Rosewater roasted rhubarb

Michael Craig

On a trip to Italy we teamed roasted peaches with crumbled amaretto biscuits and some dark chocolate for dessert. Here, I have roasted the rhubarb, which seems to be flourishing in the garden at present, with that gorgeously Mediterranean fragrance of rosewater. Be sure to use rosewater sparingly — too much and it will taste like perfume — and have a bit of fun plating all the textures on top, using nuts, other fruit and a few petals if you have them.

Roasted rhubarb

2 stalks	Rhubarb, cut into 3-4 stems (Main)
1 tsp	Rosewater (Main)
2 Tbsp	Caster sugar

To serve

5 Tbsp	Greek yoghurt, thick natural yoghurt or labneh
1 punnet	Strawberries, full removed and cut into slices
1 punnet	Raspberries
2 Tbsp	Pistachios, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Place the rhubarb on a roasting tray, and sprinkle with the rosewater and sugar. Roast at 180C for about 25 minutes. The rhubarb will be soft but should retain its shape.
2. To serve, smear a tablespoon of yoghurt or labne on to each serving plate, or all of it on to one large plate.
3. Arrange the roasted rhubarb and the fresh fruit all over the plate and sprinkle over the pistachios.
4. Optional extras: use crushed pieces of meringue, edible flower petals, freeze-dried fruit of your choice.