Orange & Vanilla Poached Rhubarb
Here's how to make perfectly poached rhubarb, flavoured with orange & vanilla. This rhubarb is packed full of flavour & works with desserts, breakfasts & even savoury dishes.
Servings: 4 People
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Slotted Spoon
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 650 g Water
- 150 g Caster Sugar
- 1 Large Orange
- 1 Star Anise
- ½ Cinnamon Stick
- ½ Vanilla Pod
Instructions
- Lightly trim the ends off the rhubarb then cut each stalk into even pieces. Set these aside for now.Make sure to cut all of the rhubarb the same size! Keep in mind that larger pieces of rhubarb will take longer to cook. I cut my rhubarb into 6cm long pieces.
- Next, add the water & sugar into a medium saucepan. Cut the zest from the orange then add into the pan along with 75 grams of the juice, the star anise & cinnamon stick. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod & add both the pod & seeds into the pan as well.Trim as much of the white pith from the zest as possible as this tastes bitter.
- Set the pan over a low heat & cook, stirring regularly until the sugar has dissolved. This will take 3-4 minutes.
- Next, add the rhubarb into the pan then poach gently, until just tender. The rhubarb should be soft but still hold its' shape.The rhubarb will only take around 5 minutes to cook, depending on the thickness of the stalks. If some of your rhubarb is thinner, poach it separately to avoid over cooking.
- Once your rhubarb is cooked, carefully transfer it to a plate & set to one side.
- Next, set the pan over a high heat, bring to the boil then cook the poaching liquid until it has reduced into a syrup. This will take around 5-10 minutes. Once ready, take the syrup off the heat & leave to cool slightly.
- Once cool, add the rhubarb into a container then pour the syrup over, through a sieve. Chill in the fridge until needed.
Notes
1. Rhubarb - If you want your poached rhubarb to be bright pink, you'll need to use forced rhubarb which is in season from late December until the end of March. However, regular rhubarb will work as well.
2. Poaching Liquid - We're reducing the poaching liquid into a syrup that can be served with the rhubarb. I flavoured my poaching liquid with vanilla, orange, star anise & cinnamon but feel free to flavour your's however you like.
3. Sugar - If you're using regular rhubarb, you'll need to add a bit more sugar to the poaching liquid as this can be more tart than forced rhubarb. Add this to taste.
4. Storage - Once cooked & cooled down, the poached rhubarb & syrup should be stored together in an airtight container in the fridge and is best eaten within 3 days.