Poached Rhubarb

It's madness. One moment I'm all engrossed in my computer screen in a warm and glowing living room, next I look out the window and the sky is a purple haze, trees are receiving a battering and the rain is making a racket on the windows. It's as if the weather is saying "Helloo!! Can you hear me!?!?" like a restless child trying to coax some dramatic reaction out of their parents. Not now, rain, I'm poaching rhubarb. Winter is well and truly happening.

Rhubarb is something different, a dark horse of dessert. It's technically a vegetable, but once cooked, takes on a sweet yet tart irresistible flavor that is comforting, earthly and… really hard to describe. Imagine having your tongue hugged. That's what it tastes like. This is one of my favorite rhubarb recipes because it is super easy and so versatile. Eat it for breakfast with yoghurt and muesli, or with ice cream or yoghurt as dessert.

I usually double this recipe when I have large amounts of rhubarb to use from my garden, but note that you'll need a larger baking dish than what the recipe states when you do this. If I don't have orange juice, I just use what ever flavor of bottled juice we have in the fridge, and this does not affect the flavor of the poached rhubarb too much. This dish also freezes well. Seasons by Donna Hay is where I got the recipe from. Enjoy!

Poached Rhubarb

Serves 4

250 g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 10 cm lengths

¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

1 cinnamon stick

½ cup (110 g) caster (superfine) sugar

1 cup (280 g) natural yoghurt, to serve

Prehaet oven to 180°C (335°F). Place the rhubar, orange juice, vanilla bean and seeds, cinnamon and sugar in a 21 cm x 31 cm rectangular baking tray and toss to combine. Cover the tray with aluminium foil and cook for 20 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender. Serve with the yoghurt, ice cream or thick cream. See serving suggestions above.