Rhubarb, Seasonal Ingredient for April

Did you know rhubarb is botanically a vegetable but is treated as a fruit despite its sour taste? Try our delicious rhubarb recipe from the comfort of your own at home.

Vanilla panna cotta with orange poached rhubarb

Makes 4 portions

Ingredients

• Double cream 600g

• Milk 100g

• Vanilla extract 1 tsp

• Gelatine 12g

• Caster sugar 180g

• Rhubarb 250g

• Orange

Method

Panna Cotta

• Add the cream, 50% of the sugar and vanilla extract to a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.

• Soak the gelatine in the milk until softened.

• Add the gelatine to the cream and mix until melted, strain into a jug and pour into moulds or glasses and set for a minimum or 4 hours in the fridge

• If using a mould place in warm water for 20 seconds to release the panna cotta and turn out onto a plate

Poached Rhubarb

• Trim the top and bottom from the rhubarb and dice into 1 inch pieces

• Add remaining sugar, zest and juice from 1 orange and 150g water to a saucepan

• Gently poach the rhubarb until tender around 8 minutes

• Allow to cool in the fridge and add to the top of the panna cotta if serving in a glass or arrange on the plate for garnish

• Use remaining syrup as a dressing for the poached rhubarb

Benefits of Rhubarb

• A 100g serving of Rhubarb contains up to 35% of your recommended daily intake for Vitamin K1 this doesn’t change if it is cooked or raw

• 1 of your 5 a day

• Low in calories

• Reduced cholesterol – in a study eating as little as 25g of rhubarb for a month can reduce your cholesterol by up to 8%