Or eat it the way we did when we kids and my dad grew his own. Wash a stick of rhubarb, pour some sugar into a cup. Dip rhubarb in sugar and munch. Repeat.
A
cup? Luxury! We used to get the sugar in a section of old eggbox.
Roasted Rhubarb with Deep-Fried Custard Pieces
500ml whole UHT milk
grated zest of 2 lemons
75g caster sugar
10ml vanilla extract
75g unsalted butter
100g plain flour
4 medium egg yolks, plus 2 whole eggs
454g pack rhubarb, cut into 5cm pieces
30ml spoonful unrefined dark muscovado sugar
100ml vegetable oil
100g fresh white breadcrumbs
ground cinnamon and icing sugar
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/GM4. Place the milk, lemon zest, caster sugar and vanilla extract in a pan over a moderate heat and bring slowly to simmering point. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
Melt the unsalted butter in a non-stick pan until foaming and add the plain flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, and slowly whisk in the milk. Boil for 5 minutes to thicken, stirring constantly. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the egg yolks.
Line a 23 x 18 cm tin, or shaped moulds, with clingfilm and sprinkle with a little water. Spoon in the custard and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to the freezer and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place the rhubarb in a roasting tin, sprinkle with the muscovado sugar and roast for 15 minutes until tender.
Carefully turn the custard out of the tin or moulds and place upsidedown on a board. Gently remove tin and clingfilm and if using a tin, slice into 6 triangles using a sharp, wet knife.
Pour the oil into a 24cm frying pan to a depth of 1cm, and heat over a moderate heat. Beat the whole eggs together and dip the custard in the egg, and then in the breadcrumbs. Fry the custard pieces, 3 at a time, for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown. Place on a baking tray in the oven while you fry the rest. Serve the custard pieces with the roasted rhubarb and dredge with cinnamon and icing sugar.
