Rhubarb Pie à la Mode Sundae (Adapted and excerpted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer. Copyright © 2011. Photographs by Stacy Newgent.) 

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• Pie Crust Cookies
• Pie Crust* (below)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• Lime Cardamom Frozen Yogurt** (below)
• Rhubarb Compote*** (below)
• Whipped Cream**** (below)
• 6 lime twists, for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. To make the Pie Crust Cookies, follow the directions for the Pie Crust (below) until you have rolled out the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick circle. Then chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thick. Using a round 2- or 3-inch cookie cutter, cut 1/2 circles from the dough. Place the rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet and, using a pastry brush, glaze each one lightly with some of the heavy cream. Sprinkle with some of the turbinado sugar. Bake in the oven until golden brown, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack. (You will need 6 Pie Crust Cookies for this recipe; the remaining cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; if frozen, they keep for up to 2 weeks.)

To assemble the sundaes, place a pie crust cookie on a chilled plate or in a bowl. Top with a scoop of Lime Cardamom Frozen Yogurt and spoon over about 1/4 cup Rhubarb Compote. Finish with a generous dollop of Whipped Cream and, if desired, garnish with a lime twist.

*Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 12-inch cubes and chilled
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 batch ice cream or sorbet of your choice, slightly softened if necessary

For the pie crust:

Combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and oats in a food processor and process until the oats are in bits. Add the sugar and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse just until the dough begins to come together and looks crumbly.

Whisk the egg yolk and half-and-half together in a small bowl. Add the vanilla and whisk to combine. Add to the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture forms a dough.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather it into a ball, and press into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let warm for a few minutes to relax the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle just under 1/4 inch thick. Gently fold the circle over the rolling pin and lift into a 9-inch pie pan. Press the dough into the pan and trim the edges to a 1/2-inch overhang. Roll the edge of the dough under itself and tuck and pinch to create a fluted edge; you can also use a fork to create a decorative finish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork. Line with a square of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 12 minutes.  Lift out the liner and weights and bake for another 12 to 15 minutes, or until the shell is lightly browned and cooked through on the bottom. Let cool, then wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze. Fill the shell with the ice cream, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 4 hours.

**Lime Cardamom Frozen Yogurt

Frozen Yogurt Base

• 1 quart plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 ounces (4 tablespoons)
• cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• Zest of 3 limes  (reserved from the syrup)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

 Lime Syrup

• 3 to 4 limes
• 3 tablespoons sugar

Advance Prep

For the strained yogurt: Fit a sieve over a bowl and line it with two layers of cheesecloth. Pour the yogurt into the sieve, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours to drain. Discard the liquid, and measure out 1 1/4 cups of the strained yogurt; set aside.

Prep

For the lime syrup: Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from 3 limes in large strips; reserve. Halve the limes and squeeze enough juice to measure 1/2 cup. Combine lime juice and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool.

For the frozen yogurt base: Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

Cook

Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and lime zest in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Chill

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the 1 1/4 cups yogurt, the lime syrup, and cardamom and whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

Freeze

Remove the lime zest. Pour the frozen yogurt base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy. Pack the frozen yogurt into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

**Rhubarb Compote

• 1/2 pound fresh or frozen rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup sugar

Prep

Preheat the oven to 300°F.  Combine the rhubarb and sugar in an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish, stirring to mix well. Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the rhubarb is beginning to fall apart but is still pink.

**Whipped Cream

One of the most important things to master in sundae making is whipped cream. Well-made whipped cream is one of life’s true pleasures. At our stores, we whip the cream in a bowl with a whisk, o1 cup at a time. One cup will serve 8 to 10 people, so we whip cream many times per day.

A few hints: Invest in a balloon or piano whisk, which has more wires than a regular whisk; these whisks incorporate the air into the cream faster than a standard whisk. If you can find nonhomogenized cream from a local dairy, the cream will whip up faster and the whipped cream will have a lovely light yellow hue. And chill the bowl. The colder the cream and the bowl, the faster the cream will whip and thicken.

• 1 cup (8 dollops) heavy cream
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chill a large metal or glass bowl in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes; it should be cold to the touch. Add the cream, sugar, and vanilla to the chilled bowl and whip by hand mixer. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.