Yum, Yum, Yum,! It is rhubarb time and this is a change up on rhubarb crisp because the weather here the last week has been too hot to bake one. So instead of a crisp served with ice cream, we have frozen rhubarb yoghurt and a crisp topping and a little extra sauce. Yum, Yum, Yum, once more!
The yoghurt is a simple three ingredient mixture but if yoghurt is not your thing, then there is no reason an ice cream base can not be substituted.
You will need:
2 cups greek yoghurt
6 Tbsp. honey
2/3 + 1/3 cup stewed rhubarb
additional honey or sugar to taste
crisp topping:
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
4 Tbsp. rolled oats
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
There has been so much going on these last few weeks that finding the present moment has not been automatic and I will confess that it has made a difference in the kitchen and helped me to remember how important it is to work from an open heart with clear intention. Deep breath, center, begin.
Let’s start with the stewed rhubarb. The thicker this mixture can be cooked the better for the frozen yoghurt. My suggestion is to have plans for extra stewed rhubarb and cook a couple of pounds at the same time in a few tablespoon of water. That way there can be less water in the pot in relationship to the 
rhubarb. With attentive stirring, the simmering fruit will not attach itself to the bottom of the pot and the finished mixture will be thick, not runny. Additionally when cutting the stalk into sections, cut the pieces about 1/2 inch wide. That way there will be fewer long bits to wind their way around the paddles of the ice cream machine. Once the rhubarb is cooked set 1 cup aside and cool.
This idea started because as you can see in the picture above, there is too much fresh Greek yoghurt from my latest batch and being able to put the lid on the container seemed like a good idea.
Combine the yoghurt, 2/3 cup stewed rhubarb and honey in a container of some sort and place is the freezer. My mixture was too warm to even consider putting it into the ice cream maker as it had just finished dripping and was sitting at room temperature. Check on it every hour or so and mix if the outside is freezing. Getting the mixture good and cold before putting it in the machine will cut down on the time needed for it to finish freezing.
Good ice cream, sorbet and frozen yoghurt is made up of small frozen crystals. That can happen by using a machine, that constantly scrapes the side of a frozen bowl and places what has come off back into the mixture. An alternative it to do that manually be checking the mixture as it freezes, breaking down the hard sections and mixing them back in. I try not to share too many recipes that require special equipment but I was able to source a brand new ice cream maker for $7.00 last year and I will say I am having fun with it.
If you have one, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If there is not one in your house, placing the mixture in an ice cube tray or a bowl and releasing, crushing and refreezing until semi solid works as well but will take more time and effort.
As the mixture is freezing, combine the ingredients for the crisp topping, place in a small tray and bake at 350 degrees F. until the topping is lightly browned and the butter has stopped bubbling. That was just the moment when I thought about the palm plant to the forehead that V-8 commercials used it include, “I could have just used granola“. Your choice, make the crisp topping or if you have an oatmeal granola handy try that as an alternative.
Once the frozen yoghurt is thick and about the consistency of a cold soft ice cream, transfer it to a container and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
Heat the remaining 1/3 cup of stewed rhubarb, add sweetener to taste. To serve place the ice cream in a bowl, top with a little heated stewed rhubarb and sprinkle with crisp topping. Serve immediately.
If leftover frozen yoghurt has been put away and hardened in the freezer, remove it for about twenty minutes before trying to scoop and serve next time. With only natural ingredients and nothing added to keep the mixture airy. It will be too solid to serve directly from the freezer without some serious effort.
Rhubarb Crisp Frozen Yoghurt from My KItchen Wand
