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A rhubarb and marmalade meringue roulade to set tongues wagging

Melanie Johnson Melanie Johnson

As well as being quite the tongue twister, this kitchen-garden dessert is a delicious dessert.

Colour and sweetness have returned to the kitchen garden with forced rhubarb, that dark-dwelling cousin of the summer rhubarb. It’s craved by chefs due to its superior taste, with it not being as sharp as that grown in the summer. Grown in total darkness, and harvested by candlelight, forced rhubarb in Yorkshire gained a Protected Designation of Origin all the way back in 2010, and must be grown within a nine-mile radius known as the ‘rhubarb triangle’. You didn’t think rhubarb was so interesting, did you?

Well it’s also extremely versatile and can make great desserts. Try this rhubarb and marmalade meringue roulade.

Recipe: Rhubarb and marmalade meringue roulade

Ingredients

For the filling

  • 200g rhubarb
  • 3tbspn marmalade

For the meringue

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  • 6 large egg whites
  • 275g caster sugar
  • 50g flaked almonds
  • 400ml double cream Icing sugar

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and line a Swiss-roll tin of about 20cm by 30cm (8in by 12in) with baking paper.

Cut the rhubarb into bitesized pieces and toss with the warmed marmalade. Pour into a roasting dish, cover with foil and roast for 20 minutes. Cool in the dish until ready to use.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean, large bowl (any grease will prevent them stiffening) until thick and glossy. Towards the end, add the sugar, a spoonful at time, and then spread in an even layer in the prepared Swiss-roll tin. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds.

Bake for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 140°C fan/160°C/320°F/ gas mark 3 and bake for a further 25 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and turn out the meringue onto a clean piece of baking paper. Cool for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, spoon the whipped cream over the meringue, followed by the rhubarb and marmalade, and then gently roll up from the short end.

Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve. The roulade tastes best eaten within a few hours of assembling, but also freezes well—simply wrap in clingfilm and freeze for up to a month and defrost overnight in a refrigerator.