Rhubarb semifreddo with baked rhubarb, licorice ganache, almond- and browned butter cake

Rhubarb is the most delightful dessert component of spring, and here we serve it in the form of a semifreddo (like a frozen mousse), complemented by baked rhubarb. To this we break off with a fine almond cake with browned butter, a discreet licorice ganache and crunchy licorice lava. Maybe not a combo you’ve seen so often, but it works incredibly well! Enough for about 10 guests

Rhubarb Semifreddo

Semifreddo (step 1)

• 120 g Egg yolks
• 30 g Sugar

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a dough mixer with a balloon whisk for 10-12 minutes until they become lighter in color and have doubled in volume.

Semifreddo Sugar syrup (Step 2)

• 170 g Granulated sugar
• 80 g Water

Cook a sugar syrup to 120°C. While whisking slowly, carefully pour the hot syrup into the egg mixture in a thin stream. Gradually increase the speed and whisk for another 10 minutes until the batter is at room temperature and fluffy.

Semifreddo (Step 3)

• 50 g Rhubarb purée
• 1.5 Gelatine sheets
• 150 g Rhubarb purée
• 200 g Double cream
• 4 g beetroot powder (only for the color, can be excluded)

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water. Heat a quarter of the rhubarb purée and dissolve the gelatine in it. Mix with the remaining purée and gently fold into the egg mixture.
Whip the cream with the beetroot powder until slightly fluffy but still runny. Fold into the egg and rhubarb mixture. Divide the batter into silicone molds (or any other suitable portion mold you have at home), smooth the surface with a palette knife and freeze.

Baked rhubarb

• 300 g Rhubarb
• 120 g Water
• 0,8 g Citric acid
• 80 g Caster sugar
• 1.2 g Agar-agar
• 3 g Beetroot powder

Peel and trim the rhubarb. Cut it into pieces.
Put the rhubarb peels in a saucepan with the sugar, agar, citric acid and beetroot powder. Boil for about two minutes, then strain off the liquid. Leave to cool.
Place the peeled rhubarb (whole stalks) in a vacuum bag and pour in the cooled liquid. Seal the bag and bake in a steam oven at 80°C for about eight minutes. If you don’t have a vacuum machine and a steam oven, you can bake the rhubarb in a fan oven at 80°C. Place the rhubarb in an oven tray with the liquid poured over the stalks. Cover with a baking sheet so that the liquid does not evaporate. Bake for about 10-15 minutes.
Drain the rhubarb and save the liquid in a bowl. Cut the rhubarb into suitable pieces for serving.

Licorice ganache

• 90 g Manjari chocolate
• 15 g licorice paste
• 25 g Liquid honey
• 150 g Double cream
• 15 g Butter
• 2 g of rock salt

Melt the chocolate together with the licorice paste over a water bath.
Bring the cream and honey to the boil, stirring constantly. Add the hot cream in four batches, stirring constantly to create a smooth emulsion. Using a hand blender, mix in the butter and flaky salt until the ganache is completely smooth.

Liquorice lava

• 50 g Granulated sugar
• 10 g of Corn syrup
• 15 g Honey
• 4 g Black food colouring
• 4 g Bicarbonate
• 5 g Liquorice granules

Bring the sugar, glucose, honey and black food coloring to the boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Let the temperature reach 165°C.
Add the licorice granules and bicarbonate of soda, whisking vigorously until the batter starts to foam and expand. Pour out onto a silicone mat and leave to set.

Rhubarb jelly

• 125 g rhubarb puree
• 150 g Sugar
• 20 g Glucose syrup
• 20 g Honey
• 4 g Pectin
• 2 g Citric acid
• 0.5 g Salt
• 1 dl Sugar (for later)

Mix the rhubarb puree with the sugar, glucose and honey in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and whisk in the pectin. Continue cooking to 108°C.
Add citric acid and salt, stir well and pour into silicone molds (for sweets/pralines). Leave to cool in the refrigerator.

Just before serving, scoop out the jelly and divide in half, turning the jelly in sugar.

Candied almonds

• 30 g Sugar
• 10 g Water
• 60 g Marcona almonds – you can of course use regular almonds*

Melt the sugar and water in a saucepan and cook to a golden brown caramel. Add the almonds and stir until evenly coated.
Place the almonds on a silicone mat to cool. Chop according to instructions and save for garnish.

*If you use regular almonds, we recommend blanching them, as well as roasting and lightly salting them before candying them.

Browned butter biscuits (tuile) (can be excluded)

• 60 g Plain flour
• 50 g Browned butter
• 50 g Egg white
• 50 g Icing sugar
• 1 g Salt

Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. For a deeper flavor, add a teaspoon of milk powder before brewing (can be omitted).
Mix with the other ingredients and whisk to a smooth batter. Spread thinly on a silicone mat and bake at 155°C for 16 minutes until the tuile is golden brown and crispy.

Garnish

• 1 punnet Atsina cress

Assembly: When it’s time to serve, pop the semifreddo out of the molds (if you have nice molds, you can of course serve directly from the molds!) Then top with licorice ganache, pieces of licorice lava and rhubarb pieces. If you have made a tuile, put it on top.