I adore a custard tart. We have hens and ducks and in the spring and summer months have a glut of duck eggs which add richness to the dish. If you can’t get duck eggs, 9 large hen eggs will be fine.
The purée of rhubarb makes enough for you to serve on the side with the tart. If you want to make double the quantity of pastry, it freezes well. Defrost in the fridge for 24 hours
You will see in the photo the edges of the tart are very straight, I use a 22cm pastry ring but a loose bottom tart tin will do as long as it’s at least 3-4cm deep
Rhubarb purée
1 kg rhubarb, cut into 1cm pieces
100g unsalted butter
170g caster sugar
2 slices ginger
Sweet pastry
225g plain flour
1 lemon, zested
150g cold unsalted butter, cubed
75g icing sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Custard
500ml double cream
9 duck egg yolks or large hens egg yolks
75g caster sugar
To finish
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Rhubarb purée
Place all the purée ingredients in a pan over a low heat. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, discard the ginger and blend to a smooth paste. Using a wooden spoon, pass through a fine sieve, and set aside to cool
Sweet pastry
Place all the ingredients except the egg and egg yolk in a food processor. Pulse until it resembles bread crumbs. Add the egg and egg yolk and pulse again until the mixture starts to some together. Turn out on a floured surface and gently bring it together until just smooth. Form into a ball then flatten and wrap in cling film and chill for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 180C fan
Butter the pastry ring or case and line with greaseproof paper and place on a baking tray
Roll out the pastry to about 2mm thick and carefully drop into the ring. Using excess pastry, gently push the pastry into the edges, leaving some spare pastry over the top. Prick with a fork. Keep any other extra bits for repairs.
Line the pastry with foil (shiny side up) or baking paper and fill to the top with rice and bake for 10-15 minutes, until very lightly coloured. Remove the foil/baking paper and rice.
Spread about half the purée over the base of the pastry case and return to the oven for 5 minutes to form a skin.
Custard
Pour the cream into a pan and bring to the boil. In a bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks and sugar. Gradually pour the cream over the yolks and keep whisking then return to the pan. Heat through very gently, stirring all the time for about 2 minutes. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a jug.
Assembly
Place the tart case in the oven and very carefully pour the custard up to the brim. Sprinkle with ginger and nutmeg and bake for 30-40 minutes until the filling has just set. Remove from the oven and cover with a baking tray for 10 minutes to continue cooking slightly. Then remove and leave to cool completely.
Rhubarb puree
- 1 kg rhubarb cut into 1cm pieces
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 170 g caster sugar
- 2 slices fresh ginger
Sweet pastry
- 225 g flour
- 1 lemon zested
- 150 g cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 75 g icing sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
custard
- 500 ml double cream
- 9 duck egg yolks or large hen egg yolks
- 75 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
Rhubarb purée
- Place all the purée ingredients in a pan over a low heat. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, discard the ginger and blend to a smooth paste. Using a wooden spoon, pass through a fine sieve, and set aside to cool
Sweet pastry
- Place all the ingredients except the egg and egg yolk in a food processor. Pulse until it resembles bread crumbs. Add the egg and egg yolk and pulse again until the mixture starts to some together. Turn out on a floured surface and gently bring it together until just smooth. Form into a ball then flatten and wrap in cling film and chill for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180C fan
- Butter the pastry ring or case and line with greaseproof paper and place on a baking tray
- Roll out the pastry to about 2mm thick and carefully drop into the ring. Using excess pastry, gently push the pastry into the edges, leaving some spare pastry over the top. Prick with a fork. Keep any other extra bits for repairs.
- Line the pastry with foil (shiny side up) or baking paper and fill to the top with rice and bake for 10-15 minutes, until very lightly coloured. Remove the foil/baking paper and rice.
- Spread about half the purée over the base of the pastry case and return to the oven for 5 minutes to form a skin.
Custard
- Pour the cream into a pan and bring to the boil. In a bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks and sugar. Gradually pour the cream over the yolks and keep whisking then return to the pan. Heat through very gently, stirring all the time for about 2 minutes. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a jug.
Assembly
- Place the tart case in the oven and very carefully pour the custard up to the brim. Sprinkle with ginger and nutmeg and bake for 30-40 minutes until the filling has just set. Remove from the oven and cover with a baking tray for 10 minutes to continue cooking slightly. Then remove and leave to cool completely.
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