Rhubarb and Cherry Spiced Syrup for 2F Kombucha Jun and Water Kefir

Rhubarb and Cherry Spiced Syrup for 2F Kombucha Jun and Water Kefir

Rhubarb & Cherry Spiced Syrup

Perfect for Water Kefir, Kombucha & Yeast Tarts

This recipe flips the usual syrup-making process on its head. I make a spiced fruit filling for rustic galettes, then transform the strained syrup into a fermentation-friendly flavouring that's become a favourite in our subscription boxes. Our Bendigo garden supplies rhubarb almost year-round, so this syrup has become a staple.

Note: This recipe yields enough syrup for flavouring plus fruit pulp for making a delicious tart. If you're only after the syrup, you can skip the tart-making entirely.

Ingredients

• 500g frozen cherries (or 700g pitted fresh)
• 5 rhubarb stalks, cut into 2cm pieces
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 150ml water
• 1 star anise pod
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Zest of 1 lime
• 2 cloves
• 2 teaspoons Lapsang Souchong tea (optional, for smoky depth and colour)

Method

1. Combine fruit, sugars, water, star anise, cinnamon stick, lime zest, and cloves in a saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat until fruit is just soft (approximately 10-15 minutes).
3. Strain the mixture, reserving both the syrup and fruit pulp separately.
4. Return the syrup to the pan with the cinnamon stick. If using, add Lapsang Souchong tea at this stage.
5. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, then remove from heat.
6. Allow to infuse for 24 hours at room temperature.
7. Strain again and bottle.

Uses

• Add to water kefir second fermentation (2-3 tablespoons per litre)
• Mix into kombucha for flavouring
• Use the reserved fruit pulp for rustic galettes or tarts
• Drizzle over yogurt or ice cream

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

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Inspired by Stephanie Alexander's Sour Cherry and Rhubarb Tart from The Cook's Companion

Here's the thing about syrups - you will end up with fruit pulp and want to use it - this time I have turned it around and made something with the fruit first and then extended the syrup and fermented it a bit to infuse more flavour.

Now I have to keep making 'Yeast Tarts' (Galettes) in order to make more syrup. Also - as I said,  we have a LOT of rhubarb growing most of the year. 

I first made this when I was making a Stephanie Alexander Sour Cherry and Rhubarb yeast tart... (pg 172, The Cooks Table - a book of dinner parties which I quite enjoyed for all of this year actually!).

Anyway - there is syrup and I left some for later to add to our Kombucha and Water Kefir. Now that we have started a subscription club I have made some to send out to the Water Works and Love Bug people to add to their 1F water kefir. So FUN. 

I don't use sour cherries - just frozen because we have loads of rhubarb in the garden almost all year round, continously impressing me. I adore rhubarb.  So it's more rhubarb than cherry - not too much sugar really - and some spices that are different to the syrup you originally get from Stephanie's recipe.  

If you don't want to make the tart and just want to get into the syrup - here is the syrup part. But I do recommend you bake the tart using the pulp - so easy, rustic and pretty and then you have the added syrup to use. x