French Rhubarb Tart

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS:

1 ready rolled puff pastry sheet  

For the Creme Anglaise

250 ml whole milk  

150 ml double cream  

4 large egg yolks  

70g caster sugar

1 tbsp cornflour 

1 whole vanilla pod

For the rhubarb topping  

400–500 g rhubarb stalks, trimmed  

80–100 g caster sugar (depending on how tart your rhubarb is)  

Zest of ½ orange (optional but lovely)  

1–2 tbsp rhubarb syrup from roasting pan (for a quick glaze)

METHOD:

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C fan. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or the paper the pastry came in. Roll out the shop bought ready-made butter puff pastry sheet on the tray and lightly score a 2 cm border all the way around, without cutting through. Gently press a fork along the border to create ridges. Bake for 15-18 minutes until puffed and golden. If the centre has risen, gently press it down with the back of a spoon while still hot.

Next make the crème anglaise. In a saucepan, gently heat milk, cream, one whole vanilla pod and half the sugar over a medium heat to just below a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, remaining sugar, and cornflour until smooth and slightly pale. Pour the hot cream and milk mixture over the egg yolks while whisking. Whisk until light and fluffy and the mixture is well combined. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Put it back over a medium heat until it just thickens to a light custard that coats the back of a spoon – still pourable.

Next cut the first rhubarb stalk and measure it out across the pastry and then cut all other stalks to the same size to get a uniform look. You don’t have to keep them this long but I like how it looks (I use the cut offs of rhubarb to make a rhubarb compote). Toss with sugar in a shallow roasting dish and roast in the oven for 10 minutes until just tender but still holding shape. Leave to cool in the juices; reserve the syrup for glazing.

Then assemble the tart. Pour a thin, even layer of the warm custard into the centre of the pastry. Arrange the rhubarb pieces on top in rows, leaving a little custard visible between them. Bake for 15–20 minutes until the custard is just set with a slight wobble in the centre. The pastry edges should be deeply golden.

Finish with a zest of 1 orange and serve with softly whipped mascarpone