Goat's Milk and Rhubarb Semifreddo

Method

At his Beard House dinner, Fritz Knipschildt served an elaborate dessert of goat’s milk and rhubarb parfait accessorized with tiny clouds of meringue, balsamic-glazed rhubarb, and other garnishes. For this version, we whittled down the accompaniments to only those that are the easiest to prepare and changed the central component to a semifreddo, which is a great dessert to make for a crowd.

• Strawberry–Rhubarb Jam:
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup sliced strawberries
• 2/3 cup diced rhubarb
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Goat's Milk and Rhubarb Semifreddo:
• 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 5 egg yolks
• 3 cups goat’s milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Strawberry, Rhubarb, and Lemon Thyme Coulis:
• 6 rhubarb stalks, diced
• 2 cups strawberries, sliced
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon elderflower syrup or elderflower liqueur, such as St. Germaine
• 4 sprigs lemon thyme
• Strawberry–Rhubarb Salad:
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced rhubarb
• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar

To make the jam, combine the sugar, strawberries, rhubarb, and lemon juice in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to stir until it thickens to a jam-like consistency, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. (Can be made a day or two ahead. Refrigerate until needed.)

To make the semifreddo, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks. Set aside. Combine the goat’s milk, heavy cream, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a pot; stir to completely dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.

Vigorously whisk a third of the goat’s milk mixture into the egg yolks and sugar. Stir the resulting mixture into the remaining goat’s milk mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken into custard. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Whisk in the vanilla extract and refrigerate the custard overnight.

Stir 1 cup of the strawberry–rhubarb jam into the cold custard. (Reserve the remaining jam for plating.) Freeze the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with enough plastic wrap to hang over the edges of the pan. Pour the custard into the pan and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.

To make the coulis, combine all of the ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and let cool to room temperature.

To make the salad, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

To serve, ladle a little coulis into each serving bowl. Unmold the semifreddo by grabbing the plastic-wrap overhang and lifting it out of the pan. Slice the semifreddo into 1-inch-thick slices. Place a slice on top of the coulis in each bowl. Spread a thin layer of the reserved strawberry–rhubarb jam on top of each slice of semifreddo. Top with a spoonful or two of strawberry–rhubarb salad.

Yield

8 servings