Ingredients

serves 4

　　1 cup sugar

　　1/4 cup all-purpose flour

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　2 cups milk (not skim)

　　1 1/2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise

　　4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

　　4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

　　Baked Rhubarb (recipe follows)

　　

Baked Rhubarb

Unsalted butter, softened, for the dish

　　1 pound rhubarb, leaves discarded and stalks cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

　　3/4 cup sugar

　　2 tablespoons light corn syrup

　　1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

　　(serves 4)

　　

Step 1

Whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan; scrape in the vanilla seeds, and add the pods. Stir together. Cook over medium heat until tiny bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pan, about 7 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Gradually add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer the milk-flour mixture to the saucepan; cook over low heat, whisking constantly, 5 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Put the egg yolks in a small bowl. Whisk in a small amount of the hot milk-flour mixture. Add the yolk mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, 10 to 12 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Remove from heat; discard the pods. Add the butter; whisk until melted. Pass the pudding through a fine sieve into a medium bowl, pressing it with a rubber spatula. Cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Let stand at room temperature until slightly cooled, about 30 minutes.

　　

Step 5

5. Spoon the pudding into serving bowls; top with baked rhubarb. The pudding can be refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap, up to 1 day.

　　

Baked Rhubarb

Step 6

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter an 8-inch-square baking dish; set aside. Put the rhubarb, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium bowl. Scrape in the vanilla seeds, and add the pod. Toss together.

　　

Step 7

Transfer to the buttered baking dish. Bake the rhubarb, tossing gently halfway through, until tender, about 35 minutes. Discard the pod. Let cool slightly in the dish on a wire rack. Toss gently before serving.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group.Buy the full book from Amazon.