Rhubarb and custard tart with Italian meringue topping

Yet again I have got into the habit of concentrating on making savoury food and not spending any time on puddings. One of my aims for the future is to even this out, as although I’m not bad at baking, when it comes to making clever desserts I’ve got a lot of work to do! I just haven’t really got much of a sweet tooth, so will always err on the side of starters and mains, with cheese to finish. 

Special occasions are perfect times to make something sweet, and it was for a friend’s birthday that I thought I would give this tart a try. More and more I try to be conscious about using seasonal ingredients, but this year I have been really rubbish at taking advantage of all of the lovely British rhubarb that is available at the moment. I love rhubarb, it is such a flavoursome and versatile ingredient; being great in both sweet and savoury dishes. Even meat and fish such as lamb and mackerel work so well with the tart acidity that comes off it. My favourite use of rhubarb though has to be the traditional rhubarb and custard. I used to love wolfing down those boiled sweets when I was younger, and this tart brings back that same old fashioned flavour. The delicate pastry and Italian meringue also make this a light and refreshing dessert, perfect after a rich and heavy meal. 

Tarts like this often take lots of time with all the resting and cooling involved, but it is well worth it for the end result. Pastry always takes a lot of care and lightness of touch but practice makes perfect. Making it always stresses me out as you have to be so delicate with rolling and lining the tins, then making sure that it is not to thick, but also not too thin that it will crack when cooked. But after a few attempts you will be so much more confident with it, and every time I make it I get a better result. The same with the custard, which takes concentration and patience so that it is slowly cooked down to the right texture without scrambling. 

Each element of this tart uses techniques that are great to learn and can be used in many other dishes. Once you master making pastry, custard and Italian meringue the sky is the limit with what you can create.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

For the shortcrust pastry: 

120g butter, at room temperature

100g icing sugar

pinch of salt

225g plain flour

2 egg yolks, whites kept for the meringue

2 tbsp cold milk

For the rhubarb:

1 kg british rhubarb, trimmed and peeled of woody bits

150g caster sugar

1 lemon, juice only

For the custard:

4 egg yolks, whites kept for the meringue

65g caster sugar

15g plain flour

15g cornflour

100g ground almonds

1 vanilla pod

A few drops of almond extract

250ml whole milk

100ml double cream

For the Italian meringue:

400g caster sugar

7 egg whites (6 from the eggs used above and 1 extra)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Makes a tart to fit a deep 25cm non-stick tart tin.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC

To start make the pastry. Cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor until light and pale in colour. Add the flour, salt and egg yolks and pulse a few times until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, Pour in the milk and pulse again a couple more times. Tip the mixture out onto a clean surface and push the mixture together until it just forms a dough. Wrap with clingfilm and put in the fridge to rest for an hour. 

Grease and line the tart tin with some butter.

Once the pastry has rested take it our the fridge onto a floured surface, and roll out to a square that is slightly bigger than the tin and a couple of millimetres thick. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry around it and unravel over the tin, very gently tucking into the corners. If the pastry is really short it might break up a little, and can be patched up with some extra pieces. Make sure it is all sealed and even all the way up the sides. Scrunch up a large piece of baking parchment, then use it to line the pastry. Pour baking beans on top of the parchment to evenly line the bottom, then put in the preheated oven for 6 minutes. Carefully remove the baking beans and top piece of parchment and brush the part-cooked pastry with a little egg white. This will help seal the pastry and stop any cracks from forming. Put the uncovered case back into the oven for another 5-8 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. 

Turn the oven down to 160ºC.

Cut the trimmed rhubarb into 3 inch pieces and scatter evenly onto the bottom of some large baking trays. Sprinkle over the caster sugar and squeeze over the lemon and toss to combine. Put in the oven for about 10 minutes then check - the thickness of the rhubarb will determine how long they take. If they are not quite cooked return to the oven for a couple of minutes until they have a little give when touched. Remove from the oven at this point - they will continue to cook as they cool. Set aside until cold. 

To make the custard, beat the eggs with the sugar until pale in colour and well combined. Add the cornflour, flour, almond flour and extract and mix well again. Set aside. Pour the milk and cream into a medium saucepan along with the split vanilla pod. Bring to just below boiling then remove the vanilla and slowly pour the mixture into the egg and flour, whisking all the time. When well combined return back to the pan and put on a low-medium heat. Whisking continuously, cook slowly until the custard is very thick. Remove from the heat then pass through a fine sieve. Pour into the cooled tart case and spread evenly with a palate knife. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least an hour. 

