The Endive Chronicles

I really enjoy cooking with an ingredient that has in general been pigeon holed.  For the most part rhubarb is one of those ingredients (a Google search for savory rhubarb recipes helped me prove this point); it looks like chard on steroids, is incredibly tart and when cooking it most drown it in sugar and call it good. In colder climates rhubarb is the staple in many a pastry chef’s springtime arsenal but is often overlooked by those on the savory side of the house. So when I found a luscious jewel toned bunch at Pike Place Market I knew I wanted to make something different than dessert.

I am fortunate to be living in the Puget Sound region an area of the country where rhubarb flourishes. It is hard to believe that rhubarb is not native to this region as it holds an esteemed place in Northwest cuisine as well as in Northwestern hearts. Growing up here my parents had a small rhubarb patch on the side of the house. My mother made a lovely rhubarb sauce that was always a welcome snack after a long day of playing in the muddy ravine behind our house. I loved rhubarb sauce so much that not knowing the bitter truth, I stole a taste from one of the plants then promptly spit the mouthful out and disposed of the evidence in that same muddy ravine.

I worked on this recipe yesterday afternoon while Phil went out on a special mission to find me the accompanying flavors and I have to say he did a marvelous job. First he stopped at our local cheese shop, The Cheese Cellar, for soft cheese. After careful consultation with the proprietors he decided on Mitica chevre from Spain. The chevre was more mild than I would normally buy, but it was a perfect pairing as the tang did not overpower the rhubarb and really let it shine. The second part of Phil’s mission was to stop in to see Emile at Champion Wine Cellars for the final piece of the flavor trifecta. When it comes to pairing Emile is truly an expert and last night that fact was proven to me again. He sent Phil home with a bottle of Chateau Du Juge from the Cadillac region of Bordeaux. The golden hued wine tasted of honey which on its own would have been too much for me, but when paired with the rhubarb was ambrosia.

We ate our feast and sipped our wine on the balcony watching the sun sink steadily towards the Olympic Mountains. The combination of rhubarb and onion was a smashing success, made even more special by the lovely chevre and wine. The greatest part was that it was all found within a short walk of my home. It’s good to be back.

Rhubarb and Onion Jam

1 TBS Olive oil

1 Sweet Onion, sliced (I like Walla Walla, Maui, but Vidalia works as well)

5 cups Rhubarb, sliced

1/2 cup Muscavado sugar (any dark brown sugar will work)

1 TBS Aged Balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp Fleur de Sel

Add the olive oil to a heavy bottomed sauce pan that has been heated over medium to medium low heat. When the oil has warmed add the onions and salt and allow to slowly brown. When the onions start to become brown add in to rhubarb, stir and allow to cook for a minute or two before adding the remaining ingredients. Allow the mixture to reduce down and thicken by about a third or so before removing from the heat.  Place the jam into a bowl and chill before serving.

To serve: toast sliced baguette and spread with chevre or the soft cheese of your choice, top with jam and sprinkle with a woody herb such as thyme. I used lemon thyme.

*The baguette was from La Panier in Pike Place Market and the lemon thyme from my balcony.

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