Fizzy rhubarb jelly (jello) dessert
The best thing about this recipe – it makes lovely rhubarb syrup that you can put in a number of different alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. I’ll put some links at the end but you can make everything from rhubarb bellinis to martinis to lemonade.
I have my failings as a gardener (and as a human but that’s another subject altogether) but I can grow rhubarb. I’m a big fan of perennials and the closer they are to the wild thing they came from, the more I like them. Once you establish your rhubarb patch it will repay you with more rhubarb than you know what to do with.
And rhubarb is so hardy. The Davinator was overseeing the hard landscaping done by his contractors. I was away on a business trip. They decided to shift the vegetable garden plot by a metre or so. First, they bogged a mini digger in the plot – I was digging up the odd board and bricks for a couple of years. Second they simply dug up the rhubarb and threw the plants in another corner. Zero TLC and the darned rhubarb flourished.
Rhubarb is very cheap in the stores when it’s in season if you don’t grow your own. This recipe has you make rhubarb syrup, add gelatine and then some fizzy wine. The finished product is mildly alcoholic so you might want to use an alcohol free sparkling wine if you’re making it for kids. Do not waste your good champagne on this. A moderately priced bottle of prosecco or cremante or cava is perfect. I would say use cheap booze but the recipe only uses 200 mls so you have to drink the rest. And life is too short to drink cheap.
Other uses for your rhubarb syrup:
Rhubarb bellini – use the syrup instead of the puree and omit the sugar.
Rhubarb lemonade – alcohol free
Recipe
Ingredients
650 g (1lb 7oz) rhubarb – the pinker the better
225 g (8oz) caster sugar
7 gelatine leaves or 3 1/2 teaspoons of gelatine powder
200 ml (7fl oz) sparkling wine
Directions
- Cut rhubarb into rough 2.5cm (1in) pieces. Put into a large pan with the sugar and 600ml (1 pint) water. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, then bubble gently for 15min.
- Put a fine sieve (strainer) over a large measuring jug. Carefully pour it into the sieve and allow the liquid to drip in to the jug (don’t push down on the rhubarb). Leave for 10min. Discard rhubarb.
- You should have about 600ml (1 pint) rhubarb liquid – if you have less, make it up with water. Pour liquid into a large clean pan. Keeping the pan off the heat, lay on gelatine leaves (or add the powdered gelatine) and allow to sit, stirring occasionally, for 5min – the leaves will soften.
- Put pan over gentle hob heat and heat mixture, stirring, until the gelatine dissolves (the mixture may go cloudy). Take off the heat and add the sparkling wine. Transfer back to the jug, then divide among six wine glasses. Cool, then chill until set – at least 5hr.
You might add mint leaves and a bit of whipped cream to your jellies to serve but they are lovely as they are. If you’re offering a non-alcoholic version to kids – tell them AFTER they’ve eaten on that it’s rhubarb based.
Thank you for reading the blog and cooking the recipes. I love seeing your photos and your feedback.
Stay safe and well.