Do you like rhubarb?

[Jenise]

Personally, I have very little experience with it. Until very recently, I've had mostly inept, runny, soggy rhubarb pies and the like which absolutely killed any curiosity I had about it. Oh, and when I was a kid, my Grammy would make this green sludge that she'd eat out of a bowl at breakfast.

Then two things happened since moving to Washington: at a multi-course dinner in Vancouver designed for barolo, the chef served a genius course that was seared foie gras on an oaty rhubarb crumble that was the absolute perfection of sweet/sour in a way that matched the wines brilliantly. Would never in a million years have paired those two items but it was perfect in execution and purpose. And then, we went to Iceland one April where rhubarb in various delicious forms was a common garnish or ingredient at various high end restaurants. I guess it grows easily in volcanic rock.

So last week I was doing a southern themed dinner for another couple who happen to have a rhubarb plant but very little idea what to do with it--besides make desserts. So I bought a single branch of rhubarb with which to make a creamy vinaigrette dressing for grilled halves of little gem lettuce. And I picked the reddest one in the pile.

MISTAKE: my dressing, which tasted great, was the ugliest color of pink. My guests did not find it repulsive but I personally can't want to put something in my mouth that looks like a Revlon product. To disguise it, I scattered more chopped pecans and chives over the top, plus purple chive blossoms, than I would have otherwise, which actually turned out to be a positive. It was delicious, and my guests were duly impressed by the idea of a rhubarb based salad dressing--but I'm not doing that again.

This month's PLATE magazine is featuring rhubarb in unexpected ways. A clear broth for raw scallops, and kimchi arancini with rhubarb umeboshi in particular caught my eye. But first up I'm going to try to recreate that foie gras with rhubarb crumble.

Any rhubarb fans here?

Rhubarb? As a dessert, I can take it or leave it. Generally speaking, I like things with a sour tang. I've been fed some rhubarb desserts in my life that suffered because the cook tried to over-compensate for the sourness by loading it up with sugar - not an improvement, in my view. Apart from the usual Anglo-Oz array of stewed rhubarb, rhubarb pie, rhubarb crumble, steamed rhubarb sponge, I haven't come across it very much. Under-used and no doubt under-appreciated.

I'm not a fan.

-Paul W.

I think I recall a roast duck served with rhubarb. The rhubarb had been sweetened just a little bit, bringing the sourness down a little but still enough to cut through the fat. But that might be the only "savory" use I can recall.

It's been a while, but I like rhubarb. Even made a few rhubarb-strawberry pies in my life. When I lived in Pennsylvania, you could find it growing wild along roads. Another early name for it was "pie plant."

I'm not a fan, either. Almost any pie, except Rhubarb and Mince.

Fan is probably a stretch, but it's definitely a nice part of the seasonal shift in food. My wife downright loves it, we make compote for our daily breakfast with yogurt and fruit. But as a kid I enjoyed my mother's strawberry rhubarb pie. And yes, when chefs do clever and well-executed things, it usually tastes good!

[David M. Bueker]

Rhubarb - what people use to stretch too few strawberries.

[Jenise]

Glad to hear there are some fans. I started the umeboshi (essentially this is just a cure with a 2:1 ratio of sugar and salt) The recipe indicated two weeks to maturity, but 24 hours out I can attest to easily gnoshing my way through the whole container. Quite chewy, but I love chewy. And I love having a fridge full of pickly things to snack on. A number of neighborhood households have a plant they can never use enough of, so I'll have an unending supply for further exploration.

Sounds wonderful but, alas, I'm on low-carb. I recently bought Edie a sack of plums last week that are still crunchy as an apple and haven't an atom of sweetness. Talk about picking while unripe...

Love it.

We made rhubarb crumble Sunday and had it as dessert then and last night.

The plant grows well without maintenance or trouble from slugs etc, (though something takes some holes out of the leaves, but since you don't uses them its no concern.)

Love the taste of rhubarb - I put it in the same category as gooseberry.

Never had it in a pie, I'd assume its high moisture content would make the pie base soggy.

The other use we make of it is as rhubarb and ginger jam - gorgeous. We have it on scones at the weekend.

[Jenise]

I can see the gooseberry association, Peter.

To all: my day 3 cured rhubarb chunks are divine. So good that I made another batch because no way is the first group going to make it two weeks as described by the recipe. I don't think, in fact, that I'd want them to get a lot softer (which judging by the pic with the recipe is what would happen).

Never had it in a pie, I'd assume its high moisture content would make the pie base soggy.

I seem to recall that cornstarch (or another thickener) took care of the soggy problem.

I've had it cooked as a pot pie, the stewed fruit in a pie dish and a pastry lid over the top.

[Jenise]

Never had it in a pie, I'd assume its high moisture content would make the pie base soggy.

I seem to recall that cornstarch (or another thickener) took care of the soggy problem.

It does/would. But I think some people miscalculate the extent to which it will continue to weep post-thickening.

I have never been a huge fan, but I love trying new things with it. Last week on a hike by my house I went through hundreds of them growing in the wild. I will have to try the umeboshi method, sounds good!

It does/would. But I think some people miscalculate the extent to which it will continue to weep post-thickening.

Sounds like a great idea to eat it asap.