Rhubarb and Gin Preserve
This is one of those happy accident recipes. In attempting to find a satisfying use for the leftover rhubarb from our rhubarb gin recipe, I began cooking it down in a handful of demerara sugar with the aim to make a dry, gin flavoured rhubarb jam. But the rhubarb held its shape much longer than I anticipated. In the past, when cooking rhubarb for crumbles or pies, I’d noticed how quickly the plant turns to mush, but this time, partly thanks to soaking in a gin and sugar solution (which will have gently leached a lot of water/plant juices from it) and partly thanks to the heat of the sugar I cooked it in, the rhubarb never got the chance. And what I was left with was a beautifully sticky, alcohol free, gin flavoured rhubarb candy that is soft when warm and delightfully chewy when cooled.
Now, I couldn’t help eat this as it was, but when I make it again I’ll make sure to have some creme fraiche, ice cream or yoghurt in and top it with toasted hazelnuts or walnuts. It was divine! And even though it ended up being only a stepping stone to the final recipe for leftover gin rhubarb, I desperately wanted to share this as a recipe in it’s own right too.
Rhubarb Gin Preserve
300g leftover gin-soaked rhubarb
130g demerara sugar
Optional: a pinch of ground cardamom
Step 1.
Place all your rhubarb in a saucepan and cover with the sugar. Leave to stay for 2 hours at room temperature to allow the sugar to draw out the rhubarb juices.
Step 2.
Apply a medium high heat on the hob to begin reducing the water content. As more and more water evaporates, the temperature of the pan will increase with the sugar content. Keep an eye out for burning but try not to stir it too much as this will break up the delicate pieces of rhubarb. After about 10 minutes the sugar should start to bubble up. At this point turn the temperature down and test the viscosity of the syrup with either the back of a teaspoon or by clearing the liquid from the bottom of the pan and seeing how long it takes to fall back. If it swashes back in quickly then you still have too much water left so keep it cooking. If it gradually moves back like honey then remove it from the heat.
Step 3.
After it has cooled for 3-4 minutes, add the cardamom and gently mix through. Spread the rhubarb out over a piece of baking parchment until cold, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. In these conditions it should last a month, but as this is a new recipe and I have never let it last that long then it may very well last longer as both the gin and the sugar act as preservatives.
If you’d rather have a jam or fruit spread then feel free to add 3 apples and another 100g of sugar during the cooking process and allow the ingredients to turn to mush. The pectin in the apples will be enough to set the jam so tip it directly into a sterilized jam and keep it in the fridge.