“the sun shone on tender green leaves and the hedgerows were dappled with wild roses” Green Darkness, Anya Seton
My husband first stole my heart with a large black tea rose and love note left in my pigeon hole just after we met. I still have it, pressed between the pages of an old Latin tome. Catching their heady scent on the air when we step out into the garden is always very evocative taking me straight back in time.
The rosebeds are still bare at this time of year, with only the hints of new leaves forming. Luckily we’ve had no need to scramble to find rosewater for this batch having taken the chance last year to whip some up from our own roses in our garden. We’ve got a decent little collection of homemade floral waters going now and are slowly adding as we learn. Fun for the family to make them, it’s also lovely to know they’re organically produced straight from the garden.
If you haven’t cooked with rosewater before, be sparing with it – floral perfumes can easily lend an overwhelming heady strength on the palette especially in sweet dishes. Combined here however with the sharp acidity of the rhubarb and enveloped in the creaminess of the dairy, the rosewater is rounded out enough to hover in the background lending just a hint of summer.
NOTES
– An ice cream maker is required for this recipe
– Depending on the pigment concentration of your rhubarb you may wish to add a few drops of natural pink dye to enhance the depth of colour . I usually do, but had none to hand for this batch.
– For an alcohol-free version, the vodka can be omitted and replaced like for like with water or lemon juice
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Equipment:
- ice cream maker
- saucepan (we actually used our Le Creuset shallow casserole dish)
- mixing bowl
Makes: 10-12 servings
INGREDIENTS
For the rhubarb purée:
- 180 grams rhubarb, chopped
- 80 grams granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vodka (We used Icelandic Reyka, the world’s first ‘green’ vodka, made from the purest Icelandic spring water and carrying notes of vanilla, lemon and pepper)
For the ice cream:
- 480 ml heavy cream
- 240 ml whole milk
- 150 grams granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon rosewater
- a few drops of natural pink food dye, optional
METHOD
Making the rhubarb purée:
- Place the rhubarb, sugar and vodka in a saucepan set over medium-low heat stirring often, until the rhubarb has begun to break down and soften.
- Remove from the heat and place in a food processor or blender to purée until smooth. Set aside to cool until needed.
Making the ice cream:
- Place your cream, milk, sugar and rosewater in your mixing bowl and using a whisk stir thoroughly until fully homogenised.
- Add in your rhubarb purée and mix well.
- If using dye, add the colouring in now and stir well until you have a uniform colour.
- Cover and chill overnight in the fright
- The next morning, churn mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream should be thick, velvety and smooth when ready. Scrape into a freezer-safe glass container and freeze for at least three hours before serving.
