Rhubarb Custard Tart

This Rhubarb Custard Tart has a flaky buttery pastry filled with a lemon flavored custard, all topped with pieces of fresh rhubarb for a perfect spring dessert. The best part is if you don't have time to make your own pastry, you can use store bought and fill with the easy lemon custard.

A Rhubarb Custard Tart recipe might seem like an unusual dish, but let’s recognize that those late winter days tend to be gray and still cold which means you need some bright food to get through the end of this season. What is your favorite way to include rhubarb in baking? Let me know in the comments below!

Ingredients and substitutions for Rhubarb Custard Tart

• Plain flour: This is the best option for that flaky pastry, cake flour is not recommended here and if you live in the UK, see the FAQ’s section as to a the type of flour to use here. The tablespoon of flour in our filling helps it set without the fructose corn syrup and without you might end up with a filling that is runny instead of gooey.
• Butter: Cold and cubed helps you press it into your flour without heating it up too much as you work it. Make sure that butter is fully coated with flour so no puddles form during baking. Unsalted was used here as this is fresher than salted, however, you could absolutely substitute salted butter here. Butter in the curd adds a complimentary richness and creates the smooth texture you know and love in lemon curd.
• Ice water: Ice water helps the water not soak into the flour too much which helps the gluten form in the dough whilst giving you that flaky texture!
• Milk: Whole milk was used here for its rich creaminess, but you could substitute with a non dairy milk - ideally a thicker one such as oat or even coconut milk.
• Eggs: The egg in the pastry adds a richness that compliments the custard filling. Whilst the egg yolks make our custard beautifully balanced.
• Corn starch: Sometimes termed cornflour in certain parts of the globe. Corn starch is what gives our custard that thick texture without being runny. It does need to be heated to 95C/203F before it is activated to thicken.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Rhubarb Custard Tart:

Step 1: Make the dough: Stir the flour and salt together and add the cold cubed butter and egg and cut until the mixture resembles a rough large breadcrumbs.

Step 2: Ice water: Pour in ice water to form your dough until it holds together.

Step 3: Chill: Shape into a disc, cover and chill for 1 hour to rest.

Step 4: Roll out: On a lightly floured surface and to ¼ inch thickness and large enough to fit into your tart dish.

Step 5: Press and shape: Press the dough into your pie dish, trim the edges and shape the edges to your preference.

Step 6: Chill and bake: Chill the dough and pierce. Parbake with rice or baking beans before removing and baking until golden.

Step 7: Brush: Whilst the pastry is hot, bruh 2 tablespoons egg whites over the entire pastry.

Step 8: Rhubarb: Place into a bowl alongside the sugar and stir to combine. Set aside.

Step 9: Warm milk: Heat the milk and lemon peel until lightly bubbly.

Step 10: Sugared yolks: Whisk those sugar, yolks and cornstarch until pale.

Step 11: Custard: Warm milk is added in batches to the yolk mixture and then heated and whisked until reaching a thick custard consistency.

Step 12: Pour, press and bake: Into your pastry and press the rhubarb into the custard until just the top of the pieces are poking out of the custard. Bake until slightly jiggly.

Step 13: Chill and serve: Allow to cool fully and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving. Dig in!

FAQ’s for the best Rhubarb Custard Tart

More custard recipes you'll love!

Pavlova with Custard and Rhubarb

Orange Creme Brûlée Tart

Roasted Strawberries and Custard

Rhubarb Custard Tart

Sylvie Taylor

Serving up a slice of this Rhubarb Custard Tart is the ideal way to use lemon peel in the custard and bright rhubarb for a dessert that helps to get through the end of the dark winter days.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Chill time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 8

Calories 240 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Shortcrust Pastry

• 150 grams / 1 ¼ cups plain flour
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 100 grams / 3.5 ounces butter chilled and cubed
• 45 grams / 1 medium egg
• 45 grams / 3 tablespoons ice water

