Photo: Annie Spratt, Unsplash

Rhubarb, Apple & Ginger Crunch Trifle

Serves 6

Rhubarb is absolutely top of my list of favourites at this time of year. There are so many ways to use it, and every single option is delicious! This is a stunningly good trifle that I particularly like because each element is prepared in advance, with only the final assembly needing to be done ahead of serving – easy peasy!

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 85g Coarse Oatmeal
  • 1 tsp Ground Ginger
  • 100g Golden Caster Sugar
  • 3 Bramley Apples (about 800g in total), peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
  • 2 Balls ginger in syrup, chopped
  • 700g Yorkshire Rhubarb, trimmed and cut into thumb-length pieces
  • Approximately 400ml of double cream
  • 600ml pot ready-made vanilla custard (guilty secret)
  • 300g/11oz Ginger Cake (McVities Jamaican Ginger Cake is a good option), thickly sliced
  • 1 tbsp ginger wine

Method:

  1. Heat the oatmeal, ground ginger and half the sugar in a non-stick frying pan until the sugar starts to caramelise and the oatmeal toasts, stirring often. Tip onto non-stick baking paper to cool, then break into crumbly nuggets. Make up to 2 days ahead and keep in an airtight container.
  2. Put the apples in a large saucepan, then add the chopped ginger, 50ml water and remaining caster sugar. Bring to a simmer, then gently cook for about 7 mins, adding the rhubarb halfway through, until both are softened, but not mushy. Add more sugar to taste, if you like, then leave to cool. Make up to 1 day ahead and keep in the fridge.
  3. Lightly whip the cream and fold half of it into the custard. Line the base of a large glass serving bowl with ginger cake, sprinkle over the wine, then spoon over the apple & rhubarb mix, draining off any excess juice. Add a layer of about half the oatmeal mixture, cover with the custard, then finish with the rest of the cream and the remaining oatmeal. Best assembled shortly before serving. Each element can be made the day before, then layered up when ready to eat.

Recipe credit: Jane Hornby

In Season this month:

Fruit & Nuts
Forced Rhubarb

Vegetables & Herbs
Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichoke Kale Leek, Onion, Pak Choi, Parsnip, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Salsify, Spinach, Spring Onions, Swede, Turnips, Sweet Potato, Wild Nettles

Meat & Game
Hare, Spring Lamb

Fish
Cockles, Cod, Dab, Dover Sole, Gurnard, Hake, Halibut, Langoustine, Lemon Sole, Lobster, Mussels, Oysters, Red Mullet, Salmon, Shrimp, Whitebait, Winkles

Suzanne is a professional chef, wife and mother who has lived in East Dulwich all her life!

www.suzannejames.co.uk

This article first appeared in the March 2019 issue of SE22 magazine.