I must apologise straightaway to purists, but I couldn't resist the temptation of sharing with you my take on the classic spring dessert, the infamous rhubarb trifle.  

Not a Popular Choice

April is an awful month for fresh fruits, and as a matter of fact, one of the only ones we can find is actually a vegetable! As nature just starts to wake-up from the long winter break, we are, yet again, flooded with rhubarb. I can see three reasons why although the tart stalk is so widely available it is not the most popular guy on the shelf:

a) People hate rhubarb

b) People have no idea what to do or how to cook rhubarb 

c) People have never actually tried rhubarb

The latter seems to be the most prominent case in Hong Kong as rhubarb is often mistakenly referred to as the stalk and leaves from the taro root, which is traditionally fed to pigs in this region. If you've seen both plants before you'll know the difference. But it's good to note that, like tomato plants, rhubarb leaves contain a small amount of poison making them harmful if fed to some animals, whereas taro doesn't.

With such a strong tart flavour, rhubarb wasn't very popular in cooking until sugar became less of a luxury commodity - and as much as I love rhubarb, I can't blame them. The vegetable root made its debut as a dessert ingredient not too long ago compared to other fruits. But you know what? If cooked properly, rhubarb can be stunning and surprising! 

My Modern Trifle Recipe

We received our first stalks of fresh rhubarb last week and I immediately poached some of the peeled sticks in a juice made of berries, vanilla and star anise. 

The berries aren't there primarily for the flavour, but more for the colour, although the aroma balances the acidity of the rhubarb. The early spring rhubarb tends to be of a nice red on the outside, but rather white on the inside, thus the colour brought in from the berries.  

Actually, and only if you are equipped adequately, use the same recipe as below and poach your rhubarb sticks sous-vide (vacuum sealed) at 80°C for about 45 minutes. You'll get an al dente rhubarb, perfectly infused with all the flavours.  

In a lucky strike, we had received some samples of Mexican vanilla beans for testing - which I did right away too, using it in the light custard cream and also in the poaching liquid of the rhubarb. Fair enough; the Mexican vanilla was pretty good. Someone told me there was even better one back in Mexico, but in the end, and in comparison with what I have tried, I am still a fan of Tahitian vanilla. 

I prepared a classic vanilla custard cream flavoured with Grand Marnier and lightened it with whipped cream. Once done, I piped it on the plate in small balls and added a long piece of the freshly poached rhubarb stick. Finally I placed a few fresh slices of strawberry, the comrade-in-arms of the rhubarb. To complement the dessert, and to add a doughy touch to it, you could serve freshly baked shortbreads on the side. 

It is creative, yet it respects the nature of each ingredient, and again, following my principles on food; simple, clean and authentic, well, it still is authentic, but without being all jammed in a glass! 

Poached Rhubarb

4 fresh rhubarb stalk

110gm white granulated sugar

220ml water 

6 medium strawberries

A handful of raspberries

5 or 6 star anise

One vanilla bean, cut lengthwise

Peel the rhubarb and cut it into long pieces. Boil the water once with the sugar, vanilla, star anise and berries. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to infuse the flavour, Reheat your liquid to gentle simmer and plunge the rhubarb stems, making sure they are fully immersed in liquid. Let it cook for 8 to 10 minutes and bring the pot off the heat. Cover the pot and let it sit at room temperature until cold.

Vanilla Custard 

500ml milk

75gm white granulated sugar

One piece of vanilla bean, cut lengthwise

3 egg yolks

40gm custard powder

15ml Grand Marnier

...and a generous amount of whipped cream!

Boil the milk, sugar and vanilla. Mix the egg yolks with the custard powder. Pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk and mix well. Cook again until 86°C, thickened with no raw starch feeling. Add the Grand Marnier and allow to cool completely. Once cold, add a generous amount of whipped cream (ratio 1:1)