Rhubarb & Custard Tart

On Saturday morning I decided it was a Rhubarb & Custard Tart kind of day, I have no idea what drew me to this conclusion, it just simply felt appropriate. I searched the internet for a recipe and settled on a Hugh FW recipe from The Guardian – Hugh NEVER lets me down.

The rhubarb is roasted first with sugar and orange and then placed in the bottom of a blind baked pastry case and covered in beautiful sunny vanilla custard.

A big sunshine of a tart, seasonal and delicious.

Rhubarb & Custard Tart

28cm blind baked sweet pastry case

500g rhubarb – cut in 5cm pieces
zest & juice of 1 orange
3 tbsp golden caster sugar
1 vanilla pod – split & cut in half

250ml double cream
1 vanilla pod – split
5 egg yolks whisked with 3 tbsp golden caster sugar

Blind bake your pastry case. I used a flan dish which in hindsight was too deep for the amount of filling but did mean I got extra pastry to munch on. Use whichever sweet pastry recipe you fancy, there is no harm in using shop pastry if this is easier for you – I used a tried and tested recipe from The Boy Who Bakes  first book – an invaluable resource in my kitchen.

Preheat the oven to 200°c / 400°f / gas mark 6. In a roasting tray mix together the rhubarb, sugar, orange zest and juice and 1 vanilla pod for 30-40 minutes. The rhubarb should be soft and slightly caramalised. Then strain the rhubarb, the leftover juice will perfectly compliment a nice greek yogurt or porridge.

While the rhubarb is roasting, make the custard. Pour the cream into a pan and add the split vanilla pod. Place on a gentle heat until just before the cream starts to scald. Now off the heat whisk in the egg yolks and sugar until combined.

Pass the custard through a fine sieve into a jug and scrap out the vanilla seeds from the pod.

Turn the oven down to 130°c / 250°f / gas mark ½

Arrange the rhubarb randomly over the pastry case and pour over the custard. Now bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the custard is just set but not too firm.

Best eaten cold, with a cup of tea and Miss Marple on the telly. Very British.