Sharp and tart, rhubarb's lip-smacking qualities perfectly partner a good dose of sugar in these warm desserts.

One of the few downsides of writing The Cook's Companion is that it is difficult to think of new things to say about an ingredient. But in thinking about rhubarb, I did look up Harold McGee's astonishing On Food and Cooking and found the following interesting paragraph: "Rhubarb has had a somewhat shady reputation since World War I, when Americans were encouraged to eat its leaves as a vegetable supplement and many cases of poisoning resulted. For a long time it was thought that oxalic acid was the culprit, until it was realised that the stalks, which are safe, also contain significant amounts of this acid; so does spinach. The leaf toxin has not yet been identified."

In The Cook's Companion I also attributed the poison in the leaves to an excess of oxalic acid, which just goes to show that you can learn something new every day.

Rhubarb is in vogue and why not? Its cherry-red stalks (or greenish-red if you are not able to buy bunches of Nagambie grower Di McDonald's rhubarb at farmers' markets) are delectable. Poached for breakfast is a popular choice and most recipes instruct to cut the stalks into short pieces and carefully lay them in a saucepan or baking dish and strew over sugar, sometimes orange juice, sometimes also a little late-picked wine and cook gently either in the oven, or on the stove. This way the rhubarb keeps its shape and is tender in about 15 minutes.

I prefer my rhubarb cooked to a rough puree. I cut it, put it in a non-reactive saucepan, add a good quantity of sugar and just one or two spoonfuls of water and cover the pot. I also watch it carefully and give a stir as soon as it comes to the boil as it catches easily. A bowl full of this rhubarb puree, thick and crimson, is then ready for muesli, to swirl through homemade vanilla ice-cream, to pile into a baking dish (with or without apple) and top with a sponge topping or add some raspberries and a crumble topping, or to make a tart filling or combine with whipped cream to make a rosy-pink fool. It also makes a good filling for strudel or Danish pastries.

We can buy rhubarb all year. In summer, marry it with strawberries or raspberries; in autumn, with apples and figs; and in winter with oranges. Rhubarb loves cream and custard. Some cooks like its acidity as a foil to oily fish, such as a chunk of grilled salmon, often adding ginger as well.

Older recipe books all seem to have a recipe for rhubarb wine and another of my favourite books Mary Norwak's The Farmhouse Kitchen has recipes for three rhubarb jams - with raspberry, fig and rose-petal.

Two of my favourite rhubarb recipes, ideal for cooler weather are Rhubarb yeast cake and
Rhubarb gingerbread sponge pudding.

See for more Rhubarb recipes.