Rhubarb Sauce is the easiest way to enjoy this perennial favorite. Rhubarb is fantastic in cakes, pies, cobblers and crisps but, if you want a really quick and easy dessert, try warm Rhubarb Sauce served over a big bowl of vanilla ice cream. It’s delicious and ready in fifteen minutes!
While I picked rhubarb yesterday, I noticed my pastures are full of tiny Springtime blossoms. I took a rest in a glorious patch of delicate ‘bluets’ and remembered my daughter’s tiny hands…
The girls were three and a half years old. They asked to go out to play. I happily agreed. I could, easily, keep my eye on them from my kitchen window, which left them feeling very independent and kept me comfortable knowing what they were doing. I watched as they walked from our backyard to our neighbour’s backyard where they sat down. They sat in a circle, I assumed to talk. After about twenty minutes, my neighbour came out of his house and spoke to them, very briefly, then returned to his home. With the girls still sitting on his lawn, he came out again and spoke to them. Again briefly and again he returned inside. Two minutes later, my doorbell rang. It was my neighbour.
“Michelle, I need your help. Today’s my only day off and I need to get the lawn mowed.”
“You want me to mow your lawn?” I was kidding!
“No. I want you to tell your girls that they have enough flowers.”
I walked over to find the girls picking bluets. Each one had a miniature bouquet tightly grasped in her wee hand. They had plunked themselves down in the centre of a bluet patch to pick me a bunch. If you take your thumb and index finger and make a small ring, you’d need a thousand to fill it!
“Our neighbour told us we could pick all of them, Mommy.”
Clearly, my neighbour hadn’t counted on the girls taking him literally!
The wild flower spectacle has begun at the farm. Oh, how those three little girls would have loved to play in these pastures!
Every summer, I urge you to invest in an ice cream maker. I promise, you’ll never regret having the ability to make creamy rich whatever flavour you like ice cream. OK – I’ve made my pitch for another year!
I’ve included a recipe for Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It’s super easy but you have to have ‘the machine’! Just sayin’…
Easy Rhubarb Sauce
Makes 1 ½ cups
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
3 cups sliced fresh rhubarb
THE STEPS:
- In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil.
- Add rhubarb and cook stirring often for 5-10 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and mixture is slightly thickened.
- Remove from the heat.
- Serve warm over ice cream.
- Refrigerate leftovers.
THE LOVE: The smaller you chop the rhubarb, the quicker it cooks!
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart
1 vanilla bean
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
THE STEPS:
- With a paring knife, halve vanilla bean lengthwise.
- Scrape seeds into a heavy medium-sized saucepan and stir in pods, cream, milk, and sugar.
- Bring mixture just to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Remove pan from heat.
- In a large bowl, lightly whisk eggs.
- Add hot cream mixture to eggs in a slow stream, whisking quickly.
- Pour egg/cream mixture into pan.
- Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a thermometer registers 170°F. (Do not let boil.)
- Remove from heat and pour contents into a clean bowl
- Cover custard and chill for three hours.
- Place chilled custard in ice cream maker and follow manufacturer‘s instructions.
- Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.
THE LOVE: Make sure your cooked custard is thoroughly chilled before putting it in your ice cream machine!
one year ago: rhubarb crisp
two years ago: lemon thyme ice cream
three years ago: chocolate cake with violets
Thanks for reading.
