How to make dried rhubarb chips, an easy delicious garnish for fruit desserts, ice creams/sorbets and savoury dishes such as terrines and pâté.
Dried Rhubarb Chips - A Parisian Restaurant Trend
This recipe stemmed (pun groan) when I first saw pretty dried pineapple sunflowers decorating an exotic fruit dessert a few years ago in Paris (by Chef William Ledeuil at Ze Kitchen Galerie). I just had to make them at home. And they're so easy!
Same Method as for Pineapple or Apple Chips
After trying them out successfully in my own kitchen (well, not that successfully: I just missed cutting my thumb to the nerve with the mandoline - so please be extremely careful!).
I cut a pineapple then also a Granny Smith apple into thin slices, soaked them in syrup then oven baked them to dry.
- For the pineapple, on this caramelised sticky roasted vanilla pineapple;
- Dried apples are delicious topped on ice cream served with salted caramel sauce.
So I tried it out on rhubarb too, using the same simple method. This time being a lot more careful with the mandolin's blade with the security attachment - and it worked!
What to do with Dehydrated Rhubarb
We've seen dried apple chips - either sold in packets as a healthy alternative to potato chips (crisps as we say in the UK), or used as a garnish in desserts. So why not dried rhubarb chips? They are the perfect decor for ice creams and sorbet plus your Spring desserts.
Ideal garnish for this rhubarb and custard cheesecake (or any cheesecake as they're beautifully tart) and all sorts of these rhubarb dishes.
Even savoury! The tartness is fun to match up with Foie Gras, terrines or pâtés, for example.
How to Make Dried Rhubarb Chips
- Cut the thinnest, wafer-thin slices using a mandoline cutter (be very careful - use the safety attachment if possible)
- I prefer the bigger stalks of rhubarb for drying effectively but if you prefer the smaller, then be even more careful with the cutter!
- Soak rhubarb slices in a light syrup of sugar and water. Cover and leave for about 15 minutes
- Once they've been soaked, they will have stopped curling
- pat slices to dry using kitchen paper or a clean towel
- bake in a cool oven to dry for up to 2 hours - smaller slices take between an hour to 1h30.
The lightly coloured rainbow-like ribs along the stalks look rather arty, don't they?
Either you love rhubarb's tartness or not, but use it to your advantage to surprise guests with these arty chips. They're also great on savoury dishes such as Foie Gras, terrines or pâtés for that Parisian restaurant touch.
Add them to this rhubarb sorbet with rose or try on creamy lemon ice cream for a real tart dessert.
How long can Rhubarb Chips keep?
The good news is that they can keep for a couple of months if stored in an airtight container.
Dried Rhubarb Chips
Ingredients
- 2-3 Thick rhubarb sticks trimmed both ends
- 1 tablespoon Caster sugar (superfine)
- 100 ml (3.5floz) Water
Instructions
- Wash and trim off both ends of the rhubarb. Using a mandoline cutter, slice the rhubarb as thin as you can, leaving on the rhubarb skin (please be careful and use the security attachment)
- Bring the water and sugar to boil in a saucepan.
- Transfer the rhubarb to a long shallow dish that will hold the rhubarb slices, depending on the length you wish to create for each chip. Pour over the hot syrup, ensuring that all the slices are coated. Cover the dish with cling film (plastic wrap) and leave to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to the lowest setting you can, no more than 90°C/70°C fan/200°F.
- Dry the rhubarb slices on kitchen paper and place them apart on non-stick trays (slices touching will end up sticking together).
- Dry in the oven for up to 2 hours. Keep an eye on them after an hour, to ensure they're not darkening. If they're small, they will require less time to dry.
Notes
This post was first published 8 May 2016 but has now been completely updated.
Toni
I was given a bag of precut frozen rhubarb. My friend has 3 plants and tends to freeze alot.
Can you make chips from short chubbys instead of long thin slices?
Jill Colonna
Hi Tony,
To be honest, I have never made these rhubarb chips using frozen rhubarb, just fresh. If you do try them using your friend's frozen chubbys, then please let me know how you got on. What a lovely friend to have that has a great supply it!
cheryl
Loved this, worked really well but my teenage sons found them...i never got to try any!!!
Jill Colonna
Oh dear - too funny! I know that problem only too well with 2 teenage daughters! Next time, hide them.
jeannie steinwand`
my question is: my chips are really sticky, shall i dry them further or give it up?
Jill Colonna
Please don't give up! Just ensure you dry them properly before baking them and perhaps keep them in the oven slightly longer - all ovens are different.
Thomasina
Dried rhubarb chips what a great idea Jill. I love the idea of putting them on lemon ice cream. Yes I do think the coloured rainbow-like ribs along the stalks look really arty and very special.
Christina | Christina's Cucina
I adore this, Jill!! You know how much I love rhubarb, and these would NEVER last 2 weeks, let alone 2 months in my house! I hope I can still find some rhubarb in the stores as I really don't want to have to wait a year to try this!
Jill Colonna
Hehe. I need to revise this just to check again how long they last since we ran out a few days after I made them. I do hope you can still find rhubarb after all your travels, Christina...
Liz
Haha, I love the safety warning! I have such a pitiful rhubarb crop that this may be the answer. Someday, I'll get enough to make a pie 🙂
Parisbreakfast
FAB! For savory do you still need the syrup?
Jill Colonna
Definitely!