Mixing rhubarb and blueberries isn’t a blend that immediately comes to mind, but that’s never stopped me before. In fact, my approach to preparing food is more about what ingredients I have on hand than what combinations go together.
Sorry, but first I’m going to indulge my less mature side and expand on my veggie personality profiling. Several posts ago, Tom Robbins helped me describe the deadly serious nature of the beet. I took that a step further with my kohlrabi post, describing that peculiar vegetable as a strange and off-beat teenaged boy.
Rhubarb is a bit of a tart. Unlike the sobering beet, rhubarb is playful, saucy and tempting. Tempting, yes, but with a bite. If rhubarb wore clothes, she’d be wearing hot pants and a crop top and might convince the earthy and well-grounded potato to break ranks and take a hike with her on the Appalachian Trail. If you know what I mean.
rhubarb blueberry sherbet
what you need
1 cup rhubarb, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces *
1-1/2 cup blueberries
1-1/2 cup Redwood Hill Farm vanilla goat yogurt
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Electric ice cream maker
what you do
Heat water and rhubarb in a medium-sized sauce pan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a fork, mash rhubarb as it simmers and softens. After about 5 minutes, add blueberries and continue to simmer for another 8 - 10 minutes, mashing as you go. You want to end up with an applesauce, jelly-like consistency. If you need to add a little water, do it in small increments. If you end up with it too watery, simmer some off. Remove from heat, let cool and puree in food processor until smooth. Blend in maple syrup and vanilla and chill in refrigerator for at least two hours.
Once chilled, stir in the yogurt (mix well) and churn in ice-cream maker for 30 minutes or so (follow manufacturer’s directions).
* My CSA box contained 2 very long rhubarb stalks, which ended up as 1 cup of chopped vegetable.
For more information on rhubarb, including a gluten-free rhubarb crumble recipe, check here.
Enjoy!
Melissa
Tags: blueberry, dairy free, gluten-free, rhubarb, seasonal produce, sherbet
This looks and sounds truly amazing! I can only imagine the flavor. We are taking a break from ice cream right now and going back to warming soups and stews - it is COLD here this week! I just posted a mushroom soup for these cold days!
Just saw your post on FB, looking forward to your cake too. I love making chocolate cake with beets!
-Ali
Yum, delicious flavor combo!
Melissa,
I echo the thoughts of my fellow bloggers… that does look delicious. Despite rhubarb’s licentious ways, she’s hard to resist especially in this recipe where she shouts sophistication with an icy edge.
Cid
p.s. Melissa, is a plate sufficient for our feast or should we bring along a bowl for good measure? I’m taking no chances and will attach wheels to our picnic hamper (complete with icecream churner) to be on the safe side
I got rhubarb yesterday, too, and I made it into a compote? for lack of a better word. I just added some water, agave, one pod of star anise and a dribble of vanilla. When it reduced down a little, I added some fresh strawberries. Craig had it over ice cream, but it would be good over yogurt, too.
Ali,
Soups and stews!? Yikes, it’s finally warm around here, but I’ve actually been thinking of making a kale or collard soup because I have SO darn much of the stuff. Soups are a great way to reduce your greens to manageable portions! Plus, I love veggie soups. I’ll go check out your mushroom soup. Sounds delicious.
Alisa,
Yes, it’s a different flavor combo, but turned out well. Often (most of the time), my combinations are simply based on what I have available. It makes for some good and often weird outcomes!
Cid,
Licentious ways? Oooh, and shouting sophistication with an icy edge — very good. I need your wonderful word play to assist my writing. Do you need an editing job?
You know, I love big, shallow bowls for food. There’s something about holding a bowl in your hands that you don’t get from a flat plate. The food leans together. I think we need both depending on what is being served.
Maybe we also need one of those cool vintage tear-drop trailers to haul around our culinary supplies as we feast across the country. The sisterhood of the traveling plates, bowls and wine glasses.
Megan,
That sounds wonderful. You can even make small little baked crumbles out of the odds and ends you have on hand. If you take a couple of stalks of rhubarb and a handful of strawberries, you can make a small treat for 2 or 3 people. Or — one.
I’m going to have to try your “compote.”
Hi, Melissa,
Thanks for this idea. I got way too many greens this week! Mostly I eat my food raw, but I think I may have to resort to your idea of making soup.
How about some suggestions for the kohlrabi?
Mary
Mmm. I’m telling you. That rhubarb maple combo is a true winner. And now you’ve added blueberries to the mix. Brilliant, Melissa!
What a fantastic combination… and so seasonally perfect!
I love how you give all your fruits and vegetables human personalities! The poor AT will never be the same now, will it? As one friend said, the politicians have to mess up everything. LOL
Anyway, rhubarb blueberry sherbet! Gorgeous and tasty I’m sure.
Can’t wait to see what you make next with your ice cream maker!
Shirley
Melissa,
Your sherbert looks amazing and I’m really taken by the ‘mashing’ method. It’s exceptionally clever. And I love the analogy of rhubarb being a licentious tart. It’s not something that I’d seen before but I’m quite happy to go along with it.
GDave
GDave — you’re such a boy! And a bit of a scamp as well. You do make things fun, though! Had to update your comment as it automatically went into my spam folder. Must have been that “harlot” reference. Certain words must funnel comments into the “questionable” folder for review.
What have I started with these personality profiles?! Makes food interesting though, doesn’t it?
Shirley,
Yes, I’m developing quite a colorful cast of characters, aren’t I?
How about collard green ice cream?
Lo, Meghan, and gang — it really is a good combination. I was thrilled with the outcome. I’m thinking we should skip the mainstream rhubarb strawberry combo and go for other berries. Or, maybe peaches. Yum! Thanks for the “feed”back — I appreciate it!
Mary,
I’m in the midst of writing out a kale, bean soup recipe, but it will be cooked. You could actually make a nice raw gazpacho and add the kohlrabi to that. That actually sounds good to me. Or simply grate it onto salads, chop it and add it to a raw avocado salsa dip and serve with dehydrated flax crackers.
Here’s an old gazpacho recipe of mine. Add kohlrabi to that — I can’t imagine that it wouldn’t go well in a raw veggie soup.
Hmmm — you’ve got me thinking!? Which can be dangerous. Kohlrabi pancakes?
[...] Or, have other ideas? Or, other fruit (or vegetables!) on hand, consider these recipes: Melissa’s Rhubarb Blueberry Sherbet or her Beet Ice Cream, or Ali’s Watermelon Sorbet or Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream, [...]