Rhubarb and Ginger Trifles

This is a rhubarb recipe you can make with only two stalks of rhubarb and it will feed a family of four.  I usually have a pack of trifle sponges or some sponge fingers in my cupboard as I find that a trifle will stretch the most meagre of ingredients into a feast.

Rhubarb and Ginger Trifles
Serves 4

4 trifle sponges
2 tbsp Madeira, Sherry or orange juice
2 stalks of rhubarb
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp caster sugar
250g ready made custard
150 ml double or whipping cream
20 g flaked almonds

1. Chop the rhubarb into small pieces and place in a saucepan with the ginger and the sugar, heat gently until the juices run and the rhubarb is soft.  Put the rhubarb to one side to cool.
2. Place one trifle sponge in the base of each of the ramekins, pour 1/2 a tbsp of Madeira, Sherry or orange juice over each one. 
3. Divide the poached rhubarb between the ramkeins along with any of the remaining juices.
4. Cover the rhubarb with custard.
5. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, either pipe it on top or spoon it over the custard.
6. Toast the flaked almonds in a dry pan until they start to turn golden, let them cool.  Just before serving sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top of the trifles.

Labels: cream, custard, Ginger, rhubarb, The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up, trifle

posted by Janice @ 19:33 8 Comments

Easy Rhubarb Millefeuille for the Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up

The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round Up Linky Party opened on Saturday and is proving very popular.  I'm not quite sure why we have such an affection for these acidic pink stems.  I can only imagine that it is because they are the first 'fruit' of the year and a harbinger of spring.


There is a local rhubarb connection here in the south west of Scotland as James Mounsey, a Scot who had been the doctor to Tsar Peter III, fled for his life back to Dumfriesshire when the Tsar was assassinated. He brought rhubarb seeds with him and from these he successfully grew fields of high quality rhubarb.  The house he fled to is only about half a mile from where I live, so it is perhaps, not so surprising that our rhubarb is prolific and that our plants must be nearly 50 years old.


I thought a lot about the recipe I would make for The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up, I changed my mind several times. I wanted to make something impressive, that didn't need a huge amount of rhubarb and that was easy enough for anyone to make, here is what I came up with:


Easy Rhubarb Millefeuille
Serves 4

125g filo pastry (half a 250g pack)
50g butter, melted
125g caster sugar
6 to 8 slim stems of rhubarb
200ml thick and creamy vanilla custard (I got mine at M&S)
150ml double cream
tablespoon of icing sugar, sifted

1. Lay a sheet of filo pastry on to a baking sheet covered with baking paper, brush with melted butter and sprinkle over a little caster sugar.  Cover with another 3 sheets of filo, each brushed with butter and sprinkled with sugar, press down.
2. Cut into even rectangles, you will need 12 rectangles in total (3 for each portion)
3. Bake at 160C for 8-10 minutes until golden brown, leave on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling tray until cold.
4. Measure the length of the pastry rectangles, then cut your rhubarb into lengths to match.  You will need 24 lengths of rhubarb (6 for each portion). Place the rhubarb into a baking dish and sprinkle over the remaining sugar (75g), roast the rhubarb in the oven at 160C for around 12 minutes or until you can easily pierce the stalks with a knife but before the rhubarb starts to disintegrate. Remove and leave to cool. 
5. Whip the double cream and until very thick and stiff, fold in the custard and load the mixture into a piping bag with a large star nozzle (Wilton 1M).
6. Place the pastry rectangles onto the serving plates, pipe cream in three rows, place three stalks of rhubarb on top, then place another pastry on top and repeat the cream and rhubarb.  Top with the final pastry rectangle and dust with icing sugar.

I hope you will join me and Karen from Lavender and Lovage by sharing your rhubarb recipes and enjoying the inspiration of the great entries we have already received.

Labels: cream, custard, filo pastry, Lavender and Lovage, Millefeuille, rhubarb, The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up

posted by Janice @ 19:53 17 Comments

The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up!

While slender stems of forced rhubarb are proclaimed as a delicacy, I prefer my rhubarb when the stems become thicker and turn a beautiful ruby red, Karen at Lavender and Lovage shares my love of rhubarb and rhubarb recipes, so we are inviting you to join us for

You don't have to be British to join in and you can use fresh, frozen, canned or any other kind of rhubarb that you can get your hands on. It's very simple, here is what to do:

• Post your recipe on your blog with a link to Farmersgirl Kitchen and  Lavender and Lovage  and attach the Great British Recipe Round-Up logo as shown below

• If you put your post on twitter please mention @FarmersgirlCook  @KarenBurnsBooth and #GreatBritishRhubarbRecipes in your message and we will retweet all those we see.
• By entering you are agreeing to let us use an image from your entry on this site, and to pin to Pinterest.
• Please be respectful of  other people's copyright and give credit where it is due. 
• Add your recipe link to the live Linky posted at the bottom of this page.

Labels: Farmersgirl Kitchen, Lavender and Lovage, recipes, rhubarb, The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up

posted by Janice @ 09:30 10 Comments