A chef friend recently told me about Rhubarb mustard and a first I was slightly dubious but its actually really, really nice! The sweetness from the fruit softens the harshness from the Dijon and it pairs well with white asparagus, which are a speciality in France.
I decided to add a plum to give it a deeper pink colour but if you are using the gorgeous ruby-pink forced rhubarb then you may choose to omit this, if you wish.
The quantities are a guidance, play around with the seasoning depending on how hot or sweet you would like your mustard to be.
Serves 4 as a starter
- 2 large stalks of rhubarb- roughly chopped
- 1 small plum- de-stoned and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp caster sugar or sweeter of choice
- lemon juice
- salt
- 4-6 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp mustard powder- if you don’t have this then just add more dijon
- 1 jar white asparagus
- In a saucepan over medium heat, cook down the rhubarb and plum with the sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice until it goes completely soft and breaks down. Add a splash of water if it looks like its beginning to catch but be carful not to add too much liquid as this will affect the end result.
- Once soft, blitz the fruit in a food processor then pass through a sieve, really pushing down to extract all the liquid.
- Combine the fruit puree with enough mustard so that you get the heat coming through but you get a little sweetness and fruitiness from the puree. Season.
- Serve with the asparagus, I added some pickled rhubarb slices, oat crackers and nasturtiums. But it also goes well with potatoes, crispy chickpeas, seeds…
Jodie Cox 