Recipe

Poached Rhubarb with Balsamic, Caraway, and Labneh

by Tim Chin

I had a dream of perfectly poached rhubarb—tender but intact, with a hint of crispness—sitting on a cloud of lightened, slightly sweet labneh and garnished with a drizzle of sweet-tart rhubarb syrup and toasted caraway seeds. And then I woke up to reality: Rhubarb is notorious for going from crunchy and raw to blown-out mush in a matter of minutes. While many vegetables are held together by sturdy cellulose, the walls of rhubarb cells are a delicate construction of pectin, which weakens and dissolves when heated, releasing the pressure and turning the stalk to goo. That’s fine for pie fillings and jams but it won’t work in my dream dessert. How would I get around this problem? Sous vide, of course. (Don’t worry—I’ll show you how to do this without a sous vide device.)

Cooking rhubarb sous vide not only allows you to nail that perfect texture but also concentrates flavors and even lets you infuse things into the rhubarb better than traditional poaching or roasting methods. And a 30-minute bath is all it takes. The results are consistently tender, perfectly cooked pieces of rhubarb that make for a stunning dessert to welcome spring and celebrate the rhubarb season. 

Photography by Steve Klise

Yield
Serves 4 or 6
Ingredients

Rhubarb

300 g rhubarb (2 stalks), cut into ½-inch pieces
100 g plus 40 g sugar, divided
30 g plus 475 g water
13 g lemon zest strips (from 1 lemon)
4 g fresh thyme sprigs
1 g kosher salt
475 g ice
20 g balsamic vinegar

Labneh Cream

150 g heavy cream
38 g sugar
1 g kosher salt
300 g labneh or full-fat Greek yogurt
5 g caraway seeds, toasted
2 g fresh basil leaves, torn into ¼-inch pieces

Rhubarb

2 stalks rhubarb, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
2 tablespoons plus 2 cups water
½ ounce lemon zest strips (from 1 lemon)
6  fresh thyme sprigs
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups ice
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Labneh Cream

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅔ cup labneh or full-fat Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons caraway seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, torn into ¼-inch pieces
Essential Equipment
Instructions
  1. For the Rhubarb: If cooking sous vide: Use sous vide device to heat water bath to 142 degrees F/61 degrees C.

    If cooking on stovetop: Heat 3,600 grams water in Dutch oven over medium heat to 145 degrees F/63 degrees C; cover and turn heat to low. 
    • 300 g rhubarb (2 stalks), cut into ½-inch pieces 
    • 100 g sugar 
    • 30 g plus 475 g water, divided 
    • 13 g lemon zest strips 
    • 4 g fresh thyme sprigs 
    • 1 g kosher salt 
    • 475 g ice
    If cooking sous vide: Toss rhubarb, sugar, 30 grams water, lemon zest, thyme sprigs, and salt in medium bowl to combine. Transfer rhubarb and liquid to 1-quart zipper-lock bag. Press out as much air as possible from bag and seal. Gently lower bag into water bath, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag (do not let go of bag). Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air pockets, and seal bag fully. Clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, making sure rhubarb is fully submerged. Cook until rhubarb can be pierced easily with paring knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, combine ice and remaining 475 grams water in large bowl. Using tongs, carefully remove bag from water bath and transfer to ice bath; chill for 10 minutes.