Once the custard has set arrange the rhubarb pieces over the top to cover. Return to the fridge while you make the meringue.

Now make the Italian meringue. Put the caster sugar into a small saucepan and just cover with water. Put onto a high heat. Pour the egg whites into a large bowl and whisk with a handwhisk until light and foaming. 

When the sugar reaches 115ºC take it off the heat. Working quickly, turn the whisk up to a medium-high speed and slowly trickle in the hot sugar until fully combined. Turn the whisk to a high speed and continue to mix for another 10 minutes or so until the meringue is glossy and light. Spoon a little of the meringue onto the top of the tart and smooth over. Put the rest of the meringue into a piping bag and working from the outside in, carefully pipe little swirls. Once covered, use a blowtorch and quickly brown the outside of the meringue. Keep refrigerated until you serve. 

Salted caramel and buttermilk creme caramels

I’ve been trying to get back into making puddings recently, as more and more I’ve started to find myself spending ages concentrating on a nice savoury dish and totally overlooking anything to eat afterwards. I have to admit that I haven’t got much of a sweet tooth, and would always choose a starter and main or a cheese option to follow, but I do sometimes find myself craving a dessert. So instead of relying on that bar of chocolate lurking in the cupboard I thought it was about time I tried to make something for myself. 

I hadn’t thought about making creme caramels until very recently. They seem to get totally overshadowed by the more glamorous and popular creme brulees, but there’s something about the soft silkiness of the caramel that is just to die for. I had always thought that they were quite difficult to make, but after doing some research and practicing I was amazed at how easy they are. I’ve since made them for dinner parties, where you can make them quickly and have them sitting in the fridge until needed. Their clean flavour and light texture make them a great end to a meal. 

As with any baking, it’s important to stick to measurements and practice really makes perfect. The most important things with this recipe is not to overcook the caramel and the custard. When cooking the caramel, you need to find the perfect balance between being golden enough to maximise flavour but not dark enough to burn and be bitter. You need to watch over it all the time so you can catch it at just the right moment. With the custard, the key is to cook it gently so that it doesn’t scramble and ruin the texture.

For this post I’ve used the brilliant Dan Lepard’s recipe for inspiration and guideline amounts. Every baking enthusiast should grab a copy of Short and Sweet; it really is a bible. I’ve put a twist on his recipe by making a salted caramel and using buttermilk to make the custard slightly sourer with a lighter taste. The joy of these recipes is once you have the basic technique nailed you can experiment to create your own version. 

Makes 6-8 using mini loaf tins

Ingredients

For the caramel:

Caster sugar

A good pinch of salt

For the custard:

100g caster sugar

6 medium eggs

1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out

300ml whole milk

200ml buttermilk

50ml double cream

To make the caramel, pour caster sugar into each loaf tin until just under a centimetre deep then pour it all into a small saucepan. Add a small amount of water and put on a medium heat. Cook until the caramel is bubbling away and starting to turn a deep red/brown colour, then sprinkle with the salt. Do not stir with a spoon at any point as the caramel may crystalise, just gently swirl the pan. As soon as the caramel is the right colour pour equally into each tin and tip around to make sure that the bottoms are covered. Set aside while you make the custard.

Pre-heat the oven to 140ºC (fan).

Make the custard by mixing the eggs, vanilla seeds and sugar in a large bowl until combined but not frothy. Beat in the milk, buttermilk and double cream then tip into a medium saucepan. Cook on a low-medium heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture is only just hot to the touch. Carefully pour the custard into the caramel lined tins, leaving a lip of about a centimetre. Place the tins into a deep oven dish and create a bain marie by pouring boiling water around the outside. 

Cook for 18 minutes before checking, they should only have a tiny wobble in the middle. If they are too wobbly pop them back in for another minute or two. Once cooked, allow to cool then refrigerate for at least four hours.

To serve, carefully cut around the edge of the tins with a sharp knife and tip quickly onto a plate. A blowtorch can be handy to quickly flash around the outside if they don’t come out straight away.