Recipe of the month April: Rhubarb rose Eton mess

By Cambridgeshire Agenda on March 24th 2010

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Use up any gluts of rhubarb by making this wonderful take on an Eton mess. The mysterious perfume of rosewater meets rhubarb’s quirky tartness, suspended in pillows of cream and crunchy meringue

Ingredients
Serves 4
300g rhubarb, trimmed
weight (about 2 thick
stalks), sliced
75g caster sugar
4 store-bought individual meringue nests
300ml double cream
1–2 tbsp rosewater, or to taste

Method
Place the rhubarb and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat
and cover. When the sugar melts and it starts to boil, stir, lower
the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Remove to a heat-proof bowl and leave to cool completely,
then chill.
When ready to serve, crumble the meringues into a bowl, leaving them in a few bite-size chunks.
Whip the cream until it holds it shape and forms soft peaks, but
do not over-whip so that it is stiff.
Add the rosewater, starting with 1 tbsp, and beat briefly until thick again. Taste and add more rosewater if you think it needs it – the flavour should be subtle but recognisable.
Stir the cream mixture through the meringues, then fold through
the rhubarb so it is streaky but not evenly combined.
Spoon into in glasses and serve as soon as possible, though it will
sit happily for half an hour or so.

Prep tip
Bright pink, young, early rhubarb gives this dessert the best colour, but you can use any rhubarb right up to the end of the season in July.

This recipe is taken from The New Urban Farmer by Celia Brooks Brown(£14.99, Quadrille)

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