THEME: Foolish Rhubarb-Cardamom Parfaits
Jamie R
SERVES 4
This is a riff on fool, a classic English mixture of fruit puree -
usually berries - and whipped cream. When we worked together at
Cook's Illustrated, my friend Raquel Pelzel showed me that layering
the fruit and cream rather than combining them gives each a stronger
voice in the dessert.
3/4 pound fresh rhubarb, tough strings removed, and stalks cut into
1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons grated zest and
2 tablespoons juice from 1 large orange
7 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Salt
1 cup heavy cream, cold
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring rhubarb, orange
zest and juice, and 6 tablespoons of sugar to a strong simmer. Reduce
heat and simmer gently, swirling pan occasionally, until sugar
dissolves and rhubarb begins to break down, about 6 minutes. Off
heat, mash any large rhubarb chunks against the walls of the pan, add
vanilla, cardamom, and a pinch of salt, stir to combine, transfer the
mixture to a medium nonreactive bowl, and set aside to cool to room
temperature. Once the rhubarb mixture has cooled, cover and
refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
When ready to serve, with an electric mixer (or a whisk), beat the
cream until it begins to thicken and beaters leave a trail. Add the
remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until the
cream is thick, nearly doubled in volume, and forms medium-firm
peaks. To assemble parfaits, spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of the rhubarb
mixture into each of 4 serving glasses, then spoon about 1/4 cup of
the whipped cream over the rhubarb. Repeat the layering, using up all
of the ingredients and finishing with a dollop of cream. Serve at
once, or cover very loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up
to 1 hour before serving.