Rachel Khoo: rhubarb pudding

Here in Paris the first of the season’s forced rhubarb has made its journey up from Provence. When the season hits, these pink bouquets are piled up enticingly high on the market stalls and they quickly find a home in my shopping basket.

Being a vegetable rather than a fruit (as its alliance with pudding might otherwise suggest), these hot pink branches are just as good a match for savoury dishes — try with oily fish such as mackerel — as for sweet. But when it comes to classic combinations, the sweet silkiness of custard with the tart acidity of the stems is hard to beat.

The early thin rhubarb stems are the tenderest, working especially well in this simple baked pudding. It’s a one-bowl job, with little cooking precision required, and the perfect vehicle for showcasing this seasonal sensation.

Rhubarb pudding

Makes 4-6 individual puddings

300g thin-stemmed forced rhubarb, washed and dried

100g butter, melted and cooled

140g caster sugar, plus 6 tbsp

for sprinkling

½ tsp salt

2 eggs plus 2 yolks

185ml whole milk

60g plain flour

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Trim the leaves off the rhubarb. Beat the butter, sugar, salt, eggs and yolks together. Add the milk and sift in the flour to make the custard. Butter 4 brûlée dishes or 6 ramekins. Cut the rhubarb into 10cm pieces if using brûlée dishes, or 5cm strips if using ramekins. Line the base of the dishes with the rhubarb strands, laying 5 or 6 lengthways and then another 5 or 6 in an overlapping lattice over the top. Pour the custard over the rhubarb, leaving a ½cm gap at the top (it puffs up as you cook). Repeat with the remaining dishes. Sprinkle the top of each with sugar before popping in the oven for 25 minutes for the brûlée dishes or 20 minutes for the ramekins. The top should be golden and slightly crisp. Leave to cool before serving. You can make one large pudding but allow an extra 5-10 minutes on the cooking time.