubarb. Rhubarb is one of those hardy plants that just suddenly starts poking out its pink stalks and unfurling its leaves.

This is what rhubarb looks like when it’s growing… for those of you who don’t grow it!

We water it. It grows. We cut it. We eat it. It grows more, we eat some more. Then it stops as quickly as it started and hides away for another year. Forgotten. If it wasn’t for the metal cylinder we have around its location,

Our rhubarb is contained in its own tin… a great use for an old dustbin!

I guess it would have been accidentally dug up years ago! So the rhubarb keeps coming. We keep eating crumble or compote and rhubarb grows on. But today! Ahhh… Today the rhubarb has a new face! This is just so clever even if I do say so myself!!! 😛 This is very exciting!!! So exciting that I can’t believe the thought never occurred to me before! You really need to make your rhubarb ravishing! 😛 Rhubarb, ginger, apple, walnuts and the ever clever ingredient… Polenta!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Remember… Life Diet Health was where you saw this first! 😛 🙂

Gather

• 3-4 rhubarb stalks (less if they’re really fat and long)
• splash of water
• sweetener if desired
• 200g unsweetened apple puree
• 20g date syrup
• pinch of ground ginger
• 40g polenta
• 20g walnuts roughly chopped
• —————————————-
• Topping (& Prettying!)
• Walnuts (2-3 halves per round) whole halves(!) or chopped
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar (per round)
• 3 teaspoons water (per round)
• Redcurrants or blueberries to serve
• Sprinkle of coconut sugar

Prepare

1. Wash the rhubarb and chop into 1-2cm chunks. Put in a pan with enough water to scarcely cover the bottom of the pan and heat gently. Add more water as required. Cook until soft but still with some form. Do a taste test for sharpness and sprinkle/squeeze/spoon over sweetener of choice if desired.
2. Put the apple puree in a pan and add in the date syrup.

   

   Stir the date syrup in to the apple puree

   
   

   Heat very gently until warmed through (don’t let it boil or burn).

3. Add the polenta

   

   You can add the polenta all at once and then stir

   
   

   and stir continuously until you have a very thick consistency

   

   Dense and almost choux pastry like consistency

   
   

   (the longer you stir, the thicker it will become).

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped walnuts.
5. Using a pastry cutter as a guide, spoon the mixture into rounds on a greased (or lined) baking tray.

   

   Make equal sized rounds using a pastry cutter as a guide

   
   

   Level the tops slightly (it is a sticky mixture so be warned)!

6. Bake at Gas Mark 6 (400f / 200c) for 10-15 minutes. They will brown slightly and remain soft with a slight crisp outside (so be careful when initially moving them off the baking tray).

   

   Deliciously cooked round… remove carefully as they will still be squidgy until cooled

   
   
7. If you are making the caramelised walnuts get everything ready first including either a cold plate or a piece of greaseproof paper. Put the sugar in a shallow (non stick) pan and shake slightly to warm through. Add the water and swirl to combine. This will look like a runny mess but as soon as you have a uniform liquid add the walnuts and keep the pan moving (you can use a spatula but try not to touch the walnuts too much). Suddenly your liquid will become sticky and the walnuts will get a gorgeous coating. Remove from the heat and the pan immediately and place on your plate or paper. Allow to cool and DON’T be tempted to lick the spatula or use your finger to scrape the pan IT WILL BURN YOU!
8. Allow the polenta rounds to cool slightly, then assemble with a round at the bottom, rhubarb in the centre and another round on top.
9. Decorate with the caramelised walnuts, fresh berries and a sprinkling of coconut sugar.
10. Enjoy!

Serve & Store

• Make in advance and don’t assemble until you need it! Rhubarb will save in the fridge for 2-3 days cooked.
• The great thing is these rounds store in the fridge for several days! AND you can pop them in the toaster and eat them for breakfast make this dessert over and over again! 😛
• Try serving with custard, ice cream or cream.
• Dress it up! Dress it down!