Strawberry-Rhubarb Ice Cream (Sweetened with Agave Nectar)

It must be pretty obvious from recent posts that I've been craving sweets lately. Those were sugar-full, but this one... this one is diabetic-safe, sweetened only with fruit and agave nectar.


With plenty of rhubarb still in the freezer, I knew I had to come up with an ice cream recipe. After seeing a recipe on epicurious.com for Rhubarb Sabayon with Strawberries, I was inspired to come up with a rhubarb ice cream with strawberry chunks inside.

The result: a softly pink-and-chartreuse ice cream with yummy chunks of strawberry nestled just so, a great balance of tart and sweet.


Strawberry-Rhubarb Ice Cream
makes 1-1/2 quarts

For the rhubarb compote:

2 cups rhubarb that's been cut into 1-inch pieces and rinsed (may use frozen)
3 tablespoons agave nectar (I used dark amber)

Combine in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until bubbling. There should be enough water naturally in the rhubarb plus whatever is clinging to the vegetables after rinsing for this to work without any added liquid, but if you wish you can add a little water. Remove from heat when rhubarb is soft and falling apart. Set aside to cool. You should have about 1 cup of completed compote.

For the custard base (basic creme anglaise):

4 egg yolks
1/4 cup agave nectar (I used dark amber)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine egg yolks and agave nectar in a clean stainless steel bowl. Whisk together until lightly frothy. Stir in dairy and set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl isn't immersed in the water. Stirring constantly, cook custard until thickened. To test for doneness, stir gently with a spoon and pull it out; draw your finger across the back of the spoon. If the trail remains without filling in, it's ready.

Pour custard through a fine mesh into a clean bowl. Stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool slightly.

For the ice cream:

Stir 1 cup of rhubarb compote (should be the entire recipe) into cooled custard base and whiz with an immersion blender (or process in a food processor or blender). The rhubarb should be fully incorporated into the custard, but it's okay if a few small chunks remain.

Cover and cool completely in the refrigerator--at least 4 hours or overnight.

Process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions; during the last five minutes, add 1 cup of cut-up strawberries along with any juice that dribbles from them. My strawberries were pretty small, so I halved and quartered them.

Enjoy ice cream immediately or transfer to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer until ready to use.



I'm submitting this ice cream recipe to What's Cooking's Homemade Challenge #5: Ice Cream event. Come back after July 1st for a link to the roundup!