Rhubarb Custard Ice Cream

Why make ice cream at home?   When it's on sale, you can buy a big bucket of it very inexpensively. 

Well…

If you make ice cream at home, you’ll know exactly what goes into it.  None of the ingredient names will be six syllables long.  You’ll be able to pronounce all of them. 

Besides, it just tastes better.

If you make ice cream at home, you can choose the flavours yourself.  You can enjoy seasonal ingredients rarely available, even from the expensive gourmet brands. 

Like rhubarb. 

One of my co-workers kindly shared some of her rhubarb crop with me last week.  Its pretty pink colour and tart taste beguiled me into fetching my ice cream maker from its hiding place in the back corner of the cupboard.

You know you’re not going to find rhubarb ice cream in the freezer aisle at the megamart, and you know you want to try some.  It just sounds good; like spring-time in a cone.

To make rhubarb ice cream you first have to make some stewed rhubarb.  Begin by cleaning the rhubarb stalks and cutting them into pieces about an inch long. 

Put about a quarter inch of water into the bottom of a pot large enough to hold the sliced rhubarb and then add the rhubarb in.  Bring the pot up to a boil, then lower the heat so that the rhubarb continues to cook at a low boil until it’s soft enough to break apart when you stir it. 

Sweeten the rhubarb to taste.  I won’t recommend an amount because people’s tastes regarding this tart vegetable are quite individual and sweetness varies from plant to plant.  I will recommend, though, that you sweeten it a little more than you ordinarily might.  Freezing will make the rhubarb taste less sweet than it does when it’s warm.

Set the stewed rhubarb aside to cool.  When it reaches room temperature, cover it and store it in the fridge for at least a couple of hours before making your ice cream.

Next, make a custard.  To make the custard, you’ll need:

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 cups 18% (coffee) cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• red food colouring (This is optional.  My ice cream looked a little too beige to me so I added a few drops.)

In a double boiler, over simmering – not boiling – water, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture is light yellow and forms ribbons when you lift the mixer from the bowl.  (I use a hand-held rotary mixer for this.)

Remove the yolk mixture from the heat.

Mix together the cream, vanilla and salt, then slowly stream them into the yolk mixture, stirring constantly as you add them in.

Return the custard to the double boiler and continue cooking it, stirring constantly, for about 10 to 12 minutes.  Don’t let the water in the pot boil.  When the custard is ready, it will have thickened enough to coat the back of your spoon.  A finger drawn through it should leave a clean line, without the custard running back into the void space.

Remove the custard from the heat and pour it through a sieve to remove any bits of cooked yolk that may have formed.  Place some plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard, so it doesn’t form a skin.  Let the custard cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it at least a couple of hours before making the ice cream.

When you’re ready to make the ice cream, stir 1-1/2 cups of stewed rhubarb into the custard.  Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and freeze it according to the manufacturer’s directions until it sets up to a consistency resembling commercially made soft ice cream. 

You can either serve your ice cream soft, straight from the machine, or you can transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the deep freeze until it sets up enough to scoop. 
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