Ingredients

• 300g/10½oz forced rhubarb
• chopped
• 140g/5oz white caster sugar
• 15g/½oz lemon juice
• 400ml/14fl oz double cream
• 200ml/7fl oz crème fraîche
• 6 free-range egg yolks
• 90ml/3fl oz ginger syrup (reserved from the stem ginger jar)
• 2 balls stem ginger
• chopped into small pieces (5mm/¼ in across)
• 1 stick forced rhubarb
• peeled into thin strips with a potato peeler
• 75g/2¾oz caster sugar
• 6 tbsp demerara sugar

Directions

• Preheat oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3.
• For the poached rhubarb
• mix the ingredients together in a saucepan. Boil the mixture until the rhubarb has broken up and most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Meanwhile
• make the custard. Mix the cream and crème fraîche in a pan and heat until warm. Mix the egg yolks and ginger syrup together in a bowl. Pour in the warmed cream and return the mixture to the pan to warm.
• Divide the poached rhubarb between 6 large ramekins then sprinkle half of the stem ginger on top and fill each ramekin with the custard mixture.
• Boil a kettle of water. Place the ramekins in a roasting tin
• fill the tin with boiling water so the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for approximately 45 minutes
• or until the custard is set but still has a slight wobble.
• When cooked
• place the ramekins in the refrigerator to cool completely (this will take a few hours
• but if you are short of time they can be cooled on a baking tray in the freezer).
• For the rhubarb crisps
• preheat the oven to 120C/100C Fan/Gas ½.
• Put the caster sugar and 75ml/2½fl oz water in a pan and heat until the sugar dissolves. Poach the rhubarb strips in this syrup for 30 seconds. Remove and arrange on a silicon mat on a baking tray. Dry out in the oven for 20 minutes
• turning over halfway through. Set aside to cool.
• For the topping
• preheat the grill to maximum temperature. Top the ramekins with the demerara sugar and place under the grill until the sugar caramelises
• alternatively use a chef’s blowtorch. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped stem ginger and the rhubarb crisps. Serve immediately.