Recipe Review: Rhubarb Ice Cream

This started a few weeks ago when I posted a recipe for Rhubarb and Custard Ice Cream from the Daily Mail on my Facebook page, with a comment of something to the effect of it possibly being the recipe that would make me use the ice cream maker that has been sitting in my freezer for 5+ years. My friend Terri commented that if I made that ice cream, she'd make her famous rosemary and garlic ribs that I've been dying to try. This was all the challenge I needed. As I didn't feel like converting the measurements in the recipe I had posted, I found this recipe on-line. It is apparently adapted from Williams-Sonoma Taste. This ice cream was super easy to make and was fantastic. I highly recommend it and will not wait another 5 years to use my ice cream maker again. My ice cream maker is really an attachment for my Kitchen Aid, which is super easy to use. While I stress that this recipe isn't mine, I'm strictly posting it here so my future reference, along with the instructions for using my Kitchen Aid attachment, as I'm useless at looking things up in the instructional booklet. My notes are highlighted in blue.

• 1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, about 3 1/2 cups
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream

In a saucepan, combine rhubarb and 3/4 cup sugar. Cover and cook over low heat until rhubarb releases its juices, about 5 minutes.

Uncover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until most of water evaporates and rhubarb has a soft jam like consistency, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. This was my favorite step. At the end of 20 minutes, I was left with a sweet/tart ~ perfectly balanced taste. At this point I was wishing that I had bought double the rhubarb so I could jar up half to make Rhubarb Preserves. It really had the most perfect consistency, I will most certainly be making this in the future. We had some in France and I've been craving it ever since.

Whisk egg yolks lightly. In a saucepan, combine milk and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Bring to a boil. Gradually whisk milk mixture into yolks. Return to saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. This was the hardest part for me. Not only did I have to separate an egg, I had to make custard. I'm not sure that the consistency was quite right, but it still worked in the end.Using a fine-meshed sieve, strain into a bowl. While I had planned on skipping this step, I realized that it is important to do so in order to remove and curdled egg from the custard.Add rhubarb mixture and cream. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or as long as overnight. I started this step the night before, so refrigerated overnight.
Per the Kitchen Aid manual, once the base was fitted and top was down and securely locked, I started the motor to the "Stir" setting. The paddle has to be rotating before you add the mixture to stop it from freezing up. It was a bit of a challenge adding the mixture with the top down, but I managed to do so using a small ladle. The directions say to mix for 20-30 minutes, until frozen. It also states that once the paddle starts to slip or make a clicking noise, that the ice cream is ready. Mine was ready after about 15-17 minutes. I think this was partially because I did chill it overnight in the bottom of my refrigerator, the coldest part. The finished product had a nice lovely soft pink color. It was so luscious and creamy. It was best the day of, the longer it is in the freezer, the more icy the texture becomes. Not that it stopped us from eating the rest later, I just let it sit out a couple of minutes to lose some of that iciness.
Serves 8