Rhubarb & Strawberry Tiramisu

1. Cut the ends off the rhubarb and discard. Slice the remainder into small chunks and lay in a single layer on a baking tin lined with parchment. Scatter 50g of the sugar over the rhubarb.
2. Remove the stems from the 450g strawberries. Chop roughly (small berries into quarters, large berries into eights). Add to the pan and sprinkle with another 50g sugar.
3. Cover the baking dish with foil and leave to stand at room temperature for an hour to allow the sugar to draw out liquid from the rhubarb, helping to preserve its pink colour. After 1 hour, bake for approximately 20 minutes at 180℃/ 350℉ until the rhubarb is fork tender. Set aside to cool, then transfer to the fridge to chill.
4. When ready to assemble, reserve 8-12 pieces of the rhubarb (plus a tablespoon of cooking liquid) for garnish then pour the remaining fruit and liquid into a sieve suspended over a bowl to collect the cooking liquid. Pour 150ml of this liquid into a wide bowl, add 150ml Belvoir Farm rhubarb & apple cordial and 150ml water. Stir to combine.
5. Whip the cream to firm (but not stiff) peaks using electric beaters.
6. Put the mascarpone into a large mixing bowl, add the remaining 100g sugar and the vanilla bean paste. Beat on a slow speed until just combined.
7. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.
8. Lay a single layer of ladyfingers into the base of a large serving dish (approx. 20cm x 30cm and 6cm deep), trimming them as necessary to make them fit. Take them out of the dish.
9. One at a time dip the ladyfingers into the liquid for up to 7-10 seconds then lay them back into the serving dish.
10. Scatter half of the fruit over the ladyfingers.
11. Spoon half of the mascarpone cream onto the fruit and spread it out using an offset palette knife or the back of a spoon.
12. Repeat steps 9-11 with the remaining ladyfingers, fruit and mascarpone mixture.
13. Level the surface of the tiramisu, cover with food wrap and chill for at least 6 hours to set.
14. When ready to serve sprinkle the white chocolate over the top of the tiramisu. Cut the strawberries and arrange on the top. Drain the reserved rhubarb from the cooking liquid and add to the top too.

Expert Tips

• For the very best colour use forced rhubarb, which is typically in season in the UK from late December through to late March.
• Summer rhubarb can be used instead of forced rhubarb but seek out stems with plenty of deep pink colour and follow the preparation instructions carefully to retain the best colour – it is essential to let it rest with the sugar before cooking it to help preserve the colour.
• Dip the ladyfingers in the liquid for as long as possible without them disintegrating – around 7-10 seconds is ideal. If you are worried about them falling apart before you can lay them into the baking dip, give them a 5 second dip and then carefully drizzle a little extra liquid over them once they are in the serving dish. Be careful not to add so much extra liquid that the ladyfingers cannot absorb it all as your dessert will be soggy.
• Use a wide offset spatula to lift slices of tiramisu out of the serving dish. The first slice is the hardest to remove.