I rarely make rhubarb sauce on the stove top anymore. Instead, I microwave the few ingredients required to make rhubarb sauce. The process is simple and takes only minutes, as the rhubarb breaks down easily in the microwave. If you make the sauce before dinner and set it aside, you can have a warm rhubarb sauce to top ice cream by the time you're ready for dessert. I'm not sure you can make an easier or better dessert than this. The sweet, tangy rhubarb sauce combined with vanilla ice cream makes a great treat on a hot summer's day. If you're lucky and have a lot of rhubarb, you can freeze some to make special desserts during the winter, too. Want rhubarb sauce for another meal? Try it atop bread, pancakes, or waffles for breakfast. Enjoy!
Microwave Rhubarb Sauce -- Makes About 1 Cup of Sauce
1 1/2 cups of chopped rhubarb
1/3 cup of sugar (use 1/2 cup if you like a sweeter sauce)
2-4 tablespoons of water (depending on how thick you like your sauce)
Vanilla ice cream to serve (optional, but try it!)
In a medium microwaveable container (I use a glass quart measure) combine the rhubarb, sugar, and water. Microwave the rhubarb mixture for 2-3 minutes on high. Stir the mixture well. The rhubarb should have started to break down. Microwave the mixture again for another minute and stir it. My rhubarb has usually broken down by this point, but if yours hasn't, you can microwave it for another minute or so and stir it again. The sauce will be fairly thin but will thicken up as it cools. Serve the sauce on top of vanilla ice cream for a special treat! Note: My rhubarb variety yields green stalks, so my rhubarb sauce is not "rosy red." Rather than adding food color, I leave the sauce "as is," because it's quite good, regardless of color. If you want to use the sauce at Christmastime to top vanilla ice cream, I suggest tossing a few dried cranberries on top of the ice cream and sauce, or, better yet, some fresh strawberries or raspberries. You'll have an incredibly good and elegant dessert.
Comments