By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- 4(150)
- Notes
- Read community notes
I begin many of my rhubarb recipes by briefly poaching thick slices in a sugar syrup with the seeds and pod of a vanilla bean. (Don’t be alarmed by the amount of sugar; it’s mostly drained off.) It’s a method I learned from the pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer. Once poached, the rhubarb has many uses, both sweet and savory. And the pink vanilla-specked syrup is delicious over ice cream or strawberries, or stirred into yogurt.
Featured in: A Chicken Tagine That Gives Rhubarb the Last Say
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:1½ cups (plus 1⅔ cups syrup)
- 1cup/200 grams sugar
- 1vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 2cups diced rhubarb (½-inch dice)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
210 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 51 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 3 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
Step
1
Combine 1¼ cups water and the sugar in medium saucepan. Add vanilla seeds and pod. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stir until sugar dissolves and add rhubarb.
Step
2
Reduce heat to low and gently simmer rhubarb for 5 minutes, or until it can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife but remains intact. Do not overcook, or else rhubarb will fall apart.
Step
3
Strain rhubarb over a bowl. Store syrup and poached rhubarb separately.
Ratings
4
out of 5
150
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Adrienne
Rhubarb is becoming hard to find. Would frozen rhubarb work in this recipe?
jesfine
Delighted to discover the leftover syrup is flat out delicious added to a glass of white wine, rum, tequila, iced tea or what have you! I will make this again, just for the syrup.
Rebecca P.
Easy to prepare. Didn't have vanilla bean so I added a small cap full of vanilla extract. DO NOT do that. The vanilla completely overwhelmed the taste of the syrup. The rhubarb itself seemed fine. Next time I will add a tiny amount (or get a vanilla bean). Mine took about 6 min. to soften at high altitude.
EB
Really good in the chicken tagine recipe; also delicious on an upside-down cake.
Liz J.
Picked the rhubarb yesterday. Don't cut it vertically for this recipe. You'll need the stalk structure to hold it together as it cooks. The time from almost-soft to overdone is less than 30 seconds. I needed six minutes of simmer to get my rhubarb to the right stage.
Karen M
Some pieces fell apart while others were still hard. I suggest getting stalks that are all about the same size and being very careful to cut them equally.
BK
Way, way too sweet for my taste. I’d prefer it with 1/4 cup of sugar. The vanilla bean was an interesting flavor profile.
Sarah
overcooked in 5 minutes! will be more careful next time
Bethany
The rhubarb syrup alone makes this an amazing recipe. Served over Greek yogurt is a real treat.
misha
Seems like it never got syrupy
Karen
After straining the rhubarb, I like to return the syrup to the saucepan and simmer another 5 or 10 minutes. That reduces it nicely to a more syrupy consistency.
Rebecca P.
Easy to prepare. Didn't have vanilla bean so I added a small cap full of vanilla extract. DO NOT do that. The vanilla completely overwhelmed the taste of the syrup. The rhubarb itself seemed fine. Next time I will add a tiny amount (or get a vanilla bean). Mine took about 6 min. to soften at high altitude.
Jill Bauer
I used the rhubard instead of blueberries in a muffin recipe and poured some of the syrup on top of each--yum.
Stu
Didn't have a vanilla bean, so I used a dash of vanilla extract. Not the same, but it seemed to work. The vanilla flavor is barely discernible and not overpowering, but it's there. Rhubarb is at its peak now, and my 20 plants are humongous. I'm wondering whether the syrup and/or the rhubarb can be frozen for future use.
Karen M
Rhubarb is definitely freezeable!!! Wash and cut the stalks, then freeze in a single layer on a sheetpan. Once frozen, put in bags or another container and store. I've kept if for up to a year. It works great, and is wonderful to have around when the craving hits. :-)
Liz J.
Picked the rhubarb yesterday. Don't cut it vertically for this recipe. You'll need the stalk structure to hold it together as it cooks. The time from almost-soft to overdone is less than 30 seconds. I needed six minutes of simmer to get my rhubarb to the right stage.
Merlin
We used vanilla paste and it overwhelmed the rhubarb. Loved the texture. Next time maybe a bit of vanilla and orange peel
Reny
Could use left over syrup as a sweetener. The poached rhubarb would be good for an upside down cake.
Susan
I made the poached rhubarb then didn't get back to the tagine. But I served it with a layer of sauteed spinach and poached salmon (in white wine, lemon, onion and bay leaf). My husband pronounced it "tasty and elegant!"
Beth
I had to substitute powdered sugar because we were all out of regular sugar. Worked great with the right calculation (2c powdered sugar=1 cup granulated sugar).
jesfine
Delighted to discover the leftover syrup is flat out delicious added to a glass of white wine, rum, tequila, iced tea or what have you! I will make this again, just for the syrup.
EB
Really good in the chicken tagine recipe; also delicious on an upside-down cake.
Private notes are only visible to you.
