Rhubarb season went long this year but last week it drew to a close and I found myself scrambling to consume as much of it as possible. Always the classic choice, I made a rhubarb pie which Sarah and I devoured in two days flat (full disclosure: one morning we had it for breakfast). I roasted rhubarb with honey and tossed it in a salad of arugula, goat cheese and walnuts and I made a silky batch of rhubarb simple syrup for summer cocktails. I even toyed with the idea of pulling out my brewing equipment and trying a rhubarb beer. You get the picture - we've been eating a lot of rhubarb!
And then I stumbled onto ...
Rhubarb Beer Jam! Yes please! This recipe is from the book The Preservation Kitchen by the renowned Chicago chef Paul Virant. He is pretty much the preservation/pickling/canning king and his book is well worth buying if you're into this sort of thing (incidentally, his restaurants Perennial Virant and Vie are also not to be missed).
After the week's great rhubarb gorge, a mere half pound remained so I cut this recipe down considerably. Double or triple depending on how much rhubarb you have (and how much jelly you think you can eat). Also, where Virant uses lemons, I substituted grapefruit and used Ogden, a dry hopped Belgian Triple from Goose Island. The grapefruit not only acts as an activator for the natural pectin in the rhubarb but it accentuates the Citra hops found in the Ogden.
Ingredients
1/2 lbs fresh rhubarb stalks, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Goose Island Ogden Beer
3/4 pink grapefruit, supreme cut
Saute rhubarb, grapefruit segments, and brown sugar for 12 minutes over medium heat. Add beer and turn off the heat. Mix well and let sit for thirty minutes on the stovetop. Keep refrigerated between uses.
Update: This recipe goes very well with the beer bread found here as well as an addition to this meal.
Happy brunching!
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