Spiced Poached Rhubarb

Cooking rhubarb is always a little hit or miss. Rhubarb has some firm, crisp stalks when they are taken out of the ground. But somehow they manage to over cook very easily. You want the rhubarb to be tender enough to bite, but not mush, Rhubarb can be steamed, poached, or baked - but all methods require a careful eye and not much time. Having an ice bath on hand to stop the cooking process immediately is a smart idea. Here, I have gently poached my rhubarb in a poaching liquid consisting of water, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to flavor the rhubarb. I whisked together the poaching liquid, then added bite-sized cuts of rhubarb, I brought the mixture to a slow simmer, and didn't walk away from it, testing the tenderness of the rhubarb every minute or so. Then I removed the rhubarb pieces with a slotted spoon and saved the delicious liquid.