Recipes of the Week - Rhubarb Jelly and Ginger Ice-cream

Recipes of the Week

Rhubarb Jelly

About 6 good sized stems of rhubarb [washed and trimmed] – enough to give about 1lb [½ Kg]

¼ pint [ 5fl oz. 150ml] water

1 good Tblsp sugar – or to taste [ as the season progresses the rhubarb becomes tougher and less sweet you may then wish to add a bit more sugar]

4 leaves of gelatine [ follow the instructions on the packet]

Method

·         Cut the washed rhubarb into pieces about 1inch [2cm] long.

·         Put in a saucepan with the water and cook gently until soft.

·         Put the rhubarb into a food processor and whizz until smooth [ or use a handheld blender].

·         To give a smoother jelly you may wish to put it through a sieve or to give a clear jelly use a little more fruit and strain it through a jelly bag [measure the amount of liquid and use the required amount of gelatine specified on the packet

·         Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.

·         Pour in the prepared gelatine and stir in well as you are pouring.

·         Put the mixture into serving dishes and put into the fridge to set.

·         Serve with cream or  ginger ice-cream.

If you are planning to serve this on its own you may wish to add a little crystallised ginger or some orange zest and juice to the rhubarb while it is cooking

Ginger Ice – Cream

4 large egg yolks

30g [1 oz] icing sugar

2 x ½ pint [ 10fl oz, 275ml ] tubs double cream [ or close to this quantity]

About half of a [150g] jar of stem ginger chunks in syrup – chunks and syrup.

Pinch salt

Method

·         Set your freezer onto its fast freeze setting.

·         Chop the ginger chunks into small pieces and put into the portion of syrup.

·         Whisk one of the tubs of cream until it is whisked but not too stiff.

·         Put the egg yolks, sugar and pinch of salt into a bowl and whisk until it is pale coloured and creamy.

·         Heat the other tub of cream in a saucepan but, do not allow it to boil.

·         Add the ginger, with the syrup into the egg mixture and place the bowl over a saucepan of boiling water and whish continuously as you pour the cream into it in a thin stream.

·         Continue to whisk over the hot water until the custard starts to thicken – this method will prevent the custard curdling or ‘splitting’.

·         Transfer the bowl to a cold bath and continue to whisk until the bowl and custard are cold.

·         Add the remaining cream and carefully mix in.

·         Put the custard into a suitable lidded container and put in the freezer.

·         Every hour or so, take the custard from the freezer and stir well then return to the freezer, until the ice-cream has set.