Roasted Rhubarb With Red Wine And Spices

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out with a knife tip and reserved
• 2 star anise, each broken into 2 or 3 pieces
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 pound rhubarb, ends trimmed
• 1 cup fruity red wine, such as Grenache
• Pepper
• 12 to 16 meringue cookies (1 1/2 to 2 in. wide)
• About 1/2 cup creme fraiche, sweetened to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped roasted, salted pistachios

1. Preheat oven to 375u0b0. In a 9-in. square baking pan, toss sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, star anise, and orange zest to combine. Halve rhubarb lengthwise, and if stalks are large, split again lengthwise. Cut pieces about 2 in. long on a diagonal and combine with sugar mixture. Stir in wine along with pepper to taste.
2. Bake until rhubarb is tender when pierced but still holds its shape, 15 to 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer rhubarb to a shallow bowl; discard star anise.
3. Pour rhubarb juices into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, 6 to 9 minutes. Pour over rhubarb. Let cool, occasionally spooning syrup over fruit.
4. Set meringues in bowls. Spoon fruit and syrup on top, discarding vanilla bean. Add a spoonful of creme fraiche to each and sprinkle with pistachios.
5. Make ahead: Through step 3, chilled, up to 1 day.

sugar, vanilla bean, anise, orange zest, rhubarb, fruity red wine, pepper, meringue cookies, creme fraiche, pistachios

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-rhubarb-red-wine-spices (may not work)