Jun 20 2008
Rhubarb Onion Jam with Chevre and Thyme
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.
