Cookbook:Rhubarb Fool

| Dessert

Rhubarb fool is a traditional dessert in Swedish cuisine. Its sweet and sour taste makes it a perfect summer dessert, to be served after a heavy meal.

Ingredients

 * 500 g fresh or frozen rhubarb
 * 4 dl water
 * 1 dl white granulated sugar
 * 3 tbsp potato starch
 * Milk, or a mixture of milk and cream, for serving

Procedure

 * 1) Rinse the rhubarb and cut it into smaller pieces, about 1–3 cm in length. If the rhubarb is coarse or of low quality, it may be necessary to peel it first.
 * 2) Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Add the rhubarb and boil until soft, about 3–5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the starch with a bit of water until it dissolves.
 * 3) When the rhubarb is soft, whisk or stir vigorously to make sure all the rhubarb pieces break up into strings. There should be no whole pieces left—if necessary boil some more.
 * 4) Remove the rhubarb from the heat. Add the dissolved starch to the rhubarb while stirring. Keep stirring and bring the rhubarb to a boil once again.
 * 5) Pour the rhubarb fool into serving bowls and sprinkle some sugar on top to prevent a skin from forming. Leave to cool off and then refrigerate.
 * 6) Serve at room temperature or chilled, with milk.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * Depending on the type of rhubarb and whether it is peeled or not, the color of the rhubarb fool can vary from pale yellow to clear red.
 * Cornstarch can substitute for the potato starch.
 * To reduce the amount of carbohydrates in the recipe, consider use an artificial sweetener instead of the sugar. If using artificial sweetener then add that ingredient late. Unlike sugar it does not need to be dissolved in hot water.