Roasted Rhubarb Ice Cream
What’s the very best thing about a strawberry-rhubarb pie? The ice cream. It’s hardly worth eating without, in my books. In fact, my scoop is, if I have the opportunity, replenished several times as I work my way through a warm slice.
So I thought, as I chopped and bagged for the freezer a load of stalks from Mike’s mom’s back yard, that it might go very nicely indeed directly into a batch of ice cream. It would have to be cooked down though, and sweetened slightly. Roasted, even.
Vegetables should not have exclusivity in the roasting department – the high heat softens fruit and caramelizes their juices, in this case leaving chewy, almost-candied chunks of rhubarb studded throughout the palest of pink ice creams. Even my rhubarb-hating sister liked it.
Again, the simplest recipe: I chopped as many stalks as you see here, scattered the lot with sugar (I wish I had lined the pan with foil or parchment first) and roasted it at 400F for about 20 minutes, until all was soft and the juices were dark and sticky. I scraped it off into a bowl and stuck it in the fridge until it was cold, then stirred it into 2 cups of cream (half heavy, half half & half) and 1/3 cup sugar. (I went by the success of this ultra-easy strawberry ice cream. You could, if you wanted to, combine strawberries and rhubarb – that just might be next on my must-make list.)
I apologize for my apparent inability to photograph ice cream. It could be my photography skills, but is more likely that I’m temporarily blinded by desperation in the presence of such perfectly soft, barely frozen, freshly churned cream. Can you really blame me?
I should mention too how nice it is some days to live next door to a chef. He dropped off this spicy cold gazpacho with a container of roughly chopped chile-spiked and olive-oily shrimp to put on top. I added a chopped avocado, because it was there in the fruit bowl and needed to be eaten. I may try to beg the recipe out of him. It was smoother than most gazpachos, but although there were no chunks, it was thick enough to allow the shrimp and avocado to sit on top without sinking. I forgot how much I love gazpacho, especially when it’s hot outside. Last time I made some was a few years ago, a roasted veg gazpacho from Bon Appétit.
One Year Ago: Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler Cake
At the Family Kitchen: Lemon Rhubarb Drop Scones
June 25 2010 11:33 pm | leftovers
Avery on 26 Jun 2010 at 7:56 am #
Gazpacho is one of my favourite soups! And I thought your ice cream pics looked pretty good to me…
Julie on 26 Jun 2010 at 8:04 am #
When I saw the title of your post, I actually let out a little gasp of longing. That sounds so delicious! I have GOT to get an ice cream maker.
Cheryl on 26 Jun 2010 at 8:21 am #
I made strawberry ice cream with a rhubarb swirl last summer. Hmm, that memory.
Elaine on 26 Jun 2010 at 10:28 am #
Last night I made an obscene amount of gazpacho that is now residing in a pitcher and two full-size yogurt containers in the fridge. Such a convenient summer soup, and I love how it just gets better as the days go by!
Sarah Galvin (All Our Fingers in the Pie) on 26 Jun 2010 at 11:11 am #
Cream and rhubarb is a heavenly match. I am working with rhubarb right now, too, and will be making this today. I have made a rhubarb simple syrup, rhubarb ginger chutney and a rhubarb crostada already. So I needed another idea. Thanks.
Barb on 26 Jun 2010 at 2:21 pm #
I’ve never tried gazpacho. It looks delicious! London Drugs has ice cream makers on sale starting Tuesday…
Kris on 26 Jun 2010 at 8:58 pm #
Roasted rhubarb! I can’t believe that I have never before thought to try this. I love roasted veggies & fruits (not together) and i love rhubarb. Not a huge ice cream fan but the roasted rhubarb may just do it for me.
June on 27 Jun 2010 at 3:55 pm #
My blog friend Tom at Tall Clover Farm http://tallcloverfarm.com/?p=1562 made a rhubarb custard ice cream in May that looked fabulous too. Oh to have rhubarb – doesn’t grow here in the desert.
rea on 27 Jun 2010 at 10:15 pm #
any recommendations on an ice cream machine for home?
JulieVR on 27 Jun 2010 at 10:23 pm #
Mine is a Cuisinart, and I’m happy with it. I haven’t tried any others though, so not sure how to compare.. I bought a Krups for a friend, and he says he’s happy with it. They tend to go on sale in the wintertime..
Jenious on 28 Jun 2010 at 2:28 pm #
A bowl of this gazpacho followed by a few scoops of your rhubarb ice cream speaks perfection to the Libra in me.
rea on 29 Jun 2010 at 8:41 pm #
thanks!
Erica B. on 12 Jul 2011 at 7:39 pm #
Oh my word! I don’t know why I waited so long to make this. I have strawberry and roasted rhubarb ice cream in the ice cream maker right now and it smells fantastic — Can’t wait for dessert tonight!
Judy on 28 Jul 2011 at 8:45 am #
I’ve been browsing through the recipes and came upon this one. Yum. My husband loves rhubarb and is smitten with the rhubarb souffle I make and keeps asking for it. But it’s too hot for souffle in my opinion so I think this will be the very next thing I’ll tempt him with. Sounds divine.