RHUBARB CRUMBLE ICE CREAM
Rhubarb is one of the harbingers of spring—bringing with it a reprieve from winter citrus. When we spy the green and pink stalks at our local greenmarket, we can’t wait to buy some and make ice cream with it. A spin on a traditional rhubarb crumble, an easy and rustic dessert, this flavor pairs rhubarb’s tart notes beautifully with creamy sweet custard. Little nibs of the crumble add welcome texture for a lovely spring flavor we’re certain you’ll love.
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
FOR THE RHUBARB COMPOTE
1½ cups (170 grams) chopped rhubarb (from about 4 stalks)
½ cup (100 grams) sugar
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ plump vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
FOR THE RHUBARB CRUMBLE ICE CREAM
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 grams) sugar
¼ teaspoon (1 gram) kosher salt
8 large egg yolks
½ cup Crumble (reserve leftovers for another use)
1. To make the rhubarb compote, in a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla bean seeds and pod and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the compote until the rhubarb is soft and almost falling apart, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
2. To make the rhubarb crumble ice cream, pour the cream and milk into a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk in ½ cup (100 grams) of the sugar and the salt and stir until they have dissolved. Warm the mixture until you see steam rising from the top.
3. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set another bowl over it. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, with a kitchen towel underneath it to prevent slipping, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar until uniform. While whisking, add a splash of the hot dairy mixture to the yolks. Continue to add the dairy mixture, whisking it in bit by bit, until you’ve added about half. Add the yolk mixture to the remaining dairy mixture in the double boiler. Set the heat under the double boiler to medium and cook the custard, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon and reducing the heat to medium-low as necessary, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Hold the spoon horizontally and run your finger through the custard. If the trail left by your finger stays separated, the custard is ready to be cooled.
5. Strain the custard into the bowl sitting over the prepared ice bath and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard has cooled. Transfer the custard to a quart-size container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.
6. Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the container in which you refrigerated the custard in the freezer so you can use it to store the finished ice cream. Churn the ice cream until the texture resembles “soft serve.” Using a spatula, fold in 1 cup of the rhubarb compote and ½ cup of the crumble until combined. Transfer the ice cream to the chilled storage container and freeze until hardened to your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately—it will be the consistency of gelato. The ice cream will keep, frozen, for up to 7 days. You can serve the leftover compote, along with any leftover crumble, as topping for the ice cream, if you wish, or swirl it into your morning yogurt or oatmeal. The compote will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7 days.
