Ingredients

1 pound rhubarb

　　1/2 vanilla bean

　　1/2 cup granulated sugar

　　1/4 cup white wine

　　3/4 teaspoon cornstarch

　　

Step 1

Cut the rhubarb stalks in half lengthwise, and slice crosswise into 1/2-inch-long pieces.

　　

Step 2

Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and use a paring knife to scrape the seeds and pulp into a medium pan. Add the vanilla pod, sugar, and 2 tablespoons water. Without stirring, bring the ingredients to a boil over medium heat. Continue cooking for about 8 minutes, swirling the pan once in a while, until you have a deep golden brown caramel. Immediately toss in half the rhubarb and all the wine. The caramel will seize up and harden slightly. Turn the heat down to medium and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, breaking up the rhubarb, until it’s jammy. Stir in the rest of the rhubarb and c cup water. Cook a few minutes until the rhubarb is tender but not mushy. Remove the pan from the heat, and strain the rhubarb over a bowl. Return the liquid to the pan, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, stir 1 tablespoon water into the cornstarch (this is called a “slurry” and will help thicken the fruit juices). Whisk the slurry into the liquid, and let it come back to a boil, stirring continuously. Cook over medium heat a few minutes, until the liquid is shiny and thickened. Pour the liquid back into the bowl, and stir in the rhubarb. Chill before serving.

　　Sunday Suppers at Lucques[by Suzanne Goin with Teri Gelber. Copyright © 2005 by Suzanne Goin. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved..Suzanne Goin graduated from Brown University. She was named Best Creative Chef by Boston magazine in 1994, one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine in 1999, and was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She and her business partner, Caroline Styne, also run the restaurant A.O.C. in Los Angeles, where Goin lives with her husband, David Lentz.Teri Gelber is a food writer and public-radio producer living in Los Angeles.](http://astore.amazon.com/epistore-20/detail/1400042151)