This recipe is from the spring edition of House & Home magazine. The pretty picture, as
usual, drew me in… I just can’t help myself! I have to say… it was a bit of a pain in the butt and wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for… but in the end it was creamy and delicious. If you are looking to try something new with all that rhubarb you have kicking around, this is a nice alternative to the usual crisp or pie. But be warned… it is not a simple dessert… there are a lot of steps.
Rhubarb Custard Tart
Pastry 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1 tbsp granulated sugar 1/2 cup cold un salted butter, cut into pieces 1 egg yolk
Filling 1 lb frozen or fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2″ thick pieces (approx 4 cups) (if using frozen do not thaw) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 orange (zest rind and squeeze juice) Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped out (I used 1 tsp extract)
Custard 5 egg yolks at room temperature 3 tbsp granulated sugar 1 cup whipping cream (35%) Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped out (I used 1 tsp extract)
1. Make pastry: place flour & sugar in bowl of food processor and pulse to blend.
Add butter and egg yolk and run until dough just starts to cling together, about 1 minute.
Remove from processor and gently work dough together into a ball with hands.
Place dough ball in a 9″ fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and press dough (use the bottom of a dry measuring cup) along the bottom and up the sides of the tin with your hands.
Patch up any tears that may form; the dough is quite forgiving and can be worked.
Place in fridge and chill at least 30 minutes, or cover and chill overnight.
2. Bake pastry
Preheat oven to 350F.
Prick pastry all over with a fork.
Line pastry with sheet of parchment paper and fill with dried beans or baking beans.
Place tart on baking sheet and bake 20 minutes.
remove beans & parchment paper and bake another 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
set aside to cool
increase oven temperature to 400F
3. Make Filling
in a medium sized roasting pan, toss rhubarb with sugar, orange juice and rind, and vanilla bean seeds.
roast uncovered 15-20 minutes.
Rhubarb will soften, but should keep its shape.
Let cool slightly to allow any juices to be soaked up.
Reduce over temperature to 275F.
4. Make Custard
In large mixing bowl (nestled in a pot lined with damp tea towel to keep it steady) whisk egg yolks and sugar until blended.
in a saucepan, heat whipping cream and vanilla seeds until it just starts to boil – no longer.
Carefully, in a slow, steady stream, add cream mixture to egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. DON”T STOP or you’ll get scrambled eggs
Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve and set aside.
5. Assemble tart
Place cooled pastry on a baking sheet.
evenly distribute half of the rhubarb mixture onto crust.
pour custard over rhubarb then distribute remaining rhubarb over top.
Bake 35-40 minutes.
Custard should be mostly set with a slight jiggle.
be careful to not overbake.
let cool completely.
