More ways with rhubarb

Pickled rhubarb with smoked mackerel (below)

Cut up 4 stalks of rhubarb and stand them in a lidded jar with a few slices of fresh ginger and a scattering of peppercorns. Bring to a boil 150ml of applecider vinegar, 150g of sugar and 150ml of water in a saucepan, then pour into the jar so the liquid covers the rhubarb. Seal and leave for 48 hours, before serving with smoked-mackerel fillets.

Speedy rhubarb, apple and blackberry galette

Preheat your oven to 180˚C/ 350˚F/gas mark 4 and cut a circle from a sheet of sweet shortcrust pastry. In a bowl, toss chunks of rhubarb, a couple of peeled and chopped apples and a few blackberries with grated ginger, a couple of tablespoons of cornflour and a sprinkling of sugar. Pile the fruit into the centre of the pastry, roughly pull up the sides, brush with egg and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 35–40 minutes and serve with ice cream.

Rhubarb-and-ginger crème brûlée

Cut rhubarb into chunks and cook in a pan with a little sugar and water until tender. Set aside. In a bowl, mix together 3 egg yolks and 40g of caster sugar. Bring to a simmer 300ml of double cream, 100ml of milk and a little vanilla-bean paste in a pan, then pour a spoonful of the cream mixture into the eggs, adding more until combined. Return mixture to the heat to thicken. Spoon rhubarb into the bottom of ramekins and top with the cream. Sit the ramekins in an ovenproof dish half-filled with water and cook at a moderate heat for 30 minutes. Scatter with sugar and use a blowtorch to brûlée the tops before serving.