Fennel rhubarb syrup alcoholfree gin tonic and vegan snack
Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
Gin and tonic? Gouda grape? No!
Cheese cubes with grapes used to be a must at every family party. The epitome of the party snack, but definitely outdated by now. The most sophisticated reinterpretation can probably be found at Yotam Ottolenghi. The trick: the grapes are marinated with fennel seeds, grilled and served with burrata. Sufficient inspiration for a pairing. Fennel and grapes are perfect together, fennel and rhubarb too. The grapes are marinated in vinegar and oil with salt and pepper, then pan-fried. This intensifies the flavour. Fennel is made into a syrup with rhubarb to give the alcohol-free gin and tonic the necessary drive for a nice pairing. Siegfried Wonderleaf is very suitable for the gin. For the tonic, Phenomenal syrup, for example, but Schweppes is also okay. Here, the Indian Tonic is preferable to the Dry. Dry tonic is too tart a counterpart for the rhubarb fennel syrup. A vegan shepherd's cheese variant is used for the cheese. Trendy and surprisingly tasty. The grapes get a nice aroma from the sautéing, but lose a bit of bite, and the cheese also lacks some texture. No party without chips. Crumbled Quinaochips Sweet Chilli are perfect as a spicy crunch. They are not as greasy as crisps and are nice and crunchy. Conclusion: Super simple, super fruity, super crunchy!
The syrup:
1 kg frozen rhubarb
3 large fennel
250 g granulated sugar
Juice of half a lemon
Bring the rhubarb to the boil with a litre of water and simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes. Line a sieve with a straining cloth (a tea towel will do), pour the rhubarb into it and collect the juice. Then squeeze the rhubarb well through the cloth. Cut the fennel into walnut-sized pieces and put it back into the pot with the rhubarb juice, add the sugar and lemon juice and boil down again, uncovered, for about 30 minutes to 750 ml. Pour through a fine sieve again and collect the juice. Now pour the hot syrup into a cleaned and sterilised container (bottle, jar, etc.). Once opened, the syrup should be stored in the refrigerator.
Stick :
10 servings
20 grapes
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
Vegan "sheep's cheese" e.g. Bedda
Lentil chips e.g. EatReal
Mix the grapes with salt, pepper, vinegar and oil and set aside. Cut the "cheese" into cubes. Put the quinoa chips in a freezer bag and crumble them. Fry the grapes briefly and hotly in a hot pan. Bread the cheese cubes with the crumbs. Skewer 2 grapes on each breaded cheese cube.
For the drink:
5 cl Siegfried Wonderleaf
5 cl Rhubarb Fennel Syrup
Fennel cut into fine strips
Pour Wonderleaf and syrup into a glass with egg cubes and top up with tonic. Garnish with the fennel. Stir once to distribute the syrup in the glass.