Lemon Custard

• 480 grams / 2 cups whole milk
• 1 inch lemon peel pith removed
• 55 grams / 3 large egg yolks room temperature
• 100 grams / ½ cup superfine/caster sugar
• 30 grams / ¼ cup cornstarch
• 14 grams / 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Rhubarb

• 140 grams / 2 stalks rhubarb green removed and sliced into ½ inch slices
• 25 grams / 2 tablespoons superfine/caster sugar

Instructions

 

Shortcrust pastry

• Place the flour, salt, butter and egg into a bowl and cut with a butter knife or pastry cutter until the butter is slightly larger than peas and the mixture resembles a rough crumble.
• Add in a little of the ice water and stir to combine, continuing 1 tablespoon at a time until a dough forms, but ensuring it’s not too sticky, but that there are no dry portions in the base of the bowl.
• Press firmly into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 220C/425F.
• Lightly flour your surface and both sides of your dough and roll out to ¼ inch thickness.
• Flipping the dough and adding a small sprinkle of flour, where necessary.
• Roll the dough around your rolling pin and place into your pie dish.
• Pressing firmly into the dish and trimming the edges.
• Return the dough to the fridge for 20 minutes to cool.
• Remove, pierce with a fork all over.
• Lay greaseproof paper therein and fill with baking beans or rice right up to the edges of your crust.
• Bake for 20 minutes until the edges are golden, remove the baking beans and continue to bake until golden all over, approximately 10 further minutes.
• Remove from the oven and brush 2 tablespoons egg whites over the entire pastry, making sure it’s spread as thinly as possible.
• Set the pastry aside to cool completely.

Rhubarb

• Lower the oven to 160C/320F.
• For the rhubarb, place into a bowl alongside the sugar and stir to combine. Set aside.

Lemon custard

• For the lemon custard, place the milk and lemon peel into a saucepan on medium heat, cooking until bubbling at the edges.
• Remove from the heat and discard the lemon peel.
• Meanwhile, place the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch into a bowl and whisk until pale and combined.
• Pour ¼ cup of the hot milk into the egg yolks and whisk swiftly to combine.
• Continue adding in portions of the hot milk to the egg yolks until fully combined.
• Pour the custard into the saucepan and return to the heat.
• Whisking until thickened and bubbling.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Pour into your pastry case and smooth out evenly.
• Press the rhubarb into the custard so just the top of the pieces are poking out of the custard.
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until it’s just a little jiggly.
• Remove and allow to cool fully and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
• Slice and serve.
• Enjoy!

Notes

• Rhubarb: Fresh rhubarb is best here as it soaks up the sugar and gives us the perfect sweet interior. You could use strawberries, blackberries or even cherries instead, if you prefer.
• Sugar: Superfine or caster sugar is best here thanks to it's fine texture that will help draw out the moisture in our rhubarb whilst also dissolving perfectly helping give us a smooth filling.
• Lemon peel: We only need a small piece of the citrus zest to give our custard hints of the lemon flavor. You can omit, if you don't like the flavor, though this adds depth to the dessert.
• Corn starch: Sometimes termed cornflour in certain parts of the globe. Corn starch is what gives our custard that thick texture without being runny. It does need to be heated to 95C/203F before it is activated to thicken.
• Pie or tart dish: The dish used here was 23 centimeters or 9 inches in diameter.
• Feel free to use storebought pastry: If pastry is something you don’t have time to make or you aren’t comfortable making or simply don’t have the resources to hand (e.g a rolling pin or baking beans or rice). Store bought pastry either pre-made or simply a block of store bought pastry that you have to blind bake will work a trick also! Or a pre-baked pastry case.
• Make ahead: You can make the pastry, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days before rolling out into the dish, baking and adding the custard and rhubarb. Additionally, you could also cold infuse the portion of milk with lemon peel in a covered container overnight in the fridge before making the custard. You can also make the custard ahead, cover to avoid forming a skin and refrigerating for up to 2 days before assembling in the pastry and topping with the rhubarb.

Recipe by Roamingtaste

Nutrition

Calories: 240kcal

Keyword citrus, custard, rhubarb, spring baking

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