Running from early spring to mid-Spring, the season for Yorkshire forced rhubarb is so short and bittersweet. I feel that sense of urgency that compells me to cook with it everyday, the same hunger that overcomes me when British asparagus, broad beans, peas and rucola is in season. When I buy my rhubarb from the farm shop I keep it in a jug of fresh water in the pantry, away from the light and from heat. The lime green leaves shooting out at the top make the jug look like an architectural flower arrangement. I love gently roasted rhubarb, straight from the Aga, served with plain Greek yoghurt, or fresh cream, or as a compote on toast in the morning. As an Italian living in Britain I can become quite evangelical about “terra”, the earth, the locality, the provenance of specific foods. There are many reasons to be quite evangelical about Yorkshire rhubarb.
Rhubarb, Mascarpone and Amaretto pudding
Serves 4 people
Ingredients
900g. rhubarb stems, washed and cut into 1 inch chunks
60g. soft, brown raw cane sugar
8 soft Amaretti biscuits
8 tbsps. Amaretto di Saronno liqueur
250g. tub of Mascarpone cheese
2 heaped tbsps. of icing sugar
seeds from 1 vanilla pod
zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
Method
1. Put all the rhubarb chunks and the soft brown sugar in a saucepan, and cook gently for 20 minutes. Mix well during the cooking, so that the rhubarb does not catch or burn. The rhubarb needs to be tender but not mushy at the end of cooking. Set aside to cool.
2. Take 4 wine glasses and crush 2 soft Amaretti biscuits in each glass. Drizzle 2 tbsps. of Amaretto di Saronno liqueur over the broken biscuits in each glass.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mascarpone cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla seeds and the lemon zest. Now spoon the mascarpone mix evenly in each glass, on top of the crushed Amaretti.
4. Spoon the tender rhubarb and all its juices on top of the mascarpone cream in each glass.
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