“I gather up the scraps, leftover stalks and less meaty parts of the plant (but not the leaves, which are poisonous!) and I infuse them to make rhubarb water. Then I use this beautiful pink liquid as the base for various concoctions—including lemonade, to which I add only lemon and a simple syrup.” — Stéphanie Labelle, chef-owner of Montreal pastry shop Pâtisserie Rhubarbe
1. Candied
Simply bake rhubarb pieces with sugar and lemon in the oven to obtain a candied version that you can spread on toast or pour over a scoop of ice cream.
2. In cocktails
Rhubarb and summer drinks go hand in hand. Just cut a 10-centimetre piece of stalk and use it as a pestle to crush the sugar or herbs for a cocktail (a mojito, for instance). Bonus: In the glass, the stalk does double duty as a pretty decoration.
3. Homemade syrup
You don’t even need a recipe to make rhubarb syrup. It’s delicious as a cocktail sweetener, on ice cream or in a fruit salad.
- Mix 2 parts water, 1 part sugar and 4 parts rhubarb pieces
- Boil 10 minutes
- Strain through a sieve
4. Compote
Rhubarb compote can be eaten alone, or used as a topping on yogurt and panna cotta, or in tiramisu.
