A Long and Messy Business. Rowley Leigh
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Название: A Long and Messy Business

Автор: Rowley Leigh

Издательство: Ingram

Жанр: Кулинария

Серия:

isbn: 9781783525188

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ Wakefield, Rothwell and Morley and centred on the

      intersection of two motorways. The rhubarb industry owes

      its location to its transport infrastructure, its adverse

      climactic conditions – the triangle forms a frost pocket

      under the Pennines – and the wool industry that supplies

      the ‘shoddy’, a mix of various forms of wool waste. I find it

      splendid that such a beautiful and rarefied plant should

      rise out of such inauspicious conditions.

      It would be easy to suppose that the sudden arrival of

      rhubarb is just another consequence of global warming,

      but the opposite is the case. The whole business of

      growing rhubarb is to fool the plant into thinking spring

      has arrived: the rootstock is left outside in the autumn and

      needs a sharp frost to be convinced that it is winter –

      hence the miserable weather enjoyed by the hardy rhubarb

      farmers of the triangle. Once the frost has happened, the

      plants can be taken inside to the warmer shed and then

      duped into thinking it is safe to grow. Thus the earlier

      and sharper the frost, the sooner the rhubarb will shoot.

      We had a mild autumn, so I was puzzled by the

      December rhubarb. It emerged that its producer stole a

      march on his competitors by treating the plants with an

      acid that encourages the conversion of carbohydrate to

      sugar, which stimulates the plant to shoot. With such

      trickery going on, my mind has been put to rest and I have

      forgiven my greengrocer.

      70

      RHUBARB FOOL

      Serves four.

      500g (1lb 2 oz) rhubarb

      75g (23⁄4oz) demerara sugar

      fine strips of zest pared from

      1 orange

      ½ teaspoon finely grated

      root ginger or 2 pinches

      of ground ginger (both

      optional)

      200ml (7fl oz) double cream

      a squeeze of lemon juice

      (optional)

      Cut off the rhubarb’s leaves and trim its bases, then chop

      the stalks into 3cm (11⁄4in) lengths. Place in a saucepan

      with 200ml (7fl oz) water, the sugar, orange zest and ginger

      and stew gently over a low heat for 10–12 minutes, or until

      the rhubarb has completely collapsed.

      Tip the rhubarb into a sieve over a bowl, then pour the

      pulp into another bowl, discarding the zest. Save the juice

      for a sorbet or cocktail (it’s good with gin). Whisk the pulp

      vigorously. Should you want a really smooth fool, pass it

      through a sieve or purée in a blender: personally, I prefer a

      little texture.

      Whip the cream until it thickens and forms soft peaks,

      then whisk in the rhubarb purée. Taste the mixture – it

      should have a nice balance between sweet and sour – and

      add more sugar or a squeeze of lemon juice as necessary.

      Pour the fool into individual glasses and chill in the fridge

      for 4 hours.

      SPONGE FINGERS

      Makes about forty fingers.

      5 egg yolks

      125g (4½oz) golden caster

      sugar

      5 egg whites

      150g (5½oz) plain flour, sifted

      icing sugar, for dusting

      Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F, Gas Mark 2).

      Whisk the egg yolks with two-thirds of the sugar until

      the yolks are thick, pale and much increased in volume.

      In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites, slowly adding

      half the remaining sugar, until the mixture forms stiff

      peaks. Stir in the remaining sugar, then fold the two

      mixtures together. Sprinkle the sifted flour over the top,

      then fold it in, making sure it is thoroughly incorporated,

      while at the same time trying not to deflate the mixture

      too much.

      Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large

      plain round nozzle and pipe out lengths of mixture the

      size of a finger onto several non-stick baking sheets. Dust

      the fingers with icing sugar and bake in the oven for 15

      minutes. After removing the biscuits from the oven, dust

      them again with icing sugar and leave for 5 minutes before

      returning to the oven to finish for another 2 minutes.

      WINE: Sweet wines with plenty of complementary acidity

      work best with rhubarb. A good Vouvray would be ideal.

      72

      Take It or Leave It

      Grilled СКАЧАТЬ