Be careful not to overwork the pastry or it will become elastic and chewy, not crumbly and short.
Jamie Cooks Spring
By Jamie Oliver
Rhubarb & custard tart
Almond & vanilla pastry
1 hr 45 mins plus resting and cooling
Not Too Tricky
serves 12
About the recipe
Tart and tangy seasonal rhubarb is lip-smackingly good both layered up in this lovely tart and used to make a sticky syrup for drizzling. I’m harking back to my school days here and celebrating the humble joy of that classic combo – rhubarb and custard. My mum will love it, I know my dear nan would have loved it, too. With sweet almond and vanilla pastry and a crunchy brittle topping, there’s a lot to enjoy here.
Recipe From
Ingredients
PASTRY
250g unsalted butter (cold)
250g ground almonds
250g plain flour
2 large free-range eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
100g icing sugar
RHUBARB
1kg rhubarb
1 Bramley cooking apple
200g golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
CUSTARD
600ml whole milk
3 tablespoons custard powder
100g golden caster sugar
BRITTLE
1 tablespoon icing sugar
50g flaked almonds
Top Tip
Use shop-bought pastry or a ready-made pastry case if you’re short on time.
Method
- To make the pastry, cube up the butter, place in a large bowl with the ground almonds and flour, and use your fingertips to rub the ingredients together, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Crack in 1 egg, add the vanilla paste, sift in the icing sugar, and bring it together into a ball of dough. Divide in half, place each piece on a sheet of greaseproof paper, fold the paper over the dough and flatten each round slightly, then pop in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Chop the rhubarb into 3cm chunks, peel, core and chop the apple, and place in a non-stick pan with the golden caster sugar, vanilla, and a swig of water.
- Simmer on a medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the rhubarb and apples have stewed down nicely, stirring occasionally. Pour through a sieve over a small pan to separate the syrup from the soft fruit. Leave to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Roll out one of the pieces of pastry into a round, about ½cm thick. Lightly grease a 26cm non-stick loose-bottomed tart tin with vegetable oil. Use the greaseproof paper to help you flip the pastry over the case, easing it into the base and sides, and patching up any holes. Prick the bottom with a fork, then bake for 10 minutes exactly – we want it blond at this stage.
- Wipe out the pan and return to the heat then – to make the custard – pour in most of the milk. In a bowl, whisk the custard powder into the remaining milk then, when the milk in the pan comes to a simmer, pour some of the hot milk into the custard mixture. Whisk together, then pour it all back into the pan on the heat, add the sugar, and whisk until you have a thick consistency.
- Trim off any excess pastry from the tart case, then pour in the custard and leave to cool. While it cools, place the pan of fruit syrup over the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes, or until thick and syrupy.
- Beat the remaining egg, use it to eggwash the exposed parts of the pastry case, then gently spoon the rhubarb mixture over the custard and smooth the top.
- Roll out the remaining pastry into a circle just under 1cm thick then, again, use the greaseproof to help you flip the pastry over the tart. Press the edges to seal, removing any excess (which you can use to decorate the top, if you like), then egg wash the top of the tart and bake for 30 minutes.
- To make a quick brittle, mix the icing sugar with ½ a tablespoon of water, then mix in the flaked almonds until well coated.
- Remove the tart from the oven, and delicately arrange the coated almonds over the top, then bake for a final 10 minutes, or until golden.
- Slice, and serve with a drizzle of rhubarb syrup over the top. Delicious served with more custard or a dollop of crème fraîche.
Freeze any leftover pastry for another day or use it to make jam tarts.
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