Rhubarb and custard tartlets

Preparing the pie crust – 30 minutes + waiting time

Mix 250 gram all-purpose flour with a pinch of salt and 80 gram of sugar. Cut the butter into small cubes and add those one at a time to the flour mixture. Keep on mixing with the flat beater attachment.

The mixture will look crumbled. Add 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Keep on mixing until a dough ball has formed.  wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

You can already start making the custard while you're waiting, see the recipe below. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius or 350 degrees fahrenheit. Grease a large cake pan, or the small ones, with butter.

Add a little bit of flour to the countertop and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Press the dough into the cake pans and poke holes in the bottom using a fork. Cut parchment paper so it fits the inside of the bottom of the pie crust.

Add blind baking beans to the pie crust and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes for the small ones and 30 minutes for the large cake pan, or until the crust is golden brown.

Let the pie crust cool off completely and then remove the blind baking beans and parchment paper.

Preparing the custard – 15 minutes

Heat the milk and vanilla extract on low heat. Meanwhile mix 3 egg yolks, 50 gram sugar and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour until it's smooth and looking kinda white. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes depending on the kind of mixer you're using.

When the milk is hot, carefully pour it into the egg yolk mixture. Keep on mixing, otherwise, the egg yolks will create lumps. Pour the mixture back into the medium-sized pan and cook on low heat until the custard has the desired thickness.

This will usually take about 3 to 5 minutes and don't forget to keep on stirring to prevent the custard from burning. Pour the custard in a bowl and cover with a sheet of parchment paper.

This will prevent the custard from getting that hard layer on top that no one likes. Let the custard cool off completely.  

Finishing the rhubarb custard tartlets – 15 minutes

Cut the rhubarb into pieces that fit the pie crust of your choice. Place in a baking dish, divide a few tablespoons of sugar over the top. You can also add a tablespoon of any liquor you like.  

Cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. Let the rhubarb cool off a little bit. Divide custard over the pie crust and top it off with oven-baked rhubarb. So delicious, really worth the trouble of making the pie from scratch.

Of course, you can also use store-bought pie crust and/or custard. Tip: you can also cook some of the rhubarb extra long so it's a bit mushy. Puree the rhubarb and divide a little bit over the pie crust before adding the custard.

Enjoy these amazing delicious homemade rhubarb custard tartlets!