Annabel's Rhubarb vs Claude Lamarche

Want to see a master at work? We have supplied pastry chef Claude Lamarche for years and he’s top of his game. So we challenged the chef to work his magic with the first crop of forced rhubarb from our friend Annabel in Yorkshire.

“Yorkshire rhubarb is unique in the world,” the chef says. “And pink because they never see the light. I like it because it is not a fruit but a vegetable - but you can use it as a fruit. I love the acidity and texture.”

Claude learnt his trade at Gordon Ramsay's L'Aubergine in London (2 Michelin stars) and then left for Hong Kong to work with Tim Powell before a stint with Francois Payard in his pastry shop in New York. After that, Head Pastry Chef with Pierre Koffman at La Tante Claire (3 Michelin stars), Executive Pastry Chef for The Great Eastern Hotel and Executive Pastry Chef The Dorchester.

He recalls a favourite rhubarb dish from his days at L’Aubergine with Ramsay: a rhubarb soufflé with fromage frais and black peppercorn sorbet. “Gosh, it was beautiful” he recalls.

Here’s a glimpse into his creative process in his home kitchen … He first cooked the rhubarb sous vide with sugar, some raspberries and no water. "You could also use strawberry and a bit of fresh ginger,” he says.

He drained the rhubarb and then laid in a mould (“Never peel it,” he says.)

The chef remembers eating outdoor rhubarb as a child in France. “My mum used to do rhubarb jam - I hated it. She cooked it so much - it was sweet and brown in colour.”