Rhubarb Fraisier

[jmacnaughtan]

Rhubarb Fraisier

 

Serves 6

 

This is a good summer cake.  It's powerfully flavored and fragrant, but not heavy.  If you don't have access to Muscat wine, you can use any other dessert wine, or kirsch.

 

It won't keep very well, so assemble it the day you want to eat it.

 

 

Génoise

 

• 100g eggs (2)
• 70g sugar
• 70g self-rising flour

 

1. Combine the eggs and sugar in a bowl, and place over a hot water bath.  Heat until it reaches 50°C.
2. Remove from the heat and whip until cool, until it reaches the “ribbon” stage.
3. Gently fold in the sieved flour.  Ensure there are no lumps of flour.
4. Grease and line a 16cm cake ring and pour in the batter. 
5. Bake at 180°C for around 15 minutes.
6. Once cool, cut 2 horizontal slices around 5mm thick using a long serrated knife.  Trim one to 14cm diameter, the other to 12cm.

 

Muscat syrup

 

• 80g sugar
• 80g water
• Muscat wine, to taste

 

1. Place the sugar and water into a bowl.  Microwave until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Leave to cool.  Add wine to taste- you want a powerful wine flavor.  Reserve.

 

Rhubarb cream

 

§  Fresh rhubarb, 300g

§  Caster sugar, 30 + 30 + 30g

§  Cornflour, 15g

§  Milk, 20g

§  Egg yolks, 60g

§  Gelatin, bloomed, 2g (dry weight)

§  Butter, 100g

 

1. Wash and chop the rhubarb, combine with the sugar and leave to macerate for half an hour.
2. Cook in a pan until very tender.  Purée until smooth, then weigh out 250g of puree.
3. Heat the purée in the same saucepan with the second lot of sugar.
4. Mix the remaining sugar with the cornstarch, and add the milk.  Mix well.
5. Incorporate the egg yolks.
6. Temper the purée into the egg mixture, pour back into the pan and bring to the boil.  Don't stop stirring or it will catch and burn.  Keep at the boil for around thirty seconds.
7. Take it off the heat, let it cool for a minute or two, and while still warm incorporate the gelatin.
8. Cool to around 40-50°C (it shouldn't burn your finger, but it should feel warm).
9. Using a stick blender/food processor, incorporate the cold butter, cut into cubes.
10. Leave to cool completely in the fridge, preferably overnight.
11. Before using, whip to aerate it.  It will turn pale and fairly fluffy.

 

Strawberries

 

• Around 300g very fresh, very ripe strawberries, preferably Gariguette.

 

1. Wash and remove the stalks and leaves from the strawberries.
2. Reserve 9 or 10 attractive, large, similarly sized strawberries.  Cut them in half, lengthwise.
3. Reserve two small, attractive strawberries for decoration.

 

Roasted rhubarb strips (adapted from Philippe Conticini’s “Sensations”)

 

• One long, unblemished rhubarb stalk, around 40cm long
• Sugar

 

1. Wash the rhubarb, and cut in half.  Make sure the halves are at least 16cm long.
2. Slice into long, thin strips, around 2mm thick.
3. Arrange on greased parchment paper so they each overlap the strip next to them.  You’ll end up with a rectangle of rhubarb.  Sprinkle with sugar.
4. Bake at 200°C for around 15-20 minutes.  The rhubarb should be soft and slightly caramelized.
5. Cut out a 14cm circle, and place in the freezer.

 

Neutral glaze (optional, smooth, slightly diluted apricot jam may be used as a replacement)

 

Ingredients:

 

• 50g sugar
• 50g water
• 4g pectin NH

 

1. Combine the pectin with the sugar.
2. Bring the water to a boil, pour in the sugar-pectin mix while whisking, and whisk well.
3. Boil for 20 seconds, whisking continuously.
4. Remove from the heat, transfer to a container and leave to cool.

 

Assembly

 

1. Using a 16cm diameter x 4.5cm high cake ring, place it on a sheet of acetate or parchment paper.  Place this on a chopping board or other flat surface.  I strongly recommend lining the ring with acetate, it will make unmolding a lot easier.
2. Arrange the halved strawberries around the edge of the ring, with the cut sides pressed up against the acetate.
3. Place the 12cm génoise disk inside the strawberry circle.  Push it in to fit.
4. Soak the génoise generously with syrup.
5. Pipe a layer of rhubarb cream onto the génoise, around 1cm, making sure to pipe in between the strawberries.
6. Pack in as many strawberries as you can in a single layer on the cream, working in a circular fashion.  Cover with cream.  You don’t want the cream to be much higher than the strawberries.
7. Place the second génoise disk on the cream and soak liberally.
8. Cover with more cream up to the top of the cake ring and even out the top with a spatula.
9. Place the circle of rhubarb on the cream.  Work the glaze to loosen it up, then glaze the rhubarb.
10. Decorate with the reserved strawberries and place in the fridge to set for an hour or so.
11. Leave for half an hour out of the fridge to come to room temperature.  Serve with muscat wine.