Rhubarb-Strawberry Ice Cream

We celebrated Father's Day with my dad over Cuban Ham and black bean tacos for dinner and fresh rhubarb-strawberry ice cream for dessert. He definitely appreciated this gift. My dad is not one to request seconds, but he had another bowl of this luscious summer cool-down without much prompting. SCORE!

Every spring/early summer, there are two rhubarb treats I feel I must make time to create: rhubarb-ade (plain or in soda form) and a type of rhubarb ice cream. Spring just wouldn't be spring without them. Inevitably, there is a heat wave at the beginning of June, and both of these seem to exist for the sole purpose of taking the edge off.

Last year, we whipped up a batch of a simple rhubarb ice cream. It was perfectly tart and creamy. This year, we tried a rhubarb-strawberry ice cream. It turned out much sweeter, less tart, and very strawberry-y. For me, it's impossible to say which was better - any semblance of a real opinion would be completely mood based. However, for Andy, this version rocked his taste buds, and he's sold on this combination.

Here it is! Hurry and make it - only a week left of rhubarb season:

Ingredients:
3 cups of chopped rhubarb
1 cup of water
1.5 cups of sugar
1 pint of strawberries
1.5 cups of half and half
1.5 cups of heavy cream
4 egg yolks

Instructions:
1. Bring water, rhubarb, and half cup of sugar to a boil. Once it's boiling, remove from heat. Allow to sit for five minutes. Drain.

2. Hull and slice the strawberries. Mix with a half cup of sugar.
3. Combine strawberries and rhubarb together. Mash or blend.
4. Whisk egg yolks with the remaining half cup of sugar.
5. Warm the half and half in a saucepan, stirring constantly so not to burn. When the half and half starts to foam, remove from the heat. Slowly pour this into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly as you pour so that  you don't cook the eggs.
6. Once combined, put egg mixture back into saucepan. Warm over low-medium heat, stirring, until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.
7. Remove from heat. Stir in the cream and fruit mixture.
8. Cover mixture and cool. Use ice cream maker to complete.

Rhubarb Soda

Have you seen those new soda-making kitchen appliances?  Have you thought to yourself, "Maybe I should get one of those?" Well, if yes, you should! Go ahead! It's so worth it. We haven't bought carbonated water or soda since getting ours for Christmas, and our recycling bin has been much emptier. Plus, you can use whatever fruit you have on hand to make seasonal, flavored sodas. The SodaStream is a win-win for sure.

Tonight, we made a simple rhubarb syrup and then added it to the carbonated water we made with our soda-maker.

Here's how:
Bring equal parts rhubarb juice and sugar to a boil. So, for example, we had three cups rhubarb juice (we used a juicer, but a food processor would work too - just drain the juice off), so we added three cups sugar. Save and refrigerate. Add desired amount to your homemade carbonated water. We don't like our soda too sweet, so we added a few tablespoons to one liter.

So refreshing and yummy!

We have a quart of rhubarb syrup left....oh, the possibilities! 

The Asparagus to Zucchini Cookbook Rocks: Two Awesome Recipes in One Week

With our first CSA box being delivered last Saturday, we decided to try a few new recipes. Of course, the first resource that we grabbed was the From Asparagus to Zucchini Cookbook. Our first delicious surprise was a beverage - Rhubarbade. After an awesome five-mile run last week, this drink quenched every bit of my gigantic thirst. I also imagine that it would be great on a hot, sunny day with a little vodka and ice! :)

To make it:
1. Puree rhubarb in a food processor or use a juicer.
2. For every two cups of rhubarb liquid, add 3/4 cup (or more or less to taste) of a sweetener and 6 cups of water. We used sucanat (non-refined cane sugar).
3. Stir until sugar or other sweetener is dissolved.
4. Serve iced. Yum!

The other sweet surprise that we had was from the same cookbook. Meet Parsnip Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing! Check out the From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce for the full recipe. Let me just say: the addition of the dried cherries and chopped walnuts on top of the frosting was perfect!