I have had a hankering for rhubarb for the past two months. There is just something so appealing about a rhubarb dessert, usually a wonderful mix of tart and sweet, with a unique pale burgundy or pink color, and a flavor that is so distinctive… I waxed poetic about locally grown rhubarb before, read this post, and we made the most amazing rhubarb and strawberry pies about two years ago, and I wanted to make some again for this holiday season. So I have been asking my suki Baguio-based vegetable purveyor to bring me some rhubarb but for the past few weeks she has been unable to find any for me…
So imagine my surprise when she texted me to tell me she was on her way to Manila from Baguio and she had with her some 8 kilos of rhubarb, “did I want it?” YES. And at PHP50 a kilo (compared with hundreds per kilo at Santis or S&R when they have it) I happily told her I would take everything she was bringing as I didn’t want her to have extras since so few purchase this vegetable at the FTI Taguig market… We were out of town that day and I arranged for someone to go pick up the rhubarb bounty and here is a photo of the veritable hill of rhubarb! The stalks are incredibly small, but they are tender and flavorful. My suki must have sold me this rhubarb at cost, a Christmas gift of sorts, and I am grateful. It is moments such as these that the advantages of a SUKI system really become apparent. Maraming salamat M!
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That’s great looking rhubarb, slender stalks are more tender and less stringy. You could easily make rhubarb compote with a little orange peel, and serve it over ice cream, cheesecake, under fruit salad, as fruit soup, side to roast duck or goose, etc. Compote will keep for a month in your fridge. I love rhubarb and look forward to it every spring, right now imported from who knows where, maybe Chile, it’s $8. a lb. at Citarella and they are big, tough, stalks.
It’s a steal! Can not touch that price anywhere.How about rhubard pie?Living in the Philippines is getting more exiting
They’re a beauty and they freeze well but do the necessary prepping (washing and cutting and stalk only) before sticking them in the freezer bag and arrange them single layer first in a baking pan and stick them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, keep them in the freezer bag and into the freezer. Rhubard jam is also good and great filling for holiday cookies. Perhaps you can try a duet of rhubard and mangosteen when mangosteen are in season. Rhubard is also a good souring agent for fish or shrimp sinigang but not in meat.
those are beautiful!! good tips for me, maria clara. thanks
Fantastic looking rhubarb! Rhubarb over ice cream as sister suggested is YUMMY. The tart cutting through the sweet and creamy. And what a sweet suki! To find (and sell at cost) what a customer has been long looking for!
…how about rhubarb chutney!…makes nice, wonderful Christmas presents …an assortment of chutneys and condiments….from the looks of your rhubarb, they look like they are the strawberry rhubarb variety!
Ummmmm…miss those rhubarbs. Used to have them when we lived in Baguio…Dad was a big fan of them when he was alive…Have not seen them in a long,long,long time.
Price was a steal…
G’Day MM,your blogg site I’m getting addicted- discovered it when I clicked all links from “wanderlust-sha’s site”. I was looking for a “swiss spiced apple cake” recipe then, a friend here in Perth introduced me years ago(I lost her copy) and I can’t remember the exact measurements from memory, my mother in law has passed on ….
Now about rhubarb pies…it’s very popular in my workplace- the Chef will always bake “Rhubarb and apple crumble” splice,
when the veg is in season.A splice,since it’s a combo of a slice and a pie. The chief bake it w/ a short pastry base,topped w/pre-cooked apples/rhubarb mix, w/ sultanans or currants;it has a muesli crumble topping. Our Dietician recommends it as it’s very high in dietary fibre and our diabetics loves this dessert….
It helps our “Residents” w/B.M.R. instead of giving them
“aperients” to help them feel “comfortable”. And we also call our fruitcake here “B.M.R. cake”, the chefs recipe is suitable for diabetics and delicious! It dissapears so quickly
that we have to request the chief to set aside a plate for the working staff’s morning tea.
I just saw an episode of Jamie At Home, with Jamie Oliver, and he made a rhubarb dessert in a glass – layers of chunky rhubarb compote in between honey sweetened yoghurt, and a toasted slice of cookie of some sort.
Ever since you posted that rhubarb strawberry pie, I’ve been wanting to try it out. And I also saw Nigella and Jaime Oliver use it in their shows. Unfortunately, when I first saw them in Rustan’s Rockwell eons ago, I wasn’t familiar yet. Haven’t seen rhubarb again since.
Hey! MM,
I didn’t even know that we got rhubarbs here in Manila! That’s so exciting! Although I haven’t seen one yet. I’ll be on the look out for those…
Hey! MM,
I didn’t even know that we got rhubarbs here in Manila! That’s so exciting! Although I haven’t seen one yet. I’ll be on the look out for those…
Yummy…..had it once long time ago and had always wanted to make it but forgot …I shall plan for it this coming spring. Incidentally, have you tried the pie crust recipe that Cooking illustrated is recommending now? They use chilled vodka as liquid since its freezing point is much lower than water and it makes the crust very very flaky.
I’ve seen recipes using rhubarb but I have not tasted it. How does it actually taste? Sweet?
Try making rhubarb pie, my grandma always made that when I was a child..
I am from Baguio but doesn’t really know what rhubarb is, any translation? It looks wonderful though, looks like the christmas colors.
jamezu, click the link in the main post to the earlier post on rhubarb, it describes it in more detail… chuckie, yes, rhubarb pies are delicious.
Ok, thanks! hehe, they look very delicious :)
There was rhubard last saturday at Salcedo Market too… Maybe they all came down from Baguio together.
I wonder what it taste like. Anyway..
Your food pictures look amazing! I’d love to know how your setup is when picturing your food.
Charles
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wow.. what are those… those can become tart fillings?
must be yummy… ^__^
Maki…by itself, it is very , very tart..! So, I usually make a bumbleberry pie with rhubarb….masarap! Also, I make a chutney out of it…as a dip for samosas..thinned out a bit!
With orange zest ,I mmake a compote and add it to cheesecakes…orange-rhubarb cheesecake…very pretty with pinkish hue!