Friday 8 May 2009

Rhubarb and Ginger Ice Cream

I’ve always avoided buying an ice cream maker for one reason only. I reckon that I would make a new ice cream at least once a week and that would do nothing for the old love handles. Unfortunately I’ve found a way of making perfect ice cream that doesn’t involve an expensive ice cream maker.

We have been experimenting with different flavoured ice creams for some time now using the patient method of freezing your ‘custard’ in a sealed container and freezing, remembering to churn the mixture at least every hour to help the ice crystals evenly distribute. Pain staking and easy to forget, you inevitably end up with a solid lump that needs a good 30 minutes of thawing. No good when you have children demanding the fruits of their labour NOW!

Cerys and I took a load of rhubarb from the garden and stewed it in honey and stem ginger, a difficult task when you have a ginger addicted daughter trying to eat whole stems and licking the sticky syrup dribbling down her arms. Once cooled, I could safely hand the reigns over to the little one for stirring in yoghurt and cream before sealing and freezing.

And the magic bit? Blitzing it in a food processor to make the most perfectly smooth rhubarb and ginger ice cream. Don’t forget to reserve some of the pink rhubarb syrup to make your own ‘monkey’s blood’ as we Geordies affectionately call it.

Rhubarb and Ginger Ice Cream

300g rhubarb, cleaned and chopped into chunks
100g honey or sugar
3 stem gingers and a little syrup to taste, roughly chopped
150ml natural yoghurt
100ml double cream

1 – Put the rhubarb, honey or sugar and a little water into a saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes until the rhubarb has broken up. Allow to cool.
2 – Remove a little of the pink syrup with a tablespoon and reserve. Stir in the stem ginger and syrup.
3 – Put the yoghurt, cream and rhubarb into a large bowl and beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Pour into an airtight container and freeze until frozen.
4 – Remove and put into a food processor. Blend until smooth. Scoop into cones and drizzle on the rhubarb syrup.

10 comments:

Coffee and Vanilla said...

David,
That is fantastic! I can make my own ice cream now :)))) Rhubarb and vanilla would be great too...

Margot

Unknown said...

I love my little battery operated ice-cream maker, you just pop it in the freezer for a few hours. The manual way keeps you on your toes I suppose, ideal for staying in on those rainy summer days! Great recipe to try with either method David.

Gary said...

As a variation on a theme, what about substituting the stem ginger with some (briefly whizzed) ginger biscuits for a rhubarb crumble ice cream?

Jenny said...

I have been making a lot of hand churned ice cream lately, and always forget about it! It's addictive. Will have to give this a go as have loads of rhubarb left over from a greengrocer binge.

Jan said...

This sounds fabulous, David, rhubarb and ginger - yum!

Abitofafoodie said...

I love homemade ice-cream though have to admit that I do love my ice-cream maker. I made a similar flavour last year but added some crunched up ginger nuts too. It was so good - I'd totally forgotten about it until now and will have to make it again soon. Thanks for the reminder!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Delicious and inspiring David:D

Helen said...

This is amazing! I've just started experimenting with making ice cream using the old method too but I find I'm still ending up with quite a few crystals. I can't believe how easy this is. Lovely pic by the way. Hx

♥Rosie♥ said...

David, this really is a lovely homemade ice-cream! I adore the name for the syrup ‘monkey’s blood’ lol.

Rosie x

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Oh wow, that sounds utterly amazing David! I have to try this out. Some of my favourite flavours too! Yum :P

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