White Chocolate Mousse, Ginger Poached Rhubarb and Crunchy Oat Topping
WORDS BY CAROLINE GLADSTONE
The joyful pink of poached forced rhubarb is surely an indicator of spring and brings with it the promise of warmth. I love this recipe for the colour, and for the contrast of flavours and textures.
White Chocolate Mousse, Ginger Poached Rhubarb and Crunchy Oat Topping
(serves 6)
For the mousse:
150g white chocolate
4 large egg whites
15g caster sugar
200ml double cream
For the poached rhubarb:
juice of 4 oranges (blood oranges if you can get them)
juice of 1 lemon
100g caster sugar
2 balls stem ginger
6 forced rhubarb stems (about 375g), cut into 5cm pieces
For the topping:
75g jumbo oats
30g plain flour
30g golden caster sugar
50g melted butter
Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, then remove from the heat. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, add the sugar and whisk again until the whites are stiff. Whisk the cream to soft peaks, then fold the hot melted chocolate into the cream.
Once the chocolate is incorporated, mix a spoonful of the egg whites into the cream and chocolate mix, stir well, then carefully fold in the remaining egg white. Be careful not to knock out too much air. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least an hour, until set.
While the mousse is setting, poach the rhubarb. Gently warm the citrus juices, sugar and ginger in a pan until the sugar has dissolved. Drop in the rhubarb, turn down the heat and poach for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the rhubarb to cool in the liquid.
To make the crunchy topping, heat the oven to 180˚C. Mix the oats, flour and sugar in a bowl and pour over the melted butter. Stir well, then tip onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper and bake for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. This will keep in a Tupperware for two weeks.
To serve, halve the rhubarb and divide one half between the 6 Duralex (or similar), creating a layer of rhubarb pieces at the bottom of each glass. Spoon the chocolate mousse over the rhubarb and then divide the remaining rhubarb between the glasses. Finish with a sprinkling of the oat topping.
