Stewed Rhubarb Dessert

This week’s featured recipe is a delicious stewed rhubarb dessert created by Charlie Trotter’s Chef Della Gossett. A fresh, light summer dessert to bring a smile to your guests’ faces.

Rhubarb Compote
1 # Rhubarb, cut into pieces
¾ c.  Sugar

Simmer rhubarb and sugar together until rhubarb is tender. Strain rhubarb from it’s juices Reserve compote and set aside. Reduce rhubarb juice to a thick syrup. Set aside.

Frozen White Chocolate Yogurt
9  oz.  White chocolate, melted
7  oz. High fat Greek yogurt
11  oz. Cream, whipped to soft peaks

Whip cream to soft peaks. Set aside
Melt white chocolate over a hot water bath until chocolate is completely melted and slightly warm. 
Whisk yogurt into the slightly warm white chocolate.  Return to water bath and continue whisking until chocolate is smooth.
Fold in whipped cream.

Coriander Shortbread
4 oz. Butter, cut into small cubes
1 ¼   c. all purpose flour
2 T. sugar
½  t. salt
1 T. coriander seeds, toasted and ground into a powder

Preheat oven to 350.
Place all ingredients into a food processor. Pulse dry ingredients with cold butter cubes.  Finish kneading the dough on a flat surface until it comes together.  Press shortbread into 9” tart pan.  Chill tart  base for one hour. Bake until the crust is light brown and firm to the touch, approximately 16 minutes.  Cool.

To assemble the tart:  Gently spoon  white chocolate yogurt  mousse onto the coriander shortbread crust.  Freeze.  Before serving, top the tart with rhubarb compote and drizzle with rhubarb syrup.  Add white chocolate curls if desired.

Chef Bio:

Della is the Corporate Executive Pastry Chef for the Charlie Trotter Corporation. In her role, she is responsible for overseeing the development, training and overall menu development for the pastry departments in all of Chef Trotter's outlets. This includes Trotter's To Go, Charlie Trotter's Chicago, Restaurant C in Los Cabos and now she is working closely with the team at the newly opened Restaurant Charlie in Las Vegas.  Chef Della also is responsible for overseeing the pastry writing and testing for all pastry recipes in Chef Trotter's cookbooks.

Chef Della has been with the Trotter corporation for almost ten years. Prior to that, she worked in education with her degree being Art Education.  She is primarily self taught (just like Chef Trotter) but did attend The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago. She also travels all over the world to work in other restaurants to ensure she is constantly on top of new trends and culinary developments. Her travels include stages in NYC as well as Spain (El Bulli).