The Royal Chef At Home: Easy Seasonal Entertaining

WHITE CHOCOLATE & RHUBARB CRÈME BRULEE WITH CLOTTED CREAM SHORTBREAD

MAKES 4 PORTIONS

THE BRULEE 6 egg yolks ½ cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract 2 cups heavy cream 2 ounces white chocolate, grated 1 tablespoon Cointreau Sugar for glazing

THE RHUBARB 1 pound fresh rhubarb 1 cup light brown sugar

THE SHORTBREAD ½ cup flour ¼ cup powdered sugar ¼ cup cornstarch ½ cup unsalted butter 1 jar clotted cream, or ½ cup heavy whipped cream, or 8 ounces of mascarpone

1 Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

3 Place the rhubarb and sugar in a small pan and stir. Place on a low heat and simmer until the rhubarb is just tender and easily pierced with a fork. Remove from the heat and refrigerate. 4 For the shortbread, rub the flour, cornstarch, butter and powdered sugar together in a large bowl to form a dough. Roll out and cut into cookies. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until the edges start to brown. Allow to cool. 5 In a sundae dish build the dessert. Spoon layers of brulee, rhubarb and the Cointreau cream. Place one of the shortbread cookies on top and garnish with the clotted cream.

2 Prepare the brulee. Whisk the yolks, sugar and vanilla together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside. Bring the cream to a boil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. When the cream is hot, whisk it very slowly into the egg mixture, to warm and temper the eggs. Return the egg/ creammixture to the pan and over a low heat stir the brulee mix until it starts to thicken. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the white chocolate. Remove 1 cup of the mixture from the pan, stir in the 1 tablespoon Cointreau and refrigerate. Pour the remaining mix into an earthenware dish and bake until set, about 20 minutes. The center of the brulee needs to look like “set jello” when lightly shaken. Allow to cool and refrigerate. Sprinkle with the sugar and glaze with a brulee torch or under the broiler, until golden brown.

109 SUMMER · LUNCH FOR A LAZY SUNDAY AFTERNOON