Rhubarb and custard meringue pie

Although I may have a serious sugar addiction, the only sweets I ever get a craving for are the rhubarb and custard kind, which I blame on the fact that the rhubarb season is so short I have to get my fix in other ways for the rest of the year.

This is the dessert version of those traditional sweet shop favourites, inspired by Dan Lepard's apple and custard meringue pie recipe. When I first read the recipe I thought that custard and meringue would be excessive, but they are both completely necessary for this tart.

Another wonderful thing about this recipe is that it uses the same number of yolks and whites, so you don't have to have that egg-wasting induced guilt like when the recipe requires 8 egg yolks and no whites. It also allows me to glide seamlessly between Meringue Month and Shortcrust Pastry Month, although I won't be going into depth on the pastry here as I found a great Michel Roux book on pastry in the library but haven't had time to read it yet so I still don't really know what I'm doing!
 

Things I have learnt from making this tart:

Make sure you drain the rhubarb really well before putting in the tart shell to prevent it making the pastry soggy.

Don't overfill the tart shell – although the meringue doesn't weigh much, it will make the custard spill over the sides if you have put too much in.

I left the finished tart to cool in the dish I baked it in as I don't have one of the loose bottomed tart tins. If using one of these you should be able to slide it out before serving, but be careful not to roll out the pastry too thinly, as I did, or it may collapse under the weight of the filling.
 

Rhubarb and custard meringue pie: serves 6

(adapted from Dan Lepard's apple and custard meringue pie recipe)

 

For the custard:

2 egg yolks

30g sugar

¾ tablespoon plain flour

200ml milk

• Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and flour in a mixing bowl
• Heat the milk until it is just beginning to simmer
• Slowly pour over the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid scrambled eggs
• Tip back into the pan and continue to heat, stirring, until thickened
• Pour into a bowl, allow to cool to room temperature and chill until needed

For the pastry case:

125g plain flour

25g icing sugar

75g butter, chilled

1 egg yolk

1-2 tablespoons cold water

• Put the flour and icing sugar into a food processor and whizz briefly to combine
• Cut the butter into chunks and pulse with the flour and sugar until it has the texture of breadcrumbs
• Slowly add the water as the food processor is going, until it starts to clump together as a dough
• Tip out onto a square of clingfilm and shape into a round
• Chill the pastry for 15 minutes
• Grease an 8inch (22cm) fluted tart tin
• Roll the dough out to a larger circle slightly bigger than the tin
• Lay the pastry over the top and press into the edges
• Cut off the excess pastry and chill for a further 15 minutes
• Preheat the oven to 170°C
• Line the pastry case with foil and fill with baking beans
• Bake for 15 minutes before removing the foil and beans and baking for a further 15 minutes
• Remove the pastry case from the oven and leave to cool in the tin

For the roasted rhubarb:

5-6 rhubarb stalks

1 tablespoon caster sugar

• Preheat the oven to150°C
• Chop the rhubarb stalks into short lengths
• Place in a single layer in an oven proof dish, sprinkle over the sugar
• Cover with foil and bake for around 30-40 minutes or until the rhubarb is cooked but still holding it's shape
• Leave to cool

For the meringue:

3 egg whites

100g caster sugar

• Whisk the egg whites in a clean dry mixing bowl
• Beat on the lowest speed until they start to hold their shape
• Begin adding a little of the sugar, one teaspoon at a time, beating well after each addition
• Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed and beat to form a stiff glossy meringue

Assembling the tart:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C
• Drain any liquid from the rhubarb and arrange in the cooled pastry shell
• Spread a thin layer of custard over the rhubarb, being careful to leave a bit of a gap at the top
• Pipe or dollop the meringue over the layer of custard
• Bake for around 15 minutes, or until the meringue is nicely browned
• Leave to cool before serving