Gluten Free Rhubarb Bread & Butter Pud.

I had some Yorkshire forced Rhubarb kicking about in the fridge and it needed to be used up before it went over so i decided that it was pudding time. I chopped up the rhubarb and stewed it with a little sloe gin. Next I added some fresh grated ginger and raisons, then just let it simmer quietly and cook down so the rhubarb turned into a thick syrupy mess. I tasted it and added 1 tablespoon of Demerara sugar just to sweeten it up a touch. 

After I had made my rhubarb compote I had a forage around the kitchen cupboards to try and figure out what to make. I decided to make a quick custard, this was actually pretty easy, I have tried to make custard in the past and have stuck to recipes religiously but all I have ended up with is weird, eggy lump broth. So this time I took a deep breath, cracked an egg and whisked it with a couple of tablespoons of caster sugar. I whipped it until it was really frothy, whilst I was doing this I had a cups worth of milk in a small saucepan on the hob warming. When my egg and sugar mixture was frothy and the milk was just below the boil I poured the milk onto the egg gradually and whisked like crazy so it didn't curdle. I transferred it back to the small saucepan and heated it gently and kept whisking. It did threaten me with turning lumpy but I whisked like my life depended on it, no curdles for me today! After that I added a large flourish of nutmeg. 

I spooned the compote into two ramekins then tore a small slice of brown gluten free bread into each one to cover the rhubarb. When that was done I poured over the triumphantly un-lumpy custard, pushed any rogue bread so it was submerged then left it to rest for about an hour. When it was pudding time I cooked them in the oven on 180 degrees fan for about 20 minutes. 

This was super yummy, I haven't had bread and butter pudding since well before I found out I was gluten intolerant, so it felt like a real treat. I think I might try a marmalade flavour one next. I also realise I shouldn't really call it bread AND butter pudding because I didn't add butter but I can be a dessert maverick sometimes.

Hope you are having a great Saturday <3

xkx   

My Rhubarb Chutney Recipe.

It so easy to whip up a batch of chutney! And once you have your first batch in jars you will be hooked on making it. Ed and I went to a Rhubarb Festival a few months ago at Clumber Park. They have a fantastic walled garden there, where they now grow 100+ varieties of rhubarb! So I came home two rather large bunches of the wonderful stalk. I chose two varieties that I thought would be a match made in heaven Victoria and Prince Albert. I decided to make some chutney with my mum in our 4th generation jam kettle. This chutney is best if you can leave it for at least a month. The older it gets the more mature and rounded the flavour becomes. Chutney can last for up to 2 years if unopened but it rarely lasts a few months in this household.

Here is what you need to make this lip smacking condiment. 

900g Rhubarb

900g Sugar (preferably brown or Demerara)

450g Sultanas

1 Pint Vinegar (I prefer cider vinegar to malt)

1 Finely Chopped Onion

2-3 tsps Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

2 Eating Apples (You could use 1 cooking apple instead)  

Chop up the rhubarb and the apple and the add all the ingredients to the pan and gently bring to the boil stirring occasionally. Then turn the heat down so it comes to a steady simmer and the mixture makes a lilting plopping noise. Leave the pan uncovered and it will probably take at least an hour and a half. Stir occasionally so the mixture doesn't burn. (If you think the bottom of the mixture has started to burn turn the heat down a little and don't scrape the bottom the pan or the whole batch of chutney will taste burnt. When the mixture is thick and glossy (similar to how jam would be), leave it to cool for 15 - 20mins then it is time to decant into warm sterilised jars and add a wax disk on the top before putting the lid on.

It is fine to eat straight away if you want to, but it is best to leave it to mature. The chutney should then be stored somewhere cool and dark. Once you have opened a jar keep it in the fridge. 

This is so tasty that it turns Ed into a hungry beast!

Enjoy x