Rustic Rhubarb and Custard Ombre Tart

A thin pastry case filled with creme patisserie and roasted rhubarb arranged in an ombre pattern

You will need:-

For the pastry:

125g of plain flour

55g of butter, cubed

2-3tbsp of water

For the creme patisserie

4 medium eggs

65g of caster sugar

15g of plain flour

15g of cornflour

350ml of milk

1/2tsp of vanilla extract

For the roasted rhubarb:

4 long sticks of rhubarb

Sprinkling of caster sugar

First, make the short crust pastry. To do so, add 125g of plain flour and 55g of butter (cubed) into a large bowl. Then use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour, until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add 2-3tbsp of water and use a knife to stir this into the mix, then when ready, use your hands to bring the mixture into a ball. Wrap the pastry in cling film and leave in the fridge for 5-10mins. Preheat the oven at 200C.

When the pastry is cool, roll it out thinly and lay onto a tart tin, use a bit of spare pastry to press the pastry into the corners of the tin. Then take a fork and lightly pierce the bottom of the pastry with it all over, to prevent the pastry bubbling. Then lay a piece of greaseproof paper over the pastry and cover this with baking beans. Blind bake the pastry for 15mins, then remove the beans and put the pastry back in the oven for 3 or 4 more minutes, to ensure the bottom is crisp. Remove the pastry case from the oven and leave to cool.

While the pastry cools, roast the rhubarb and make the creme patisserie.

To roast the rhubarb, leave the oven on 200C. Cut the rhubarb into chunks the desired size. Place these into a glass bowl and coat with a sprinkling of sugar (also add a tiny splash of water to the bottom of the bowl). Roast this for around 20-25mins, checking regularly to make sure the rhubarb doesn't go too soft to loose its shape. When soft, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk four eggs and 65g of caster sugar until it is pale golden. Then whisk in 15g of cornflour and 15g plain flour.

In a small saucepan, gently heat 350ml of milk and 1/2tsp of vanilla extract, constantly stir this and make sure it doesn't boil. When this has heated, remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly before adding half of the milk to the egg/flour mix whilst whisking. Leaving the milk to cool slightly is important so you don't cook the eggs too quickly. Then, pour the milk/egg mix into the saucepan with the rest of the milk, pouring it from a height to ensure it cools slightly. Then return the pan to a very low heat and stir constantly until it has a smooth, thick consistency (like a custard).

When it reaches this stage, remove from the heat. Take the pastry case out of the tin and gently pour the creme patisserie into the case (you can use a spatular to spread the creme patisserie). Leave this to cool and set a little before arranging the roasted rhubarb on top. I arranged the lightest pieces at one end and slowly worked the colour to the deepest pink pieces to give an ombre effect.

Tip: Enjoy with a cup of tea and with your feet up!

Enjoy! x