Rhubarb! It's THE flavor of Spring!
From Michaela Hayes of Crock & Jar:
Happy anniversary, Sweet Paul!
What a beautiful five years it’s been. And spring is a wonderful season in which to celebrate When Paul told me this was an anniversary issue, I naturally wanted to bake a cake. And since this column is all about preserving the seasons, I set out to create a jam worthy of a fruit-filled cake for a Sweet Paul celebration.
Rhubarb is one of my spring favorites. Botanically a vegetable, rhubarb breaks the rule that vegetables are low acid foods by being almost as acidic as citrus. As it cooks down, this jam turns a brilliant shade of pink, the apples, sugar, and vanilla add sweet and sultry notes; and the salt brings out the acidity. A rule-breaker jam that’s beautiful, tart, and sweet—sounds like Sweet Paul to me!
Of course, you can enjoy this jam in a multitude of ways, from topping toast to pairing with pork (Paul’s suggestion!), and it is just sublime in this almond sponge cake with dark chocolate icing.
Sweet Paul's cookbook:
Get the Almond Sponge Cake & Chocolate Ganache recipes from the Crock & Jar website:click HERE
For the rhubarb jam:
4 medium apples, peeled
7 cups rhubarb, diced
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
- Core and finely chop or purée apples. In a wide saucepan, mix with rhubarb, sugar, vanilla, and salt.
- Cook over medium heat until the jam is thickened and starts to appear dry, about 20 minutes.
- Cool jam and refrigerate. Or, to can the jam, pour it into warm, clean jars and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
TIP:
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