Rhubarb Custard Fool

Rhubarb custard fool is a lovely light healthy dessert. Using yogurt rather than cream makes it low in fat, but it still tastes deliciously creamy. It's quick and easy to make, and it's also relatively low in sugar.

This rhubarb custard fool brings together two of my favourite foods. Rhubarb and custard are a marriage made in heaven, so make the most of it whilst rhubarb is in season! (You might also like this rhubarb and custard tart, or healthy rhubarb muffins with a custard filling!)

A fool is an old fashioned British dessert. It's a mixed of poached fruit, and custard or cream, or both. This healthier custard fool is really simple to make. It's great as a family dessert, but looks pretty enough for a dinner party.

If you like the combination of fruit and custard, you might also like to try this healthy trifle which is low fat and gluten free.

Ingredients

Poached rhubarb ingredients

Rhubarb. Rhubarb is widely available in British supermarkets in spring and early summer. It is also sometimes possible to buy frozen rhubarb when it is out of season. Growing your own is really easy, as once it is planted it comes back year after year. One of the varieties that I grow is rather green in colour, and not as pretty, but it does have a lovely flavour and is sweeter than many varieties.

You can also make this delicious fool with gooseberries, or a blackcurrant fool.

Honey. Either set or runny honey will work in this recipe. If you prefer, you can just sweeten the rhubarb with sugar, but I prefer to use honey as it is sweeter and complements the rhubarb well. You could also use maple syrup.

Cinnamon is optional, but it adds extra sweetness. Ground ginger also works well with rhubarb if you prefer.

Custard ingredients

Milk. You can use either skimmed or full fat milk.

Egg. I use a whole egg in the recipe as I find it more convenient. If you prefer, you can use 2 egg yolks instead.

Cornflour, also known as cornstarch in some countries. It's a fine white powder usually found with the baking ingredients in the supermarket.

Sugar. This recipe doesn't use a huge amount of sugar, but the custard does need some sweetness. Castor sugar is ideal as it will dissolve more easily, but if you only have granulated sugar, that will be fine. You could also use honey or maple syrup if you'd prefer to omit refined sugar altogether.

Vanilla is essential in custard (IMHO!). Either use vanilla extract, or you could use the seeds from half a vanilla pod if you prefer.

Of course, if you are in a hurry to make this rhubarb custard fool, you could use 250 ml of bought custard instead of making your own.

Yogurt

Often, a fool is mixed with whipped cream. But yogurt works really well in this recipe, and is healthier. A thick yogurt will work best, you can either use Greek yogurt or a natural whole milk yogurt.

How to make rhubarb custard fool

Rhubarb is quick and easy to prepare. Rinse the stems and cut into 2 cm pieces. Place in a pan with 2 tablespoons of water, the honey and cinnamon. Cook over a low heat for about 8 minutes until the rhubarb is tender. Stir occasionally to make sure that the rhubarb doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan. Leave to cool. The liquid will thicken as the rhubarb mixture cools.

For the custard, add the cold milk, cornflour, sugar, vanilla and egg to a cold pan and whisk until well mixed.

Place the pan over a low heat, and whisk until it comes to a simmer. The custard will thicken as it cooks. Whisk until smooth and remove from the heat. Leave to cool.

When the rhubarb and custard are cold, assemble the dish. If the custard has gone very thick, you can whisk in a little more milk. It should be stir-able, but thick.

Add a quarter of the rhubarb, custard and yogurt to each glass. Very gently swirl the mixture together.

Serving

You can make these rhubarb custard fools ahead of time if you like and store them in the fridge. Eat them within a day though, as the mixture will start to separate slightly.

You could also add some toppings. Either some flaked almonds, or clusters of healthy granola would work well.

FAQs

Other healthy rhubarb recipes you might enjoy

Why not make the most of rhubarb whilst it's in season? It's delicious stewed with apple, and of course rhubarb crumble is always very popular. You could also make rhubarb flapjacks, rhubarb and custard muffins or this lovely moist rhubarb cake.

If you enjoy light creamy desserts, you might also enjoy this low fat lemon cheesecake.

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Recipe

Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.