RHUBARB AND PEAR CREAM - Gluten-free

There are some things that are more Swedish than others to me even though I know that they exist in other parts of the world as well but they embody so many memories of my origins that I cannot but see them as Swedish in my mind. Rhubarb is one of them. Where ever I lived as a child, there were always rhubarbs growing somewhere and I think that many of my Swedish readers will agree with me that summer is not summer without eating rhubarbs in some form or other. I have never seen rhubarbs where I live in Italy and as we usually rent flats when we are in Sweden, I haven't seen any here as well for years so you can imagine how happy I was when I discovered a big rhubarb plant here in the flower bed of the small house we are living in here! It is a bit overgrown so I felt that it was my duty to use up some of the stalks to make me a happier person, sometimes on has to do ones duty, don't you think? The first rhubarb dish I made was an old-fashioned rhubarb cream but with the addition of pears to give it a little extra texture and sweetness. And as it is gluten-free, I add it to my Gluten-free Friday series!






RHUBARB AND PEAR CREAM - Gluten-free
3-4 servings

600 ml/2,5 cups rhubarb stalks cut into pieces
3 medium pears, peeled and cut into pieces
200-300 ml/ 0,85-1,25 cup sugar
600 ml/2,5 cups water
2,5-3 tblsp potato starch (or corn starch), the more, the firmer

- Bring water and sugar to a boil in a pan and then add the rhubarb and the pears and leave to simmer until the rhubarb is soft, it just takes 3-4 minutes if you have cut it into small pieces.
- Mix starch with a little water before adding it to avoid lumps, add it stirring all the time over low heat and when it has become dense, take the pan off the heat.
- Pour it all into a bowl and let it get cold or at least tepid before eating.