Rhubarb and Vanilla Ice Cream

I went out and bought an ice cream maker from ‘The Steamer Trading Company’ yesterday, my new favourite shop, I came out with several things that I hadn’t intended to buy but will nevertheless use. I then went on a walk with my little sister in search of some summer fruits to make my first ice cream ever a seasonal sensation, we made it as far as the vegetable patch twenty feet from the kitchen where we stumbled across the last rhubarb of the year ripe for the picking.

Recently I was fortunate enough to have a week’s work experience in the kitchen of the Michelin starred Petersham Nurseries in Richmond, and whilst there I was called upon to make a ‘Crème Anglaise’ (custard in layman’s terms) to act as the base for a delicious roasted fig ice cream. I had never made one before but fortunately help was at hand in the form of a friendly, but more importantly patient Irish chef named Jordan. It is to his credit that my ‘Crème Irlandaise’ was a success.

Ingredients:

Crème Anglaise-

6 egg yolks

1 pint double cream

½ pint whole milk

200g white sugar

1 vanilla pod, halved but NOT deseeded

Rhubarb-

500g of rhubarb, roughly chopped

80g white sugar

Small knob of butter

Mint and fudge cubes to garnish

Method:

1. Mix the egg yolks with the 200g of sugar a mix well.

2. Mix the milk and cream together, pour into a large pan, add vanilla pods and stir in a figure of 8 with a spatula over a low heat until warm but not too hot.

3. Add the sugar and egg mix in a steady stream and continue to stir for around 10 minutes, at this point you have to watch diligently as the consistency changes very quickly and if you over cook it the eggs will scramble. To test pull out the spatula and run a finger through the creamy residue, if the line where your finger was remains and doesn’t dribble it is ready. Quickly strain it through a sieve into a cool pan and chill in the fridge until cold.

4. Whilst the crème anglaise is cooling, chop the rhubarb into chunks and add to a frying pan over a medium to high heat with a small knob of butter. After a few minutes it should begin to soften, pour over 80g of sugar and mix it in so the rhubarb begins to caramelise. After 10 minutes the rhubarb should have turned into a mush, transfer to a blender and give it a couple of good whizzes before putting it in the fridge to cool.

5. Read the instructions on your ice cream maker to see how long it needs to chill, I had to stick mine in the deep freeze overnight. When it is ready and the rhubarb and crème anglaise are chilled, pour the latter into the compartment and churn for at least 20 minutes before adding the rhubarb mush and churning for a further 10. Scoop it out into a container and whack it in the freezer for a few hours until it reaches the desired consistency. Couple of dollops on the plate, fudge cubes and a sprig of mint and it’s ready to go.