Rhubarb on the rebound

If you think of rhubarb solely as a filling for Grandma's pies, you are in for a real surprise.

And that's assuming you even know what rhubarb is. Or have ever tasted it.

Many in this generation don't. And have not.

Even cooks and staff at the Sofitel Philadelphia gathered, filled with curiosity, ooohhhing and aaahhhing over the unfamiliar red stalks that executive chef Sylvain Harribey ordered for his spring menu.

"Most people don't know too much about rhubarb," Harribey said, "but I worked with it in France and have used it before. A rhubarb compote adds a really fresh taste as a condiment."

For now, though, Harribey is using local rhubarb in a way more familiar to Americans, in a pastry dessert.

But as a trendy "new" ingredient on upscale restaurant menus on both sides of the pond, rhubarb can be found served as a sauce or condiment with fish - especially salmon, a pairing of long standing, and sea bass - and with some meats, often pork or duck, for which rhubarb's tart-sweet taste is a refreshing complement.

That's right, rhubarb is not just Grandma's favorite filling anymore. It has been reborn, one might say, as the darling of gourmet chefs.

At the Park Grille Steak & Chop House at Philadelphia Park Casino, executive chef David Zuckerman is using rhubarb in a high-brow twist on the classic PB&J, offering FG&J - not peanut butter but foie gras with rhubarb jelly on toasted brioche. As an appetizer special ($18 to $20 a pop), it appeals to his more adventurous weekend clientele, says Zuckerman, who took the top spot at Philadelphia Park's kitchen last summer after six years at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

While few home cooks are apt to pair rhubarb with foie gras, there remain many options for sauces, jams, even pickles using rhubarb.

At Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, executive chef Matthew Levin put Fried French Toast "Stix" with Rhubarb Syrup on his spring breakfast menu.

And at Ansill (Third and Bainbridge), chef-owner David Ansill opted for a rhubarb and strawberry tart to close the special four-course, prix-fixe menu ($55) that he will serve April 22 through 25 to celebrate Earth Day.

That's all good, but to cook with rhubarb at home, you need to know more about this unique vegetable that is so often treated as fruit.