Lemon & Roasted Rhubarb Possets
Rhubarb is such a bizarre yet wonderful vegetable. Its vibrant, sour stalks are so versatile—they can be stewed, roasted, added to a cake, or even or served alongside a savory dish. The possibilities for rhubarb are vast, so I guess it's safe to say that I'm very excited that rhubarb is back in season.
Last year I made this roasted strawberry and rhubarb cake which was such a joy to bake and eat. But this year I wanted to create something a little less time consuming. I’ve been wanting to cook up a batch of possets for a while now. I've found this pudding-like dessert so intriguing because a traditional version only needs about three ingredients and three minutes to cook. After that short cooking time, you add a little lemon juice, and once the dessert has cooled you're left with a creamy, pudding-like custard.
I know I’ll be sharing more rhubarb recipes soon, but in the meantime if you happen to be looking for new ways to use it, be sure to check out the links below.
If you're looking for a cake, take a look at this beautiful Rhubarb Almond Cake from Adventures in Cooking.
Or maybe you want something fried like these tasty looking Rhubarb Fritters from Not Without Salt.
Need a breakfast idea? Start your day off with a bowl of clumpy granola and stewed rhubarb from Kale & Caramel.
And if you want to venture into savory dishes then you should check out this list from Food and Wine.
Lemon & Roasted Rhubarb Possets
Recipe adapted via Nigel Slater's Ripe
makes 4 small servings
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 tsp lemon zest
pinch salt
1 tsp poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Add the cream and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Allow cream to bubble quite fiercely for three minutes, stirring often. The cream will bubble up, so simply adjust the heat as necessary so that the cream doesn't boil over.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, pinch of salt, and vanilla extract. Pour into four small cups and allow to cool to room temperature before covering and placing them in the refrigerator. Allow to chill for a couple of hours until set.
When you're ready to serve them, top each glass with a few pieces of rhubarb and some of the juice from the pan. Enjoy right away.
Roasted rhubarb
1 heaping cup of rhubarb that has been cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 tbs granulated sugar
small baking dish
Heat oven to 450°F.
Place the rhubarb in a baking dish and toss with sugar. Place in the oven and roast until tender while still maintaining their shape. Allow the rhubarb to cool to room temperature before adding to the possets.