Strawberry Blackberry Rhubarb Salad with Almonds and Mint

Strawberry Blackberry Rhubarb Salad – Not Too Tart. Not Too Sweet. But Just Right.

Developing a dessert for my recent Splendid Salads of Early Summer Cooking Class became both a challenge and an inspiration. Strawberries and rhubarb were natural choices. Yet, a rhubarb crisp was out as I wanted a salad-ish dish for the class. Yay for the internet. I found a salad recipe to riff on. And riff and refine I did any number of times. Then, this afternoon, everything came together. This recipe for Strawberry Blackberry Rhubarb Salad is ready to share. As it just received my my husband’s stamp of approval (he asked for a third helping).

A Goldilocks salad

A common concern regarding rhubarb is that it requires too much sugar or other sweetener to counter its tartness. Fortunately, there are ways to use less. Which I’ve done in this beautiful late spring/early summer Strawberry Blackberry Rhubarb Salad.

• Ripe, sweet, fragrant strawberries and blackberries are a must. When ripe, their natural sweetness provides a counterpoint to rhubarb’s natural tartness. But the berries can only do so much.
• Here, the rhubarb is lightly cooked in a simple syrup made from 1 cup of water to ¼ cup of honey. Once the rhubarb is removed from the syrup, the syrup is reduced to ½ cup of deliciousness over medium-high heat.
• Gently tossing a few tablespoons of the rhubarb syrup with the fruit makes for a Strawberry Blackberry Rhubarb Salad that is not too tart and not too sweet. But just right.

Have a heart

Avoid using a knife to remove the strawberry core and its leaves. Instead, remove both the core and leaves with a twist of a “strawberry (tomato) shark,” the tip of a paring knife or an old-fashioned potato peeler.

You’ll waste less fruit. Plus, you’ll be rewarded with beautiful heart-shaped strawberries rather than flat-topped triangles.

Strawberry Blackberry Rhubarb Salad with Toasted Almonds and Mint

 Enjoy this fresh and colorful, lightly sweetened, late spring/early summer fruit salad.  Delicious for dessert along with a spoonful of whipped coconut cream, yogurt or a scoop of ice cream. Inspired by a recipe from Deb Wise.

• Rhubarb quickly loses its crispness when cooked. Overcooked rhubarb loses its shape and becomes mushy.
• Leftover rhubarb syrup would be delicious added to lemonade, drizzled over yogurt or ice cream.

Total Time:  25 minutes                Printer-Friendly Recipe

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup light honey
• 1 cup water
• 8 ounces fresh rhubarb, rinsed and dried
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• 14 ounces fresh strawberries, quickly rinsed and dried
• 6 ounces fresh blackberries, even more quickly rinsed and dried
• Zest from 1 medium orange
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint chiffonade

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Rinse and dry the rhubarb. Diagonally slice it into 1-inch by ½-inch pieces to equal about 2 cups.
3. In a small saucepan, stir together the honey and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rhubarb to the pan. Cook for 1 minute. Cover the pan and turn off the heat. Test the rhubarb after 3 minutes. If crisp tender, use a slotted spoon to remove it to a plate to cool. Over medium-high heat, reduce the rhubarb syrup to ½ cup. Transfer the syrup to another container to cool it to room temperature.
4. Toast the slivered almonds until golden, 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
5. Remove the stems from the strawberries. Quarter them lengthwise to equal about 3 cups.
6. In a medium bowl, combine the orange zest and juice, the lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of the room-temperature rhubarb syrup and the mint chiffonade.
7. Gently stir in the strawberries, blackberries and the room temperature rhubarb and toasted almonds.
8. Serve Strawberry Blackberry Rhubarb Salad at room temperature or chilled. Perhaps topped with a spoonful of whipped coconut cream, yogurt or a scoop of ice cream.

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