Slow-roasted strawberries & rhubarb with baked custard

This is the most perfect summer dessert when you have gorgeous, sweet strawberries that need eating and a few sticks of rhubarb searching for a purpose. The baked custard is only ever so slightly sweetened with maple syrup and a few drops of orange oil, so the flavours of the fruit really have the last word.

Slow-roasted strawberries & rhubarb with baked custard

Ingredients

For the roasted fruit

600g small, sweet strawberries, hulled

5 – 6 sticks of rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 2 cm pieces

1 orange, zest and juice

45ml (3 tablespoons) honey or maple syrup (or more to taste – I like things super tart!)

For the baked custard

1 litre milk of your choice (the fattier the milk, the more delicious the custard)

pinch of salt

7 medium free-range eggs

30ml (2 tablespoons) honey or maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon good quality orange oil, optional

Method

1. Gently toss all the ingredients for fruit in a medium, shallow ovenproof dish and roast at 140˚C for 20 – 30 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender when tested with a small sharp knife. Try not to disturb the fruit too much once cooked, as it will be very soft. Set aside.
2. While the fruit is roasting, prepare the custard. Heat the milk in a saucepan until it starts to froth around the edges (don’t let it boil!). Remove from heat.
3. Briefly whisk the eggs and maple syrup in a large heatproof bowl, then carefully  pour the hot milk onto the egg mixture, continuing to whisk gently.
4. Once the fruit has been removed, turn the oven up to 160°C and boil a full kettle of water.
5. Place a clean cotton or terry cloth in the base of a roasting tin – this will prevent the dish from sliding around. Grease a medium ovenproof dish and place on the cloth. Pour the custard mixture into the dish and put the roasting tin in the oven.
6. Pour the boiled water around the dish – it should come about halfway up the sides, so you might need to boil a second kettle, depending on the size of your tin.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until just set. Don’t be alarmed if it still looks rather wobbly, as it will continue to set even after you’ve removed the dish from its water bath.
8. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve chilled with the roasted fruit.