Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
- 200 g all-purpose flour, sifted
- 100 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 50 g icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 15 ml cold water
- 1 g salt
Rhubarb Swirl
- 300 g rhubarb, chopped into 2cm pieces
- 75 g caster sugar
- 10 ml lemon juice
- 15 ml water
Custard Filling
- 300 ml heavy cream
- 100 ml whole milk
- 5 egg yolks
- 60 g caster sugar
- 5 g vanilla bean paste
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 457 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 46 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 25 g
- Sodium
- 74 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 17 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 216 mg
- Potassium
- 206 mg
- Calcium
- 96 mg
- Iron
- 0.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 15 mg
- Phosphorus
- 120 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 299 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.5 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 13 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.08 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.20 mg
- Niacin
- 0.5 mg
- Folate
- 32 mcg
- Water
- 85 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place flour, icing sugar, salt, and cold cubed butter in a food processor. Pulse briefly until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and pulse again until the dough just starts to clump together. If too dry, add cold water sparingly.
Turn dough onto a surface, gently bring it into a disc (do not knead), wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Combine chopped rhubarb, 75g sugar, lemon juice, and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the rhubarb completely breaks down and thickens significantly, about 15 minutes. Puree with a blender until smooth and let cool completely.
Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F. Roll out the chilled pastry to 3mm thickness and line the tart tin. Prick the base with a fork, line with parchment paper, and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes.
Remove beans and parchment. Reduce oven to 170°C/340°F. Bake the pastry case for another 5-8 minutes until the base is sandy and dry to the touch.
While the shell cools slightly, whisk the egg yolks, 60g sugar, cream, milk, and vanilla paste together gently. Do not over-whisk; avoid creating air bubbles. Strain through a sieve to ensure smoothness.
Pour the custard mixture into the tart shell. Dollop spoonfuls of the cooled rhubarb puree onto the surface. Use a skewer or knife tip to gently swirl the rhubarb into the custard, creating a marbled effect.
Bake at 150°C/300°F for 30-35 minutes. The custard should be set around the edges but still have a slight wobbly jiggle in the very center. It will continue to set as it cools.
Allow to cool completely in the tin at room temperature before slicing. This resting period is critical for the custard structure.
Chef's Notes
- Use 'forced rhubarb' (grown in dark sheds) early in the year for a sweeter flavor and a vibrant shocking pink color compared to field-grown rhubarb.
- When blind baking, ensure the pastry is pushed right into the corners of the tin. If it is stretched, it will shrink back down the sides during baking.
- Skim any foam off the top of the custard before baking for a glass-like, professional finish.
- For a cleaner slice, use a serrated knife for the crust edges and wipe the blade clean between every cut.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Keep loosely covered to prevent pastry from softening too quickly.
Troubleshooting
Soggy pastry bottom
Cause: Under-baked during the blind baking stage or filling poured while pastry was too hot
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked; serve as is
Prevention: Ensure the base is sandy and dry after removing baking beans before adding wet filling
Custard has curdled or looks grainy
Cause: Oven temperature was too high or baked too long
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Bake at low temperature (150°C) and remove while center still wobbles
Cultural Context
Rhubarb, often called the 'pie plant,' thrives in the cool, damp Irish climate and is a staple of country cooking. Traditionally paired with custard to balance its intense tartness, this refined tart elevates the humble backyard ingredient into a patisserie-style dessert.
