Rhubarb Creme Brûlée in a bowl, with a portion of it scooped out with a spoon.

GILL MELLER’S RHUBARB CREME BRÛLÉE

Sharp fruity rhubarb and sweet vanilla custard, it’s a combo that never tires.

They’re meeting again here in the guise of a classic Crème Brûlée, but underneath that wonderfully decadent, lightly set custard, you’ll find the rhubarb – on the bottom! When you can’t get hold of rhubarb, try doing the same thing with gooseberries, plums or apples.

Makes 4

INGREDIENTS

For the rhubarb:

4 large rhubarb sticks, trimmed and cut into 2-3 cm pieces

2 tbls golden caster sugar

2 tbls runny honey

For the custard:

50g sugar

100ml organic whole milk

284ml organic double cream

1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped; pod reserved

4 Stonegate Estate Organic egg yolks

4 heaped teaspoons caster sugar, for the topping

METHOD

  1. Heat the oven to 120°C.
  1. Give the rhubarb a quick rinse, then arrange the pieces in a single layer (more or less) over a large shallow baking dish. Scatter over the sugar, trickle over the honey and 2 tablespoons of water. Place in the oven for 20–35 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft but not broken down.
  1. Carefully tip the rhubarb out into a sieve set over a small pan to collect all the cooking juices. Set the pan and reduce it by half, it should be a little syrupy. Pour this back over the rhubarb Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
  1. Divide the rhubarb equally between four ramekins or small bowls. Place the ramekins or dishes in the fridge to chill.
  1. Heat the oven to 120°C. Pour the milk and cream into a medium pan. Add the vanilla seeds and the scraped pod to the pan. Place over a low heat, bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes for the flavours to infuse.
  1. Combine the egg yolks and sugar together in a large mixing bowl, but don’t over mix. Remove the vanilla pod from the pan (rinse and dry this for vanilla sugar) then pour the hot milk and cream mixture over the eggs and whisk well.
  1. Strain the vanilla custard through a sieve into a clean jug. Pour equal amounts of the custard gently over the rhubarb in each ramekin or dish. If you pour it over the back of a spoon, it won’t disturb the fruit too much. Place the ramekins or dishes in a deep baking tray and pour in enough boiling water to come two-thirds of the way up the sides of each ramekin. Bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes or until just set. The puddings should have a slight wobble to their middles. Remove from the oven and the baking tray, allow to cool, then refrigerate until needed.
  1. To serve, scatter a heaped teaspoon of caster sugar over the top of the custard in each ramekin or dish. Flash the puddings under a hot grill or caramelize the sugar with a blow torch until golden and bubbling. Leave to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
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