Rhubarb Dessert Recipe (2025)

1

Begin by making the rhubarb jus. Combine all of the ingredients in a heatproof bowl, cover with cling film and place over a pan of barely simmering water. Leave to soften for 45-60 minutes, so the rhubarb releases plenty of juice

2

Pour the softened rhubarb into a chinois strainer lined with 4 layers of muslin, allowing all the clear juice to strain through. Leave to strain naturally overnight, without pushing or applying pressure. When ready, refrigerate until required

3

Make the orange sugar by combining water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, stir until dissolved and remove from the heat

4

Peel the zest from the orange, taking care to remove all of the white pith. Place into a separate saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Strain and repeat this process twice more, before adding the zest to the sugar syrup in a separate saucepan

5

Allow the syrup and zest to simmer gently for 30 minutes, before straining and placing on a tray lined with silicone paper. Reserve a small amount of the zest for garnish and de-hydrate the remainder until completely dry. Alternatively, place in the oven on a very low heat overnight

6

Combine the dried orange zest with caster sugar in a spice grinder using the ratio of 1 part zest: 3 parts sugar (in grams). Blitz to create the spiced orange sugar and set aside until required

7

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

8

To roast the rhubarb, place the rhubarb sticks in a small oven tray and pour over 100ml of the jus. Cover the tray with tin foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. When roasted and still slightly firm, set aside to cool, reserving 1 rhubarb stick for the purée

9

Make the purée by blitzing the reserved rhubarb stick and dash of the poaching liquor in a blender. Blend on a high speed, adding a little more of the liquor until the purée is very smooth. Pass through a fine strainer and store in a squeeze bottle until required

10

Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7

11

To make the pastry garnish, roll the puff pastry to a thickness of 5mm. Dust with icing sugar and place in the fridge to chill and rest for 10 minutes. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until light and golden brown in colour

12

While the pastry cools slightly, preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 9

13

Cut the pastry to the required shapes and sizes, dust heavily with icing sugar, and place into the preheated oven until the sugar becomes a deep caramel - take care not to let them burn

14

While the sugar in the puff pastry is still hot and sticky, sprinkle the pastry with the infused orange sugar while it is still hot from the oven, and set to one side

15

For the orange segments, glaze each segment using a blow torch to lightly caramelise. Add the orange juice to a pan, reduce on a medium heat to a glaze/syrupy consistency and brush over the segments

16

Prepare the Chantilly cream by combining the cream, vanilla and sugar in a bowl and whisking to form medium peaks. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate until required

17

To serve, cut the sticks of roast rhubarb in to 8cm batons, using any off-cuts for smaller decorative pieces. Divide the prepared rhubarb evenly between 4 plates. Slice the glazed orange segments in half and divide between the plates along with the reserved orange zest from step 5

18

Pipe small dots of the Chantilly cream around the plate. Finally, add a rocher of vanilla ice cream, some violet petals, coriander cress and the crystallised puff pastry. Serve immediately