Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is a Columbus success story, thanks to entrepreneur Jeni Britton Bauer’s insistence on top-quality ingredients, many of which are sourced in Ohio. In her new cookbook, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, the renowned purveyor of gourmet desserts developed home-cook versions of recipes for many of her concoctions, including the following sweet and tangy treat.

The canister for your ice cream machine must be frozen for at least 24 hours before preparation. Jeni Britton Bauer used a 1-1/2 quart canister machine to develop her recipes.

Baked Rhubarb 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

Rhubarb compote:

1/2 pound fresh or frozen rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/3 cup 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 strained yogurt; set aside.

PREP

For the rhubarb compote:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 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.

Measure out 3/4 cup of the compote and let cool (refrigerate if not using immediately); refrigerate the rest of the compote for another use.

For the frozen-yogurt base:

Mix about 3 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, cream, sugar and corn syrup 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 reserved 1-1/4 cups yogurt and 3/4 cup rhubarb compote and blend well.

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

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. Makes a generous 1 quart.