i've strawberry crumbled and shortcaked. strawberried my yogurt, oats, rice krispies, too (leftover strawberrymilk is strawberrylucious). i'll be salading strawberries all spring. strawberries glossy, warm, stored in jars for blustery days. strawberries smashed, sugared, sipped from a stainless steel bowl straight from the fridge. i've brown-bagged strawberries, stumbling through the park. and you've let me. i love you.
you've taken all this in stride, even appear to have enjoyed it. i'm certain this means you won't mind if i swathe a few strawberries in custard. undulating strawberries are your thing, too. and i'm convinced you won't object when said custard gets a chilly whir in the ice cream maker, then lands atop a sticky-sweet serving of roasted rhubarb. the glug of pimm's in the baking dish?
that was in your honor. plus, it was pimm's o'clock.
strawberry ice cream with rhubarb & pimm's
(serves 8)
2 pints strawberries, hulled
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks
for the roasted rhubarb:
1 1/2 pounds rhubarb
about 1/4 cup pimm's liquer (or 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
butter, for the pan
make the custard: whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl. heat the cream and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. until it is gently simmering and the sugar has dissolved. make sure to watch that it doesn't boil over. temper the eggs by adding about a cup of the hot cream to the eggs and whisking to combine. add the egg & cream mixture to the remaining cream over medium-low heat. stir constantly, until the mixture thickens to a consistency that coats the back of the spoon. again, watch carefully, you don't want scrambled eggs. promptly remove from the heat and pour through a fine miesh sieve into a bowl. chill for several hours or overnight.
prepare the strawberries: mash the strawberries finely using a potato masher or the back of a fork. you should have a strawberry soup, with only small chunks of strawberries. stir in the remaining sugar and let sit at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours, until the sugar has dissolved. add the strawberries to the chilled custard and stir to combine. return to the refirgerator to chill until cold throughout. prepare according to your ice cream makers instructions.
make the roasted rhubarb: preheat oven to 350. butter a large roasting pan or 8 individual gratin dishes or shallow ramekins. trim any leaves or tough ends off the rhubarb stalks. slice the rhubarb lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips, then crosswise into 1 1/2 inch pieces. toss the rhubarb with the sugar. add the rhubarb to the roasting pan, or distribute among ramekins. drizzle a bit of pimm's over the rhubarb. cover the dish or ramekins with foil. roast for 30 minutes. remove the foil and bake 5-10 minutes more, until the rhubarb has softened. remove from the oven. if there is too much liquid in the pan, set it over medium heat on the stovetop until it has reduced to a syrupy consistency. let the rhubarb set for a few minutes before serving in bowls (or straight from the individual gratin dish), topped with strawberry ice cream.
notes
* the strawberry ice cream recipe was adapted from chez panisse desserts by lindsey remolf shere.