Mark Hix recipes: Forget boring, old crumble - it's time to get creative with rhubarb

With rhubarb stocks low this year, it’s time to put away the crumble dish and start cherishing the pink shoots with these deliciously different recipes, says our chef

Grilled ox liver with rhubarb (Jason Lowe)

Over the past few years I've written innumerable articles about rhubarb, focusing on everything from grower shortages to the menace of chefs like me writing about it and then it all selling out.

There always seems to be some problem hiding among those pink shoots.

Well, this year, guess what ? The mild weather has befuddled the indoor crops at the rhubarb triangle in Wakefield, Yorkshire, so they have been slow to grow. And now, the rest of the UK has been denied its rhubarb.

So, this year, let's use the tender pink stems sparingly and not just throw them into a boring, old crumble.

Grilled ox liver with rhubarb

Serves 4

In my youth, ox liver would be braised unto death – or at least, until it started to turn a sickly shade of green.

Slice and grill it like calf's liver (removing any sinew) – and then it tastes brilliant.

Ideally you want a small-ish liver from a younger animal.

4 or 8 slices from an ox liver, cut about ½cm-thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A little vegetable oil for brushing
1-2 sticks of rhubarb, trimmed
120ml cider vinegar
100ml caster sugar

For the sauce

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
A good knob of butter
1tsp plain flour
½tsp tomato purée
100ml red wine
250ml beef stock

First make the sauce: melt the butter in a thick-bottomed pan and gently cook the shallots for 2-3 minutes, until lightly coloured.

Add the flour and tomato purée and stir well over a low heat for a minute. Gradually add the red wine, stirring to avoid lumps, and then gradually add the beef stock.

Bring to the boil and simmer very gently for about 20-25 minutes, giving the occasional whisk, until the sauce has reduced by about two-thirds and thickened. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid.

Cut the rhubarb into 4-5cm lengths, then cut them into ½cm-wide sticks and put them into a bowl.

Bring the vinegar to the boil, stir in the sugar until melted and bring back to the boil.

Pour over the rhubarb, cover with clingfilm and leave for about an hour or until required.

To serve, heat a ribbed griddle pan on the stove, season the slices of liver on both sides, brush the griddle pan with oil and cook the liver for 1-2 minutes on each side, keeping them nice and pink.

Finally, spoon a little of the hot sauce on to warmed serving plates, place the liver on top, then drain and scatter the rhubarb over.

Rhubarb and ginger fizz

Serves 2- 4

This is perfect for those on the wagon right now.

200-250g rhubarb, roughly chopped
60g root ginger, scraped and coarsely grated
100g sugar
Good-quality lemonade to finish
Ice cubes

Rhubarb and ginger fizz is perfect for those on the wagon right now (Jason Lowe)

Put the rhubarb, ginger and sugar in a pan with about 250ml water, bring to a simmer on a low heat, stirring so the sugar dissolves, and continue cooking for 6-7 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl, squeezing all of the pulp through with the back of a spoon. Leave to cool and discard the pulp.

To serve, half fill some tall glasses with ice, add as much of the syrup as you wish and top up with lemonade or sparkling wine.

Mackerel on toast with rhubarb

Serves 4

I don't normally buy mackerel at this time of year, but there have been some good catches already down in the West Country.

As with gooseberry, the tartness of rhubarb goes well with the oiliness of the mackerel.

2-4 fillets from medium to large mackerel, boned
150-200ml rapeseed oil
A few sprigs of thyme
2tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2tsp sea salt
Rhubarb (follow the ox liver recipe)
4 slices of baguette, cut on the angle

Mackerel on toast with rhubarb (Jason Lowe)

Trim the belly from the mackerel and cut them into 2cm slices straight down the fillet.

Meanwhile, put the rapeseed oil in a saucepan with the thyme, pepper and salt, bring to a simmer and continue simmering for a couple of minutes. Then remove from the heat, drop in the mackerel, cover and leave to cool in the oil.

To serve, put a ribbed griddle pan on the stove, brush the slices of baguette with some of the oil that the mackerel was cooked in, and cook for a minute or so on each side, until crisp. Arrange the mackerel on top and scatter the rhubarb over.

Rhubarb Blancmange

Serves 4

Old classics such as blancmange are back. In the 1970s, when they were last in vogue, they would be flavoured with artificial fruit – not today though, thank goodness. Now it is all about fresh flavours.

400g rhubarb, trimmed and roughly chopped
100g caster sugar
1 large gelatine leaf (3g)

Old classic revamped: Rhubarb Blancmange (Jason Lowe)

Put the rhubarb in a saucepan with the sugar over a low heat with 100ml water and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking on a low heat for 7-8 minutes, until the rhubarb is soft, then strain into a sieve over a bowl, pressing the rhubarb with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Transfer the juice to a clean pan and simmer it until you have about 150ml.

Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in cold water for a few minutes, until soft, then squeeze out the water and stir into the rhubarb syrup.

Pour the syrup into 4 individual jelly moulds or 1 large one.

Blend the remaining rhubarb in the sieve into a purée in a liquidiser and put to one side.

For the Blancmange

3 leaves of gelatine (9g)
200ml full-fat milk
150ml double cream
The rhubarb purée
90g caster sugar

Bring the milk, cream and sugar to the boil and at the same time soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until soft. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves.

Remove the milk from the heat and stir in the gelatine until dissolved. Leave the mixture to cool (standing the pan in a bowl of ice will help). When cool, but not set, stir in the rhubarb purée and pour in to the moulds on top of the jelly.

Return to the fridge for 2-4 hours, or until set. To turn out, dip the moulds briefly in boiling water, then push the edges with your fingers to let the air escape. Turn out carefully.