Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipes

RHUBARB & CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Put the flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl and mix together. Add the butter and rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 1 egg yolk, the vanilla and 1 tbsp cold water, and mix together until it just starts to come together as a dough. Tip the mixture onto a clean work surface and gently bring together with your hands. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for at least 1 hr before rolling out. Can be made 3 days ahead, or frozen for 2 months.
• Put the vanilla beans scraped from the pod (or the paste) in a pan over a medium-high heat, add the milk and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, tip the egg, yolks, sugar and cornflour into a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Pour the milk over the egg mixture, whisking to combine. Pour the custard back into the pan and cook, whisking constantly, for 2-3 mins until thickened. Scrape into a bowl and add the butter, mixing until melted and combined. Press a sheet of cling film onto the surface of the custard to stop a skin forming, and chill for 3 hrs. Can be made and chilled 3 days ahead.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a large rectangle big enough to line a 30 x 20cm fluted rectangular tart tin. Roll the pastry onto the rolling pin and carefully drape it into the tin, carefully lifting and pressing into the corners and edges. Roll your rolling pin over the tart tin, cutting off the excess. Chill for 30 mins or until the pastry is firm.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the tart with a piece of crumpled baking parchment and fill with baking beans or rice and place on a baking tray. Bake for about 30 mins, then remove the parchment and the beans, and return to the oven for another 5 mins or until the base is golden brown. Brush the inside of the tart with the remaining beaten egg yolk and return to the oven for 1 min to set (this creates a seal, meaning the pastry won't become soggy as quickly). Set aside to cool.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the rhubarb batons in a small roasting tin (so that they are in one flat layer) and sprinkle over the sugar, the vanilla pod and its scraped out seeds, and the orange juice. Roast for 15-20 mins, or until the rhubarb has softened but is still holding its shape and a vibrant pink syrup has formed. Remove from the oven, discard the vanilla pod and allow to cool.
• Remove the custard from the fridge, beat to loosen, then pour over the pastry and smooth with a spatula. Top with the roasted rhubarb, brushing a little of the syrup on top, then sprinkle over the pistachios. Best eaten on the day its made.

RHUBARB CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Dough: Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some pea-size pieces remaining. Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water over mixture; pulse several times to combine. Add more water as needed, pulsing until mixture holds together when pinched. Shape dough into a rectangle and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day, or freeze up to 3 months; thaw completely in refrigerator before using.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a 9-by-12 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheet or a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, fitting dough into corners and folding over extra to create a double-layered edge. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Line dough with parchment and fill to top with dry rice or beans, or pie weights. Bake until edges are golden and bottom is beginning to dry out, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights; continue baking until golden brown on bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes.
• Filling: Meanwhile, cut rhubarb into 11-inch lengths (if some are shorter, that's okay). Using a sharp knife, score rhubarb along rounded sides on a diagonal at 2-inch intervals (this helps heat penetrate and break up the fibers, so the tart is easier to slice once cooked).
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, salt, eggs, cream, and vanilla; pour mixture into cooled crust. Arrange rhubarb lengthwise over top, scored-sides up; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Bake until tart is puffed, golden, and just set in center, 45 to 55 minutes.
• Let cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour before serving. To serve, run a spatula under tart to release from sheet, then slide onto a cutting board. Cut into squares; serve at room temperature or chilled. Tart is best eaten the day it's made, but can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day.

RHUBARB CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Prepare the Roasted rhubarb and leave to cool. Turn oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin and use it to line a 25cm flan dish, leaving some pastry hanging over the edge. Prick the base of the pastry lightly with a fork, then line with greaseproof paper. Tip some baking or dried beans into the pastry case, put it on a baking sheet and bake for 20 mins until the pastry edges become biscuity. Remove the beans and cook the pastry for a further 5 mins until brown; you want to cook it a little more than you would normally. Remove the pastry case from the oven and reduce the temperature to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.
• While the pastry is baking, make the custard. Put the cream, milk and vanilla in a pan, bring to the boil, then take off the heat. Beat the sugar and eggs to combine, then pour in the hot liquid while whisking continuously. Strain the custard mixture into a jug.
• Scatter the rhubarb over the bottom of the pastry case, put the case in the oven and carefully pour in the custard. Bake the tart for 30-35 mins until the custard is just set. Leave it to cool in the dish, then trim off the excess pastry with a knife before serving.

RHUBARB & CUSTARD MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• To make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt, sugar and ground ginger. Rub in the butter until you have a breadcrumb consistency, then add 30-50ml of cold water, stirring with a flat-bladed knife until the crumbs form a dough. Knead the pastry briefly until smooth, then wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Arrange the rhubarb in the tray in a neat layer, scatter over 250g of the sugar and scrape out the vanilla pod over it. Add the orange juice and zest and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 20-30 mins, until the rhubarb is soft. Remove from the oven and cool. Strain off the syrup using a sieve - you'll need this later for the meringue.
• Roll out the pastry on a floured surface. Line a 20cm tart tin, leaving an overhang. Pop into the fridge to chill for 30 mins. Once chilled, cover the case with baking parchment, fill with baking beans and blind bake for 25 mins, until golden. Remove the baking beans and bake for 5 mins more to crisp up the bottom. Allow to cool, then remove from the tin to a plate.
• For the custard, combine the remaining sugar with the egg yolks and whisk vigorously, until really pale and frothy. Gently heat the cream and milk in a pan until it's almost boiling. Remove from the heat and briefly allow to cool before pouring a little of the cream mix onto the egg yolks and stirring to combine. Pour the egg yolk mix back into the pan and heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon (about 5 mins). Remove from the heat and pour into a jug or mixing bowl.
• Divide the rhubarb in half, reserving the pinkest, prettiest lengths. Blitz the other half to a purée in a food processor and add to the custard. Fill the tart and top with the rhubarb. Chill until needed.
• To make the Italian meringue, measure out 160g of the rhubarb poaching syrup and bring to the boil. You need to it be about 118C (this will cook the egg whites to set the meringue). In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the cream of tartar and mix. When the syrup has reached 118C on a cooking thermometer, carefully pour it down the sides of the stand mixer and whisk until you have a smooth, fluffy meringue. Fill a piping bag with a medium star nozzle and pipe little meringue kisses over the tart. Use a blowtorch to gently scorch the meringue and serve straight away.

RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out pate brisee to an 11-inch round (about 1/8-inch thick). Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, and trim edges of dough with kitchen shears to a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold edges under, and press to seal using the tines of a fork. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Line crust with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides. Fill completely with pie weights, dried beans, or rice. Bake until bottom is dry, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove weights and parchment. Continue baking until bottom of crust is golden, 7 to 9 minutes more. Let cool.
• In a bowl, toss rhubarb with 1/4 cup sugar. Let stand 10 minutes. In another bowl, whisk together flour, remaining 1 1/4 cup sugar, eggs, butter, and heavy cream until smooth and combined. Pour filling into crust. Scatter rhubarb evenly over top, gently pressing into custard. Bake until puffed and golden in places and slightly wobbly in the center, 50 minutes to 1 hour (tenting with foil if browning too quickly). Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until ready to serve, about 1 hour and up to 1 day.