    If cooking on stovetop: Toss rhubarb, sugar, 30 grams water, lemon zest, thyme sprigs, and salt in medium bowl to combine. Transfer rhubarb and liquid to 1-quart zipper-lock bag. Press out as much air as possible from bag and seal. Gently lower bag into water, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag (do not let go of bag). Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air pockets, and seal bag fully. Clip top corner of bag to side of pot, making sure rhubarb is fully submerged. Cook until rhubarb can be pierced easily with paring knife, 30 to 40 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain temperature between 140 degrees F/60 degrees C and 145 degrees F/63 degrees C. Meanwhile, combine ice and remaining 475 grams water in large bowl. Using tongs, carefully remove bag from water bath and transfer to ice bath; chill for 10 minutes. 
    • 40 g sugar 
    • 20 g balsamic vinegar
    Snip off 1 corner of zipper-lock bag to create small hole; drain liquid through hole into 10-inch skillet. Whisk in sugar and vinegar and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is thick and reduced to ⅓ cup, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer syrup to small bowl and let cool at room temperature for 20 minutes. (If syrup is too thick at room temperature to easily drizzle from a spoon, adjust consistency with 1 to 2 teaspoons water.) Meanwhile, open bag and transfer rhubarb to medium bowl; discard lemon zest strips and thyme sprigs. (Rhubarb and syrup can be refrigerated separately in airtight containers for up to 2 days.)  
    • 150 g heavy cream 
    • 38 g sugar 
    • 1 g kosher salt 
    • 300 g labneh or full-fat Greek yogurt
    For the Labneh Cream: Meanwhile, whisk cream, sugar, and salt in large bowl until frothy, about 30 seconds. Whisk in labneh until mixture is smooth and holds its shape, about 1 minute longer. 
    • 5 g caraway seeds, toasted 
    • 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, torn into ¼-inch pieces
    To serve: Stir 10 grams syrup and caraway seeds into rhubarb. Divide labneh mixture evenly among bowls and make divot in center with spoon. Divide rhubarb evenly among bowls, dolloping it into divots. Drizzle with extra syrup and sprinkle with basil. Serve.  
Instructions
  1. For the Rhubarb: If cooking sous vide: Use sous vide device to heat water bath to 142 degrees F/61 degrees C.

    If cooking on stovetop: Heat 4 quarts water in Dutch oven over medium heat to 145 degrees F/63 degrees C; cover and turn heat to low. 
    • 2 stalks rhubarb, cut into ½-inch pieces 
    • ½ cup sugar 
    • 2 tablespoons plus 2 cups water, divided 
    • ½ ounce lemon zest strips 
    • 6 fresh thyme sprigs 
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 
    • 3 cups ice
    If cooking sous vide: Toss rhubarb, sugar, 2 tablespoons water, lemon zest, thyme sprigs, and salt in medium bowl to combine. Transfer rhubarb and liquid to 1-quart zipper-lock bag. Press out as much air as possible from bag and seal. Gently lower bag into water bath, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag (do not let go of bag). Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air pockets, and seal bag fully. Clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, making sure rhubarb is fully submerged. Cook until rhubarb can be pierced easily with paring knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, combine ice and remaining 2 cups water in large bowl. Using tongs, carefully remove bag from water bath and transfer to ice bath; chill for 10 minutes.

    If cooking on stovetop: Toss rhubarb, sugar, 2 tablespoons water, lemon zest, thyme, and salt in medium bowl to combine. Transfer rhubarb and liquid to 1-quart zipper-lock bag. Press out as much air as possible from bag and seal. Gently lower bag into water, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag (do not let go of bag). Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air pockets, and seal bag fully. Clip top corner of bag to side of pot, making sure rhubarb is fully submerged. Cook until rhubarb can be pierced easily with paring knife, 30 to 40 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain temperature between 140 degrees F/60 degrees C and 145 degrees F/63 degrees C. Meanwhile, combine ice and remaining 2 cups water in large bowl. Using tongs, carefully remove bag from water bath and transfer to ice bath; chill for 10 minutes. 
    • 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar 
    • 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
    Snip off 1 corner of zipper-lock bag to create small hole; drain liquid through hole into 10-inch skillet. Whisk in sugar and vinegar and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is thick and reduced to ⅓ cup, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer syrup to small bowl and let cool at room temperature for 20 minutes. (If syrup is too thick at room temperature to easily drizzle from a spoon, adjust consistency with 1 to 2 teaspoons water.) Meanwhile, open bag and transfer rhubarb to medium bowl; discard lemon zest strips and thyme sprigs. (Rhubarb and syrup can be refrigerated separately in airtight containers for up to 2 days.)  
    • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream 
    • 3 tablespoons sugar 
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 
    • ⅔ cup labneh or full-fat Greek yogurt
    For the Labneh Cream: Meanwhile, whisk cream, sugar, and salt in large bowl until frothy, about 30 seconds. Whisk in labneh until mixture is smooth and holds its shape, about 1 minute longer. 
    • 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, toasted 
    • 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, torn into ¼-inch pieces
    To serve: Stir 2 teaspoons syrup and caraway seeds into rhubarb. Divide labneh mixture evenly among bowls and make divot in center with spoon. Divide rhubarb evenly among bowls, dolloping it into divots. Drizzle with extra syrup and sprinkle with basil. Serve.  
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