Rhubarb ice cream is something you don't often see, but believe me it's fantastic. When I made some recently my dad raved about the subtleness of the rhubarb flavour (quite unlike the in-your-face taste of rhubarb crumble). It's the time-separation of the flavour sensations that made this really special. The sweetness of the cream hits you first and the rhubarb tartness rushes onto your palate a second or two later and lingers for ages. Ingredients (8 portions) 6 egg yolks 125g caster sugar 700ml milk (substitute part for cream to make richer if desired) 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 500ml rhubarb compote (see my recipe) Method |
 | Separate the yolks from the whites, add the sugar and whisk until fully combined. |
| Heat the milk until close to boiling (do not allow to boil). |  |
 | This is the vanilla extract I use. Do not confuse extract with essence, which is an artificial substitute. |
| Add the vanilla extract to the hot milk and stir. |  |
 | Now temper the eggs and sugar gradually with the milk. This process involves slowly adding about one third of the milk to the eggs and sugar and whisking. This allows the eggs to warm and the milk to cool slowly, so the eggs do not scramble as they would do if you poured them into the hot milk. |
| This picture shows the eggs combined with about one third of the milk. At this stage, pour this back into the rest of the milk and place over the lowest heat possible for a few minutes until it thickens slightly. The result is known as a crème anglais (or custard to us Brits). |  |
 | Once thickened, strain the mixture through a fine chinois to remove any shell or lumps. |
| This is the rhubarb compote that I made earlier (see the separate recipe). When cold, it is a deep pink colour. |  |
 | Add the rhubarb gradually, while continuously tasting to your desired strength of flavour. |
| Once the mixture tastes OK, pour into a blender and blitz to aerate and fully disperse the rhubarb through the crème anglais. Put into the fridge until completely cold. |  |
 | Start up your ice cream maker and pour in the cold mixture slowly. |
| After about 20 minutes (depending on your machine), the ice cream will be ready. Eat and enjoy! |  |
