Rhubarb finally appeared at the grocery store again this week! It's one of my favorite spring foods, I love the slightly sour taste and the amazing floral and fruity smell. We had some growing at our old house and I miss it so much, it was way more delicious than anything I've found at the store. I may need to plant some at our current house for next spring. While I love rhubarb pie, I wanted to do something a little different than usual. I made a version of this toast last year with ricotta instead of crème fraîche and ricotta was good but the crème fraîche is even better. It's rich, creamy, and slightly sweet which pairs perfectly with the sour rhurbarb and floral peppercorns. Roasting the rhubarb in a little bit of rosé creates a syrup that is sweet but also slightly acidic with the fruity flavors of the wine still coming through. If you don't want to serve this on toast its also great over ice cream for dessert or yogurt for breakfast.
Ingredients -
3 cups chopped rhubarb - about 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup rosé - use a wine you want to drink the rest of!
1.5 T pink peppercorns - crushed
8 slices crusty bread of choice - I used the pugliese from Essential Baking Co.
8 T crème fraîche
Directions -
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the rhubarb on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the sugar and pink peppercorns evenly over the rhubarb then add the wine. Roast the rhubarb in the oven until it has softened and the juices are starting to thicken, about 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Toast the bread slices in the toaster or under the broiler until they are nicely browned. Spread one tablespoon of crème fraîche on each slice of bread, then spoon the rhubarb and some of the syrup on top of the crème fraîche. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-8 as an appetizer
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