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Since rhubarb is now in season, I was hoping to make a rhubarb dessert for Pessah. The trouble is that I love my rhubarb with custard. Is there a good substitute for custard that can be used?

By MO SCHNEIDER
Since rhubarb is now in season, I was hoping to make a rhubarb dessert for Pessah. The trouble is that I love my rhubarb with custard. Is there a good substitute for custard that can be used? No Kitniot. And any good ideas for an interesting haroset? Sally Lever Kfar Saba No problem, Sally. Custard can easily be made using potato flour. Here's what you'll need: 3 egg yolks (you can use the whites to make a meringue); they give the yellow color 2 Tbsp. sugar 1-2 sachets of vanilla sugar 1 heaped Tbsp. potato flour 2.5-3 cups milk In a large bowl, thoroughly blend the egg yolks, sugar, potato flour and a couple of tablespoons of the milk. Heat the milk to just before boiling point, then add the hot milk to the egg, flour, etc. mix in the bowl, constantly stirring. Return the custard mix to the saucepan and gently heat, stirring all the time. Cook till the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Hint: it's best to use a wooden spoon. There's another rhubarb dessert you can make that will give you a similar creamy taste. It's called Rhubarb Fool (though I don't know why it's called fool). RHUBARB FOOL A little more than a third of a large packet of margarine About 450 gr. rhubarb, cut into 2.5-cm. lengths 5 Tbsp. sugar 1 carton fresh cream 2 egg yolks Half a cup water Melt the margarine in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the rhubarb and the water and cook until tender. While the rhubarb is cooking beat the egg yolks and cream together. When the rhubarb is tender, add the sugar and cook gently for another 2 minutes. Then fold in the cream and egg mixture. Mix well and pour into a dish and allow to cool. Serve chilled. TO ASK ME to suggest an interesting haroset is quite a daunting task. There are as many interesting recipes for haroset as there are Jewish families in the world. All I can do is consult one of my reference books and pick one. If you're an Ashkenazi Anglo of Eastern European descent, then this recipe will, perhaps, add some interest. AN ITALIAN-STYLE HAROSET 3 apples, peeled, cored and cut small 2 pears peeled, cored and cut small 2 cups sweet wine 1⁄4 cup pine nuts 1⁄4 cup ground almonds 1 cup date paste 1⁄2 cup raisins 1⁄2 cup prunes, stoned and finely chopped 1⁄4 cup honey 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1⁄2 tsp. ground ginger Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and cook gently, stirring occasionally, till the fruits are soft and the whole thing becomes a thick paste. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Hag Sameah! suemo@zahav.net.il