Rhubarb and Custard Tart

A gorgeous seasonal tart inspired by the rhubarb and custard sweets!

This is only my second recipe with rhubarb as I find that not many people actually like it which is a real shame as its a delightfully sweet fruit when you cook it properly. And when it's in season we have an abundance of it in the UK so it's perfect for making lovely pies or tarts like this one. I was inspired by the rhubarb and custard sweets I used to have as a little girl, I love a hard-boiled sweet and these were my favourite. The creamy custard and the sweet rhubarb are a wonderful match along with a crumbly pastry, its a lovely summery dessert. I was a bit lazy in this recipe and used a vegan custard powder because I've been needing to use it up and it works a treat! However there are lots of good vegan custard recipes out there I'm just not sure what they will be like when you bake the custard in the tart. So if you try it let me know how you get on :) if not, this vegan custard powder is easy to get your hands on and is a good consistency for serving with desserts.

If you love fruity tarts like this one....

Check out my other recipes for more inspiration!

• Cherry Lattice Pie 
• Apricot Frangipane Tart  
• Key Lime Pie - No Bake

Recipe

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 70 minutes

Serves: 8-10

Notes:

• I have been specific about what custard powder I use as this was the only vegan one I could find. You may be able to find others online, if not a standard custard powder may replace the vegan one, but you will need to follow the instructions of that brand rather than the method below as the quantities will be different. 
• It is important to blind bake the pastry before adding the filling otherwise it may not be cooked and will become soggy. 

Ingredients

• Pastry
• 200g Plain flour
• 100g Butter
• Pinch of salt
• 3-4 tbsp Ice cold water
• Baking beans
• Filling
• Custard powder - I used this with the following measurements:
• 5 heaped tsps custard powder
• 1 heaped tsp caster sugar
• 560ml Soya milk
• Rhubarb
• 5 stalks Rhubarb cut diagonally
• 50g Caster sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃. 
2. Cut the rhubarb into 1/2 inch thick diagonals and then place in a large baking dish along with the sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly firm but not too soft. Leave to cool and reserve the syrup for later.
3. Make the pie crust. Grease a 9-inch pie tin.
4. In a large bowl, add the flour and salt and mix. Cube the butter then add to the bowl and use your fingers to rub it into the flour. Eventually it should resemble breadcrumbs. 
5. Add the water a tbsp at a time until the mixture forms a dough - you may not need all of the water. 
6. Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap with clingfilm. place in the fridge to rest and chill for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the dough from the fridge and use two sheets of baking paper to gently roll the dough with a rolling pin out in a circle that is about 2 inches wider than the pie tin. 
8. Use the rolling pin to roll it ip then roll back out over the pie tin and use your fingers to gently push it down and into the tin evenly. Use the back of a paring knife to trim away any excess. 
9. Prick the pastry with a fork then line with baking paper so that all of the pastry is covered. Fill the baking paper with baking beans or uncooked rice and then bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the baking beans and place back in the oven to cook a further 5 minutes. Leave to cool.
10. Make the filling. Follow the instructions for the custard powder and cook in the microwave or on the hob. 
11. Spoon the custard onto the pie crust and spread out evenly.
12. Arrange the rhubarb on top in a pattern (if possible) then place into the oven to cook for 30 minutes. 
13. As soon as the tart is out of the oven, brush the rhubarb syrup all over the rhubarb. Leave to cool before removing from the pie tin and serving. Best stored in the fridge up to 3 days. Enjoy!

Christina

xx