Baked Yorkshire rhubarb, financiers and crème pâtissière
Yorkshire produce is given a French twist when baked rhubarb is served alongside financier cakes and crème pâtissière.
Ingredients
For the crème pâtissière
- 300ml/10fl oz full-fat milk
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
- 4g agar-agar
- 4 free-range egg yolks
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú custard powder
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
For the Yorkshire rhubarb
- 300g/10½oz Yorkshire rhubarb, cut into 5cm/2in pieces
- 80g/3oz demerara sugar
- 1 blood orange, zest and juice
- roasted almonds, grated, to decorate
For the financiers
- 130²µ/4¾´Ç³ú butter, plus extra for greasing
- 180²µ/6¼´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú plain flour
- 130²µ/4¾´Ç³ú ground almonds
- 170g/6oz free-range egg whites
- demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Method
To make the crème pâtissière, place the milk and ginger in a bowl and leave in the fridge to infuse for a few hours.
Heat the infused milk, vanilla and agar-agar in a saucepan until hot but not boiling. Beat the yolks, sugar and custard powder together in a bowl. Pour in half of the heated milk into the egg yolk mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour in the remaining hot milk. Transfer to a saucepan and gently cook over a low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring all the time until very thick. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to chill in the fridge until cold. Once cold, lightly whip the double cream then add to the milk mixture, whisking constantly. Keep in the fridge until needed.
For the Yorkshire rhubarb, preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 4.
Place the rhubarb in a roasting tin with the sugar, zest and juice. Mix well and cover the tin with tin foil. Bake for 15 minutes – the rhubarb should be soft but still holding its shape. Once cooled, remove from the tray and cut the rhubarb pieces in half. Reserve the baking juices from the rhubarb.
To make the financiers, preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Grease a 12-hole mini muffin tin.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and cook gently until it turns a golden nutty brown. Leave to cool. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl or a mixer and gently stir in the egg whites until a smooth mixture is achieved. Gradually pour in the butter, stirring constantly to mix.
Grease each muffin hole and fill it three-quarters full with the mixture. Add a piece of rhubarb to the top of each financier and lightly sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 10–12 minutes until caramelised on top. Remove from the oven, leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Drizzle the baked rhubarb and financiers with the reserved rhubarb juices, decorate with the grated almonds and serve with the crème pâtissière.