Versatile Rhubarb Sauce

I use this for the Rhubarb Swirl Cheesecake. You could also just serve the sauce on the side if you prefer to start with a plain cheesecake.

Make Rhubarb Fool or Eton Mess, or just spoon over ice cream.

If you cook it down more, you could spread it between sponge cake layers with cream for a twist on a Victoria Sponge, which is delicious. 

Any leftover sauce can be spread on buttered toast, or on a cheese tray with soft goat or cream cheese.

Rhubarb is stringy, like celery, so if you slice it thinly it will all cook down in the sauce and be pretty smooth, as fruit sauces go.  Or you can purée it after cooking.

You can keep it a bit chunky if you would like too. It will still spread through the cheesecake because it breaks down a lot, and for pairing with cheese spreads, I think it is nicer chunky.

Gorgeous fresh ruby Rhubarb with leaves and bottoms to be trimmed.

Like cranberries and lemons, rhubarb is too sour and bitter to eat plain and fresh. 

Some people dip fresh pieces in granulated sugar at the first harvest.

They are best eaten baked in something and often take a lot of sugar, like cranberries and lemons do. 

And like cranberries and lemons, there are a lot of good things about rhubarb.

A very good source of vitamin K which is important for good bone health and proper blood clotting.  It is high in fibre and good for your heart health. 

Rhubarb cheesecake baked

But you do need to add sugar to enjoy it at all, so it is a bit of a treat, but worth it. 

You know, “a spoonful of sugar”.

How to Make a Versatile  Rhubarb Sauce

1. Wash and trim the rhubarb as you would celery.  I use a vegetable brush. Cut off the leaves and discard.  Slice on the thinner side.  Not more than ¼“ (1cm) I’d say.

2. Combine the ingredients in a medium stainless steel saucepan or glass bakeware. Do not use aluminum, it reacts badly.

3. Cook 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally.  Watch especially as it starts to thicken. 

You can keep it thin, to use as a sauce for cake or ice cream, a little thicker for a Rhubarb Fool or the Rhubarb Swirl cheesecake. 

Cook it a bit longer if you want it thicker to spread between cake layers, or use it as a jam on buttered toast or on a cheese tray.

4. You can purée it if you would like it smoother, but not necessary.