Rhubarb Tart With Lemon & Ginger Custard

My memories of rhubarb as a child is all about stealing it. Yes, you heard me correctly.

I was the one in my group of sisters, four of them and me the youngest of all the girls, who was sent into the rhubarb bushes at the bottom of the neighbour’s garden.

I don’t think the neighbours minded too much, no police were called and they even gave us the bowls of sugar needed to dip the pretty, fresh, pink flesh into. The were probably really happy to get rid of a bit, it does spread like rabbits in springtime.

I can’t be the only one with this sweet sugary memory?

There is something about the smell and look of growing rhubarb that has always fascinated me. Those large leaves are almost prehistoric, with the plate like canopy casting an enormous shadow over the sweet musky stems, as a child I could practically imagine miniature dinosaurs trailing through the neighbour’s garden lying in wait for my small chubby fingers, and boy , they were chubby. Probably all the sugar i ate with the rhubarb.

 I don’t have any rhubarb growing in my garden, a vegetable garden is on my long list of things to add to my projects. I’m hoping that the lovely Mr G and I will get around to this in the summer.

So, my rhubarb for this dish was from one of my favourite shops, Aldi.

I’m all about great ingredients at great prices, and Aldi is on my top list of 5 places that ticks both of these boxes.

I keep hounding them to collaborate with me; they are on my list of 3 go-to shops in the area, but let’s face it I’m not a big draw. You wait Mr Aldi

Anyway, rhubarb is one of my favourite things.

 Did you know that there is a thing called the rhubarb triangle? I didn’t until a little while ago. It’s a nine square mile triangle in the Yorkshire area famous for growing forced rhubarb.

To see a whole field of this fabulous food must be extraordinary, and I’m planning on getting myself an invitation to see it next year.

 I made this dish because I needed couple of dishes to take to a food photoshoot organised by Pavolva and Cream. It was really a bit of a foodie networking with some great bakers around the UK. We met at R Noone & son in Manchester, a little bit off the beaten track for me (By that I mean it took me 2 ½ hours to get there) but worth it to connect with some great bakers. 

In case you’ve not come across R Noone & Sons before, I know I hadn’t, they are a greengrocer who supply amazing fresh fruit and vegetables along with dry store goods.

I definitely got kitchen envy while I was there, something that happens a lot. I develop my recipes from the kitchen in my home, so seeing professional kitchens always makes me drool.

If I’d known they had so much great produce before I turned up, I might have waited until I got there to make this rhubarb tart with lemon and ginger custard instead of driving at a snail’s pace down the motorway trying to make sure the boxed dishes iId made got there in one piece.

Give it a try, it’s really easy.

 Enjoy Your Sweet Life

Used a long rectangular tin here

What You Need

Sweet all Butter Pastry

• 350g pain flour

• 100g castor sugar

•   250g butter, room temperature – cut into 8

 Lemon & Ginger Custard

• 1 tin of condensed milk – 397ml

• Milk – enough to make up to 1 pint when combined with the condensed milk

•    3 large egg yolks

•   40g ground ginger

•    70g castor sugar

• Grated Rind of 3 lemons

 Rhubarb Topping

• 600g rhubarb – cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1inch pieces

•   60g castor sugar

• 2-star anise

Castor sugar filled case ready for blind baking

How It’s Done

Pastry

•   Place the flour and castor sugar into a food processor – See Tip Box

• Add pieces of the butter, one at a time, through the top of the food processor until they are all used up.

• Let the mixer run until the pastry comes together – this may take a few minutes – add a few drops of water if it doesn’t come together after three minutes.

• Let the pastry rest for 30 minutes in the fridge

• Prepare your tin by rubbing really well with margarine or butter, making sure to get into all of the corners. Sprinkle flour into the tin and shake it so that it coats all of the tin.  – See Tip Box

• When rested, roll the pastry out and line the tin with the pastry, be careful not to press down to hard - Tip Box

• Line the tin with foil and pour in baking beans, rice or even castor sugar – See Tip Box

•   Bake at 200c for 15-20 mins until very, very pale and set – See Tip Box

•  When cooked, remove the foil and baking beans. Set aside to cool completely.

Rolled Pastry - Large round loose bottomed baking tin used here

Rhubarb

• Place the cleaned and cut rhubarb into a bowl with the castor sugar and the star anise, and mix until it’s all coated. Set aside for 20 minutes to marinate

• After 20 minutes, our it all onto a baking tray and separate as much as you can. Bake in a 200c oven for 10-12 minutes.

• Once cooked, remove from baking tray and set aside until cooked completely.

• Keep all of the liquid to be used later If you want to – See Tip Box

 Lemon & Ginger Custard

• In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together by hand until pale and creamy.

• Add the ground ginger and the lemon zest to the egg and mix together until they are all combined.

•   Heat the condensed milk and milk in a saucepan until just before boiling point.

• Once almost boiling, begin to pour the condensed milk mixture into the egg mixture in a steady stream. Whisking constantly to avoid lumps.

• Return the mixture to the pan, and heat until the custards is thick and creamy.

• Remove from the pan, take out and throw away the star anise, and let it cool completely .

 Assembly

• Once all components are cooled, pour the custard in to the pastry case and arrange the rhubarb on top.

•  Refrigerate for 1 hour before taking it out of the tin and serving.

Got to love a tart - even the small ones

Tip Box

• Food Processor – If you don’t have a food processor to make your pastry do it by hand – cut the butter up into very small pieces, and add to the flour and sugar in a large bowl. With your fingertips, rub the butter n to the dry ingredients until you get bread crumb like pieces. Knead the dough until it all comes together. Add a few drops of water if it doesn’t come together.

• Rolling the Pastry – Instead of using flour to roll out your pastry, use icing sugar instead. I find that it doesn’t dry out the pastry as much as flour does and it adds to the sweetness of the pastry too.

• Tin – No matter which shape tin you choose, make sure they have loose bottoms and grease with butter or margarine and flour really well to avoid sticking.

• Baking beans – If you dint have baking beans, don’t worry. Use dried rice or even castor sugar. If you use castor sugar, don’t throw it out after you’ve used it. Save the roasted sugar to use in your custard.

• Baking – All ovens are different so adjust your cooking times accordingly.

•  Rhubarb liquid – You could use this sweet liquid and a base for ice-cream, as a syrup in cold drink, just add lemonade or carbonated water. Or just pour it over desserts as it is.

Sweet pastry goodness.