Garden Rhubarb and Duck Egg Custard Tart

Garden Recipes

Garden Rhubarb and Duck Egg Custard Tart

This was a firm favourite from the Mother’s Day afternoon tea, the rich creamy filling, made even richer using duck eggs, works perfectly with the fresh and tart taste of the garden rhubarb. There are lots of elements but invest the time and the result is well worth it.

Rhubarb Puree

• 500g Rhubarb
• Small Knob Ginger
• 100g Caster Sugar

1. Slice the rhubarb finely and place into a baking tray, peel and grate the ginger add this to the tray along with the sugar. Cover with tin foil and bake on a low heat 130 Celsius for 30 mins check the rhubarb in very soft and blend until a smooth puree.
2. Pass the puree through a fine sieve to make it extra smooth ( this is optional)
3. Cover with clingfilm and set aside to cool.

Sweet Pastry

• 250g Plain Flour
• 125g Butter
• 50g Sugar
• 1 Whole Egg
• 1 Egg Yolk

1. Rub the flour and butter together until a crumb-like texture.
2. Add the sugar and whole egg, mix the dough until fully combined and smooth. Add a splash of milk if necessary for the dough to come together.
3. Roll into a ball and wrap in cling film, chill for 30 mins.

The next stage is to blind bake the tart at a higher temperature than you would cook the filling at, this helps the pastry become crisp and ready to be filled with the custard mix.

Grease your tart case, roll out the pastry to the thickness of a 10p coin, carefully lift into the case and gently press into the sides to form the tart. Fill the middle with baking paper and baking beads, rice or old coins. Cook on 180 Celsius for 20 minutes, remove the beads and paper, brush with egg wash and cook for a further 10 mins until golden brown and crisp. Once cooled trim the edges to neaten up the case and set aside for the filling.

Filling

• 800ml Double Cream
• 11 Duck Egg Yolks
• 110g Caster Sugar
• 1 Vanilla Pod (split)

1. Bring the cream, sugar and vanilla to a boil.
2. Pour onto the whisked duck egg yolks until fully combined.

To cook the Tart

Preheat your oven to 130 Celsius. Spread a layer of rhubarb puree on the bottom of the tart case and bake for 5 minutes to form a skin on the puree. Remove from the oven and gently pour the custard mix into the case, taking care not the let it run into the puree at the bottom.

Cook for a further 30 minutes until the tart is wobbly in the middle, cover with grated nutmeg, allow to cool and remove from the tart case. Serve slightly warm and enjoy.