Rosie is full of spring cheer
and she's doling out some of the best spring has to offer.
Today, I'm making strawberry rhubarb parfaits,
with whipped cream, creme Anglaise, and ladyfingers.
I made homemade ladyfingers,
but if you want to Semi-Ho it,
by all means go ahead.
You can use store-bought pound cake
or angel food cake.
2 cups whole milk
(I never have whole milk on hand,
but I always have heavy cream and skim milk.
I used 1 cup skim and 1 cup heavy.)
1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
Combine the skim milk and heavy cream in a saucepan
with the scraped seeds of the vanilla bean and the bean.
Cook over moderately low heat until bubbles
form around the rim - about 5 minutes.
Remove the bean.
Whisk the yolks and sugar.
Whisk in half of the hot milk mixture
in a thin stream.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan
and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly,
until the sauce has thickened slightly - about 5 minutes.
Be careful.
You don't want curds or scrambled eggs.
Just a thickened mixture.
Refrigerate until chilled.
Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds.
Add bean and seeds to cream/milk mixture and heat.
While the milk is heating,
whisk the yolks and sugar ...
... until light and fluffy.
When bubbles form around the edge ...
... add in half the hot milk mixture in a thin stream,
whisking constantly.
whisking constantly.
Return mixture to sauce pan.
Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly,
until mixture thickens - about 5 minutes.
For the strawberry and rhubarb filling:
2 cups chopped strawberries
2 cups chopped rhubarb
2/3 cup sugar
juice of 2 oranges
cornstarch slurry (2 TB cornstarch dissolved in 2 TB cold water)
Mix all together and cook over medium low heat
for about 10 minutes.
Add in 2/3 cup sugar.
Pretty orange.
Add in the juice of 2 oranges.
Add in the cornstarch slurry.
Cook about 10 minutes.
Chill.
Next, I'm making whipped cream.
Whipped cream:
1 pint heavy cream
4 TB sugar
1 TB vanilla
Here's a tip for whipping cream:
Have your bowl and beaters chilled.
You get a better whup.
Gradually add in sugar, beating.
Add in vanilla.
Keep beating until peaks form.
Time to assemble.
Layer your ingredients -
strawberry and rhubarb,
whipped cream, Creme Anglaise, and ladyfingers.
Here's a Rosie tip:
If you're so inclined,
you might want to sprinkle a little sherry or amaretto
over your ladyfingers or cake slices.
Takes it to another level.
Garnish with fresh strawberries.
And that, my friends,
is a glass full of heaven.
is a glass full of heaven.
