Yet another good idea from teenage chef, Sam Stern, now deep into his studies at Edinburgh University, where I took an MA in History some years ago. He points out that we are just getting the first rhubarb, the indoor variety we call “forced” rhubarb. It has a milder taste and a less stringy texture than some of the outdoor kind. I bought a big stick of it on the market (above). After washing and chopping it, I brought it up to the boil with a spoon of soft brown cane sugar and half a level teaspoon of ginger, plus just enough water to cover it. When it boiled I turned it to simmer with the lid on, and kept checking it until it was tender. I then made half a mug of custard, using semi-skimmed goat’s milk and custard powder.
Both rhubarb and custard went into the blender, where I zapped them into a purée. I started to pour it into bowls, but decided to use glasses instead – it’s more traditional. It was still runny, so I popped it in the fridge in the hope that it would set more by dinner-time. It did, and hey presto! Rhubarb fool, and a pretty good one, too.