A way to make rhubarb tasty

In Latvia we eat a lot of this wonderful plant, which has a lot of fibre and an acid taste. Most commonly, the plant’s leaf stalks are cooked with sugar and used in pies, drinks, and many other desserts. My husband is not particularly fond of this plant, so I’m trying different ways to convince him how tasty it really is. Believe me or not, but this mousse has convinced him It has light, airy consistance and a very fresh taste – a perfect way to start the summer!

Yield: 4-6 portions

Ingredients:

These measures are very approximate, as I prepared my mousse without measuring anything – just tasting and making sure that the result is as wished The only important point is making sure that it doesn’t end up too acid – taste it often as you cook, and add enough sugar so that it’s sweet to your taste! If you want it to feel creamier, you can also reduce the amount of gelatin.

• 4 rhubarb stalks
• 80g sugar
• 150g-200g water
• 5 gelatin sheets
• 1 vanille bean
• 150g-200g whipped cream

Step by step:

• Start by cleaning and cutting the rhubarb stalks into small cubes.
• Then place them into a saucepan with water, scratched vanilla mass from a bean, and sugar.
• Place over medium heat and cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rhubarb has softened to a thick puree.

• Meanwhile, place 5 gelatin sheets into cold water until they are soft and then put them into the warm rhubarb puree. Mix until you don’t see the gelatin sheets anymore (they have fully dissolved).
• Let the  rhubarb mixture cool down to room temperature, and then put it into the fridge or a freezer until it becomes a kind of jelly. I usually put it into the freezer for about 20 minutes.
• Whisk 150g-200g liquid cream until you get stiff peaks or whipped cream. You can also add part of the sugar to the whipped cream.

• When your rhubarb jelly is cold and thick, mix it until it has smooth consistence. This might be a bit hard, but a wooden spoon is a better help here than a mixer (it can ‘cut-up’ your jelly!)
• Fold the whipped cream into the mixed rhubarb jelly carefully. You may want to do this in 2 or 3 steps.
• Once you’ve got a nice mousse, fill some small dessert pots with it and let t chill in the refrigerator for about 2h until set.
• You can add fruit pieces (berries, cut up peaches, etc.) for decoration and extra taste.

I hope that you’ll enjoy it!