Rhubarb and Chia Pudding
In our temperate climates, rhubarb is one of the first seasonal plants in spring, first harvested in April or May, the season lasts until the end of summer.
This Rhubarb Chia Pudding is a very good combination of sweet and sour flavors. One layer of rhubarb cream between two layers of the coconut chia pudding and berries to top it off. The white and red colors provide a very nice visual contrast. You can make it ahead and store in the fridge until serving.
Rhubarb looks like celery stalks but there’s no relation between them. It’s used mainly in desserts and while we treat it as a fruit, it’s actually a vegetable. Rhubarb is a bit sour, it became popular in the 18th and 19th century after sugar became widely available in England. It is well used in pies, tarts, crumbles, it can be roasted, sautéed, stewed or pureed.
Rhubarb’s color is not an indication of ripeness or flavor, it depends on the variety and the way it was grown. It ranges from green streaked with pink to deep red. Buy crisp, unblemished stalks with a bright, intense red color. Thinner stalk is better because the thicker ones could be too stringy.
You have to be careful, because rhubarb’s triangle leaves contain high level of poisonous substances. That’s why usually we can’t buy stalks together with leaves in the grocery. During the preparation trim off the ends and any bits of leaves still attached.
Rhubarb Chia Pudding
Ingredients
Chia Pudding
- 250 ml coconut cream
- 3 tbsp chia seed
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ tsp konjac tree flour Use only if you used milk instead of cream, it will help thicken the pudding without having to add too much chia seeds.
Rhubarb Cream
- 3 stalks rhubarb
- 3 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 pinch salt
- berries for decoration
Instructions
- Make chia pudding first. Mix all ingredients well and let it thicken for 20 minutes. Stir it several times during rest.
- Trim off the ends of the rhubarb stalks and any bits of leaves still attached. Leaves are not eatable!
- Rinse stalks and chop into 3 cm long pieces.
- Mix rhubarb, agave syrup, water and salt in a pan.
- Simmer on medium heat for about 12-14 minutes until creamy. I like to stir it continously for the best texture.
- Let cool for 5-6 minutes.
- Prepare 2 glass bowls.
- Put ¼ part of chia pudding into each bowl.
- Next layer is ½ part of rhubarb cream in each bowl.
- Split the remaining chia over the 2 bowls.
- Decorate the top with berries.