Rhubarb is a favorite vegetable among Eastern Europeans and it finds its way into everything from beverages, alcoholic and nonalcoholic, to soups to compotes to desserts. Rhubarb packs a lot of pucker power and is usually married with other fruits or the quintessential Eastern European sweetener -- honey.
1. Rhubarb-Honey Drink
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This refreshing drink with its slight tang, not unlike lemonade, is a real thirst quencher.
2. Rhubarb Cordial
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You'll have to wait several months for this fruity liqueur to be at its best, but it's worth it. Start now and you'll have wonderful Christmas gifts!
3. Cold Rhubarb Soup
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This is another warm-weather refresher. Even though this soup is slightly sweet, it is eaten not as a dessert, as some fruit soups are, but with "kluski" or croutons as the first course of a multicourse meal.
4. Rhubarb Applesauce
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This pairing of rhubarb and apples is a match made in heaven. It's a great accompaniment to pork and poultry.
5. Rhubarb Compote
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Rhubarb Compote is similar to a chutney in that it cuts the fattiness of certain meats like pork and duck. It also works well spooned over ice cream or pound cake.
6. Rhubarb-Carrot Salad
Rhubarb-Carrot Salad
Many Eastern European salads are dressed with sour cream instead of a vinaigrette, as in this case where rhubarb and carrots mingle contentedly in a creamy dressing.
7. Rustic Strawberry-Rhubarb Tart
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My grandmother made this one-crust tart on busy wash days. Today, this open-face pie is considered a chi-chi dessert.
8. Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
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When grandma had the luxury of a few hours' spare time, she'd often make this two-crust pie with her garden rhubarb.
9. Rhubarb Cream Tart
© 2008 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
And if grandma really had time on her hands when the rhubarb was in, she'd make a lattice-top tart with a sweet pastry dough.
