I’m not entirely clear on what constitutes a fruit fool. In some restaurants, it involves cream, biscuits and fruit; in others, custard, curd and, very rarely, someone will throw in some crushed meringue, so it resembles an Eton mess. Of the versions I’ve made and tried, I love those that put custard to work, because it’s one of my favourite things to eat, as is forced rhubarb, which makes an appearance in so much of what I make at this time of year – jellies, trifles, fools, sorbets, tarts and more. For today’s recipe, you can make your own ginger biscuits or use shop-bought ones.
Rhubarb fool with ginger biscuits
Prep 30 min
Steep 1 hr
Chill 4 hr+
Cook 30 min
Serves 8-10
For the rhubarb
360g rhubarb, leaves discarded, roots trimmed and stems cut into 4-5cm pieces
90g caster sugar
2 hibiscus flowers
For the custard
350ml milk
300ml double cream, plus 300ml extra, lightly whipped, to finish
80g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 egg, plus 2 egg yolks
40g cornflour
For the ginger biscuits (makes 20)
150g plain flour
50g light brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
A pinch of salt
110g unsalted butter, cubed
40g golden syrup
In a small bowl, steep the hibiscus flowers in 20ml hot water and set aside.Put the rhubarb into a large roasting pan, add the sugar and the hibiscus flowers and their water, mix and set aside for an hour.
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4, then bake the rhubarb mix for 14-18 minutes, until tender but still holding its shape. Remove and leave to cool.
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and 150ml double cream with half each of the sugar and vanilla.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolks. In a second bowl, combine the rest of the sugar and cornflour, then whisk this thoroughly into the egg mixture.
When the milk is steaming, pour it on to the egg mix, whisking continuously, then pour everything back into the pan and whisk over a medium heat until the custard starts to bubble and thicken.
Take off the heat and whisk in the remaining 150ml cream, until smooth. Pour into a heatproof bowl and put a piece of greaseproof paper directly on top of the hot custard to stop a skin forming. Leave to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for four hours (or overnight). To make the biscuits, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Add the cubed butter and rub in until it’s the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the golden syrup, knead gently to form a dough, then wrap tightly and rest in the fridge for two hours.
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Roll out the biscuit dough to 4mm thick, then, using an 8cm biscuit cutter, cut out 20 rounds and put on the lined tray. Bake in the same 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 oven for 15-17 minutes, until golden brown, then remove and leave to cool.
Gently beat the cold custard in a large bowl and fold in the 300ml whipped double cream. Strain the rhubarb from the light syrup, reserving a few pieces to decorate, and stir through the custard mixture. Serve in bowls topped with a few pieces of rhubarb on top, and finish with a drizzle of syrup and with the biscuits on the side for dipping.
UK readers: click to buy these ingredients from Ocado
