There aren’t many combinations that have the kind of affinity that rhubarb and custard have. In fact, what is one without the other? We ask…
In this recipe, we’ve given our British rhubarb a good glug of honey and a kick of star anise to bring some warmth to the party.
Preparation/cook time 45-50 minutes | Serves 4
Ingredients
4 large rhubarb sticks, trimmed and cut into 8–10cm (31⁄4–4in) pieces
2 tablespoons golden caster sugar
2 tablespoons runny honey
2 star anise, finely crushed
For the custard
300ml organic whole milk
200ml organic double cream
1 fresh vanilla pod
4 large Stonegate Estate Organic egg yolks
100g caster sugar
1 heaped teaspoon cornflour
Start with the custard. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds, with the tip of a knife, into the milk. Heat the mixture to just below boiling then leave to cool a little.
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornflour together, then pour on the hot milk and cream and whisk until smooth. Return to a clean pan. Cook gently, stirring all the time, until the custard thickens. Don’t let it boil or it will ‘split’. Remove from the heat. Strain into a bowl or jug and cover over the surface to stop a skin forming. Leave until cold, then chill.
Heat the oven to 150°C fan
Arrange the rhubarb pieces in a single layer over a large shallow baking dish. Scatter over the crushed star anise, sugar, trickle over the honey and 2 tablespoons of water. Turn everything together.
Place the rhubarb in the oven for 20–35 minutes, or until it is soft but not broken down (timings will depend on how thick the chunks are). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. We like to serve the rhubarb and its syrup simply, with the vanilla custard, and perhaps a buttery shortbread biscuit or two.
