Slow painting

Monday 17 May 2010

If you like rhubarb


then you might like this recipe. I made it last week and it was a qualified success in my family of rhubarb refuseniks. It's from Lindsey Bareham's column in The Times newspaper.

Ricotta and rhubarb pie (serves 4-6)

400g rhubarb
200g ready rolled puff pastry
flour for dusting
1 egg
100g ricotta
1 juicing orange
3 tbsp caster sugar
fromage frais, creme fraiche or yoghurt to serve.

Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Put a baking sheet on a middle shelf. Dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry until it measures approx 30 x 20 cm. Halve vertically with one piece slightly larger than the other. Lift the smaller sheet of pastry onto a second baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Whisk the egg. Paint a 2cm border around the pastry. Thickly spread the ricotta within the border. Cut the rhubarb into 4cm lengths. Pile the rhubarb over the ricotta. Zest the orange over the top and add juice from half the orange. [Sprinkle sugar over the rhubarb if desired] Swing the reserved pastry over the top, gently lining up the edges. Run round the edge with a fork to seal. Pain the pastry with egg. Make a central hole and etch a pattern radiating out of the hole. Dredge thickly with caster sugar. Bake for 25 minutes until th epastry is flaky, golden and sugar-crusted.

Observations:

It needed - really needed - sugar on the rhubarb. We discovered this only on eating the pie.

We (my daughter and I) forgot to paint the pastry with egg before putting it in the oven. We were listening to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack and reminiscing about when she played the theme tune at the joint Scottish/Italian Suzuki week with students from the Suzuki School of Bologna. And lots more chat besides, so it was understandable that we forgot a little thing like following the recipe. It looked okay, though. The etching was very artistic. I didn't take a photo. I thought asking my family to eat rhubarb pie was one thing, but taking a photo of it was pushing them too far.


The 'harvest' of two weeks ago. The purple sprouting broccoli is over now, alas, but the rhubarb keeps on going.

9 comments:

Jacqui said...

I will try that recipe Linda - my lot are always less than keen on desert at rhubarb time. usually I run out of time and serve up a crumble, but this may tempt them to stay at the table a bit longer.

clairz said...

Love the observations! My mouth was already puckering when I read that sugar was more or less optional, and was thinking--dear me, those Scots are a brave lot.

I loved this post. It's so full of "foreign" (to me) cooking terms. I really enjoy your blog, and always learn something from it.

donna said...

Linda, your photos are always so good. Looking at them makes me feel like I can reach out and touch the rhubarb. I'd like to grab a stalk, stick the end in my mouth to moisten it, dip in some sugar and then take a big old bite.

Your recipe sounds great, but I'd have to do some converting of the measurements and since I'm very lazy.....I'll just dream about how delish it must taste. Nice that you could do the baking with your daughter.

I luv visiting here.

donna

Unknown said...

Hi Linda, Your recipe sounds great.
I use to love rhubarb right out of the garden as a kid but tried it that way a couple of years ago and puckered so bad the wrinkles never did go away - like I needed more. ;-) But I do still love it in recipes. In fact I made some Rhubarb, Strawberry jam last year and it's yummy.

Valerie said...

Wow - such healthy and beautiful plants! Good efforts rewarded!

Anonymous said...

Yummy recipe - beautiful rhubarb ;0)

Lindy said...

Mmmmm, love the rhubarb, but yes, it needs LOTS of sugar! The ricotta sounds like it may have been a delicious touch. Never encountered that addition to rhubarb pie before.

You're probably being bombarded with other rhubarb recipes, but if you'd like to try another version, here is a link to one on allrecipes.com. There is a metric conversion available near the top of the recipe.

Think I'll visit our local farm market and buy some rhubarb....

Babzy.B said...

i like rhubarb a lot , yummy :)

EcoRover said...

Yeah for rhubarb! Our climates must be similar--we cut ours over the past few weeks: stewed rhubarb, rhubarb chipotle, rhubarb pie, strawberry rhubarb pie, apple rhubarb pie. LOVE it.