Rhubarb fool

A truly delicious thing to do with rhubarb.

There is a theory in my family that you can't go wrong with whipped cream. My father has claimed for years that one can eat an unlimited amount of pavlova provided there is enough cream to cut the sweetness. And be the consequence what it may to my liver, I am my father's daughter in that regard. Cream makes practically everything better. I would be a smaller person if I did not feel this way, I am sure.

Cream, anyway, is half the substance of a fruit fool. There is hardly an easier dessert; it is elegant, simple, beautiful and delicious. Rhubarb is especially good, being both acidic and astringent, though admittedly it makes an uglier fool than some. Hence, no photo. However, the cooked fruit does not need sieving, unlike raspberry or gooseberry. With sweetener rather than sugar, this dish fits easily into a low carbohydrate regime. I will try it that way next time my dear friend gives me a bunch of fresh young rhubarb:

Recipe

bunch of young rhubarb
sweetener or brown sugar to taste
vanilla (preferably home made) to taste
whipped cream

Wash and chop the rhubarb, and gently steam in a tablespoon of water until tender. Stir in sweetening and vanilla. Let cool, stir into a soft stringy mush. Fold into at least its own volume of cream, whipped very firm. Serve in glasses or a glass bowl, perhaps with crisp biscuits.