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Rhubarb and Custard Tart
Rhubarb and custard make such a great old-fashioned combination, and I love making them into a tart. As a child,
we always made this with our own rhubarb, fresh from the garden. We always knew summer was approaching
when the first rhubarb appeared.
serves 4–6
vegetarian
For the pastry
150g (5oz) plain flour
25g (1oz) icing sugar
100g (4oz) butter
1 egg, whisked
For the filling
4 egg yolks
4 generous tbsp honey (about 100g/4oz)
300ml (1/2 pint) double cream
225g (8oz) rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 2cm (3/4in) lengths (if the stalks are very wide, cut them in
half lengthways first)
1. First, make the pastry. Place the flour and icing sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Rub in the butter, then add
most of the egg (you probably won’t need it all) to make the dough come together. Add a tablespoon of
water to the remaining egg to make egg wash, and reserve. Slightly flatten the pastry, cover and place in the
fridge for about 30 minutes (or 10 minutes in the freezer), until chilled.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm (9in) shallow tart tin with a removable base
with a little butter.
3. When you are ready to roll out the pastry, remove it from the fridge and place between two sheets of cling
film that are larger than your tart tin. Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry until it’s about 5mm (1/4in) thick
and large enough to line the base and sides of the prepared tin. Remove the top layer of cling film and place
the pastry upside down (cling film side facing up) in the tart tin. Press into the edges, cling film still attached,
and, using your thumb, ‘cut’ the pastry on the edge of the tin to give a neat finish. Remove the cling film and
pop the pastry in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
4. Next, ‘blind bake’ the pastry case to partially cook it before adding its filling. Line the pastry with greaseproof
paper (leaving plenty to come up the sides), fill with baking beans or dried pulses (you can use these over and
over), and bake for about 10 minutes in the oven, until the pastry feels dry. Remove the paper and beans,
brush with a little egg white and return to the oven for 4–5 minutes. Take out of the oven and put to one side
while you prepare the filling.
5. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the yolks with the honey, add the cream and mix. Pour the custard into the
case almost to the top, then arrange the rhubarb on top. It can be easier to do all this while the case is sitting
on a rack in the oven to avoid spilling the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until just set. Let cool to room
temperature.
