Cakes & biscuits
Rhubarb tart with vanilla custard
Rhubarb brings a refreshing sharpness to this open tart.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Servings / pieces
- 10
- Topic
- Cakes & biscuits
Rhubarb brings a refreshing sharpness to this open tart. Short pieces sit in a mild egg and cream custard that becomes just set in the oven. Blind baking gives the pastry a head start before the fruit releases its juice. Red stalks add attractive colour, although green ones work just as well for flavour. Remove all leaves and use only the stalks. Serve the tart slightly warm for a soft custard texture or let it cool completely for neater slices. An hour of cooling makes a noticeable difference when lifting it from the tin.
Method
Step by step
- 01
Prepare the pastry
Quickly combine the flour, cubed butter, 40 g sugar, one egg and salt. Add a teaspoon of cold water only if the dough is very dry. Flatten and chill for 30 minutes so it can be rolled thinly.
- 02
Cut the rhubarb
Wash and dry the stalks and trim the ends. Peel away only particularly tough strings. Cut into 2 cm pieces, toss with 20 g sugar, and leave in a sieve to drain while the pastry bakes.
- 03
Blind bake
Heat the oven to 180°C conventional. Roll out the pastry and line the base and sides of the tin. Prick the base, cover with paper and baking beans, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for five more minutes.
- 04
Mix the custard
Whisk two eggs with the remaining 60 g sugar, cream, soured cream, cornflour and vanilla until smooth. Spread the drained rhubarb across the warm pastry base. Pour the custard over slowly without overflowing the rim.
- 05
Finish baking
Bake at 175°C for another 30–35 minutes. The surface should be lightly golden and the centre should retain a gentle wobble. Cool on a rack for at least an hour before raising the loose base out of the tin.
Times are a guide. Your hob, oven and ingredients affect the result; use the cooking cues as well as the clock.
Keeping the base crisp
Do not add the drained rhubarb juice to the custard; it changes the balance of liquid and eggs. The short uncovered bake after removing the beans also matters because it dries the pastry surface.
Adjusting sharpness
A little icing sugar at the table can balance particularly tart stalks. Adding lots of extra sugar to the raw rhubarb draws out more juice, so avoid casually increasing that quantity before baking.
Kitchen questions
One more question?
Does rhubarb need peeling?
Young, tender stalks rarely need full peeling. Pull individual tough strings from the cut end of thicker stalks.
How should leftovers be stored?
Once cool, cover and refrigerate, then eat within two days. The pastry will soften slightly during storage.
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