Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt

And it's MAY! That's right folks, let's pretend it's still springtime when the grocery stores are bursting with big juicy ruby-ripe strawberries and everybody is talking about the rhubarb in their garden. But you don't mind, no not at all.

Our garden always EXPLODES with rhubarb each spring and it always seems to be so much that one cannot possibly use it all. This is why I love to find new and delicious ways to get it out of the garden and onto my plate/bowl/spoon/glass etc.

Good thing I finally started liking the stuff a few years ago. It makes this adventure all the more enjoyable!

A fun fact I learned while making this ice cream: if you stew/boil rhubarb on the stove in a pot as many of us do, it is delicious. However, it will loose it's beautiful pink hue and turn into a sort of greeny-brown stringy mush. The way to keep its pretty-pinkness is to roast it! Yes, I'm still not sure why exactly this happens, but baking or roasting rhubarb (with lots of sugar, of course) in the oven keeps it's colour. Also, any chance for alliteration is nice.

​This is really nice on its own, or even mixed with chocolate :) But what isn't?

Cheers to springtime and MAY! (even if I'm a little late)

Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt

Recipe slightly adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

For the Fro-Yo Base:

• 4 cups plain low fat yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 2 ounces (4 tbsp) cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup corn syrup

For the Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote:

• 1/4 pound fresh or frozen rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 pound fresh or frozen strawberries, halved or quartered if large
• 1/3 cup sugar

Prep the Yogurt:

1. Fit a sieve over a medium bowl ad line it with two laters of cheesecloth. Pour the yogurt into the sieve, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 6-8 hours to drain.
   
2. Discard the liquid, and measure out 1 1/4 cups of the strained yogurt. Set aside.

Make the Compote:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Combine the rhubarb, strawberries and sugar in a 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish, stirring to mix well. Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the fruit is beginning to fall apart but is still pink.
3. Measure out 3/4 cup of the compote and let cool. Pop it in the fridge if you are not using it immediately. Refrigerate the rest of the compote (if there is any leftover) and save for another use.

Make the Fro-Yo Base:

1. Mix about 3 tbsp of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
2. Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smoot.
3. Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a roiling boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
4. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
5. Add a ladleful of the hot milk mixture to the bowl with the cream cheese. Stir until completely smooth, then stir in the rest of the hot milk mixture. Add the reserved 1 1/4 cups strained yogurt and 3/4 cup of the strawberry-rhubarb compote, stir well to mix.
6. Cover the base with plastic wrap and let chill completely in the fridge, about 4-6 hours or overnight preferably.
7. When the base is completely chilled, churn in your ice cream maker according to the machine instructions, spin until thick and creamy.
8. Pack the Fro-Yo into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment paper onto the surface and seal with an air-tight lid. Freeze for at least 4 hours until it is firm enough to serve.

enjoy!
​xxx