rhubarb, three in one

Being the first rhubarb of the season so exquisitely young and tender I simply

• wash the stems
• cut them into pieces
• put them into a baking dish
• sprinkle with enough sugar to generate some syrup
• add slices of lemon, orange or kumquats
• and bake for about half an hour

to obtain a whole variety of rhubarby possibilities.

The exact "how to" you find here (by David Tanis) and here (by Rose Carrarini).

1) I enjoy the rhubarb right from the oven: hot or cooled down with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

2) I use the solid parts to let them sink into a batter for a delicious fruit cake

3) I purée the syrup and slices of lemon together with beetroot, apple and ginger for a sweet and bright magenta smoothie.