SPICED RHUBARB AND POMEGRANATE CRUMBLE WITH BUTTERMILK ICE CREAM
Before the advent of panna cotta or crème brulée, there was good old reliable crumble – a frugal way of using fruit past its best. It has the same soothing sweetness as its more fashionable successors and can bring such delight. This pudding is still rustic, but I have dressed it up with pink peppercorns and a scoop or two of buttermilk ice cream in place of the more traditional custard.
SERVES: 6 PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes, plus freezing time COOKING TIME: 30-35 minutes
750g rhubarb, cut into 1cm chunks 80g honey
50g brown sugar
150g golden caster sugar
Juice and zest of 3 oranges
3 tbsp of pink peppercorns, roughly crushed
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
For the crumble:
150g plain flour
150g brown sugar 150g cold butter 150g ground almonds 75g rolled oats
For the ice cream:
1 vanilla pod
400ml double cream 1 tsp cinnamon
6 egg yolks
125g golden caster sugar 200ml buttermilk
1 For the buttermilk ice cream, split the vanilla pod and place in a pan along with the cream and cinnamon. Heat gently, taking care not to let it boil. In a bowl, mix together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy, then pour in the infused cream, little by little, whisking to combine. Pour back into the saucepan and cook over a low to medium heat, until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Pour into a chilled bowl, whisk in the buttermilk then refrigerate. Once completely chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and churn until frozen.
2 Preheat the oven to 200°C/ gas mark 6. Place the rhubarb, honey, sugars, orange juice and zest, and peppercorns into a saucepan over a medium heat. Simmer for around 10 minutes, until the rhubarb is tender, then stir in the pomegranate seeds and pour into a baking dish.
3 For the crumble, rub together the flour, sugar and butter with your fingertips until you have a rough crumble texture. Fold in the ground almonds, rolled oats and a pinch of salt, and gently rub again for a few seconds. Scatter the crumble over the rhubarb mix and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Serve hot with a dollop of ice cream.