Deep-fried custard with poached rhubarb

D is a huge fan of custard, rhubarb, and fried food - so this couldn’t be more perfect.

It isn’t an easy recipe, but you can cut corners by using packet custard, but you’ll need to make it thick and let it cool completely.

This dish is known as Crema Fritta in Italy, here coming via Ravinder Bhogal (all credit to her wonderful recipes).

Photo credit: LOUISE HAGGER

Ingredients

  • FOR THE CUSTARD

  • 500 ml full-fat milk

  • 1 strip lemon peel

  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped

  • 3 egg yolks

  • 100 g caster sugar

  • 30 g plain flour

  • 50 g cornflour

  • FOR THE COATING

  • 50 g cornflakes

  • 50 g panko breadcrumbs

  • 50 g plain flour

  • 2 eggs, beaten

  • 1 l sunflower oil to deep-fry

  • FOR THE RHUBARB

  • 200 g rhubarb, cut into 2.5cm pieces

  • 1 star anise

  • 1 strip of orange peel and the juice of 1 large orange

  • 20 g caster sugar

Directions

  • Heat the milk, lemon peel and vanilla in a pan, bring to a simmer and take off the heat.

  • In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy. Then add the plain flour and cornflour, and whisk in the hot milk, a little at a time. Pour this mixture back into a pan and cook over a low heat, whisking continuously until you have a smooth, thick custard.

  • Line a 15 x 15cm cake tin with baking paper and pour the custard into it through a sieve, pushing any lumps through. Tap on the kitchen surface to spread and even it out, and smooth out the top. Cover and chill in the fridge.

  • Meanwhile, make the poached rhubarb. Put the star anise, orange peel, orange juice and sugar in a pan and dissolve the sugar over a medium heat.

  • Cook for five minutes until syrupy, then add the rhubarb and cook over a low heat for five minutes or until the rhubarb is tender but still holding its shape. Set aside to cool.

  • Once the custard is chilled and firm, turn it out on to a board and slice into 16 equal pieces. (It will stay firm for about 20 minutes out of the fridge, which should give you enough time for the next step. The custard can also be made ahead of time, even the day before.)

  • Put the cornflakes in a blender and whizz to create a fine crumb, then tip out into a wide shallow bowl and mix with the breadcrumbs. Put the flour and eggs in two separate shallow bowls.

  • Dust each piece of custard in the flour first, dip them in the egg, then roll in the cornflake crumb, making sure they are very well coated.

  • Fill a large pan halfway with oil and heat to 170 C.

  • Add the breaded custard and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

  • Work in batches to keep the oil’s temperature consistent. Drain on kitchen paper, then serve warm with the rhubarb.