Rhubarb Custard Tart is the dessert that Lucia spent several springs trying to recreate after tasting something close to it at a small patisserie and being unable to stop thinking about the way the silky vanilla custard and the tart rhubarb compote worked together against that buttery and slightly nutty almond pastry shell. The first time she produced something genuinely close she stood in the kitchen and tasted a single spoonful of the warm custard still in the saucepan and understood immediately why she had been chasing this flavor for so long. The tangy rhubarb and the smooth sweet vanilla are exactly like two people who seem like complete opposites and then turn out to be absolutely perfect together.
Rhubarb Custard Tart is the spring dessert that looks like it came from the finest French patisserie and tastes like something that took a professional pastry chef all day to produce and actually requires only a patient afternoon and the willingness to make three separate components that each come together beautifully and then assemble into something completely extraordinary. A buttery almond pastry shell baked to a pale golden crisp, filled with silky smooth vanilla pastry cream, and topped with a fragrant rhubarb compote poached in a spiced syrup of water, sugar, lemon, cinnamon, and star anise. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful and elegant spring dessert recipes from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipe
This Rhubarb Custard Tart recipe is the make-ahead spring dessert that rewards patient preparation with a genuinely restaurant-quality result that makes every guest feel genuinely celebrated. All three components of the tart, the pastry shell, the pastry cream, and the rhubarb compote, can be prepared separately in advance and assembled when ready to serve. The pastry shell can be baked a full day ahead. The pastry cream can be made two days ahead. The rhubarb compote can be made two days ahead. On the day of serving, assembly takes less than five minutes and the result is a tart that looks and tastes completely extraordinary.
The almond flour in the pastry dough is the element that makes this shell genuinely special and genuinely different from a standard shortcrust pastry. The almond flour adds a subtle nuttiness and a slightly sandy crispness to the finished shell that pairs beautifully with the delicate vanilla cream and the poached rhubarb above it. It also makes the pastry slightly more forgiving than a pure flour pastry and more resistant to becoming soggy from the filling. Our White Chocolate Mousse Tart makes a beautifully indulgent and elegant companion tart alongside this rhubarb custard version for a complete and spectacular spring celebration dessert table.
Ingredients Needed for This Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipe
For the Pastry Dough:
- 1 large Egg
- ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1.4 oz (40g) Almond Flour
- 1.3 cups (165g) All-Purpose Flour
- Pinch of Salt
- 3.5 oz (100g) Unsalted Butter, very soft
For the Pastry Cream:
- 1½ cups Whole Milk
- 2½ tbsp Cornstarch
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 3 Egg Yolks
For the Rhubarb Compote:
- 1 lb Fresh Rhubarb, trimmed and cut into small sticks
- 2 cups Water
- ⅔ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Lemon, juice and peel
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 6 Star Anise
How to Make This Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipe
Begin with the pastry dough as it needs one hour of refrigerator rest before it is ready to be rolled. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the very soft butter and powdered sugar until smooth and completely combined. Slowly add the egg and mix until incorporated. Add the almond flour and pinch of salt and mix briefly. Add the all-purpose flour gradually and mix only until just combined into a soft dough.
Do not overwork the dough as it will toughen the pastry. Transfer the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll into a large disk approximately the size of your tart pan. Slide the disk onto a flat baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Remove the rested pastry from the refrigerator and allow to warm for a few minutes if too firm to handle. Line a 10-inch tart pan with the pastry, pressing gently into the fluted sides without stretching. Trim the excess. Prick the base all over with a fork. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up before baking. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the shell is completely golden, dry to the touch, and fully cooked through. Set aside to cool completely.
For the pastry cream, warm the whole milk with the vanilla extract in a small saucepan over low heat until it just begins to boil. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until pale and combined. Add the cornstarch and whisk until smooth with no lumps remaining. Remove the hot milk from the heat and pour it slowly into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream while whisking continuously. Return the combined mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat, cara mia.
Whisk continuously until the pastry cream thickens into a smooth and glossy custard. Once it reaches a gentle boil continue to whisk for 30 seconds more then pour into a clean heat-proof bowl. Press plastic wrap directly against the surface to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate until completely cold, at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
For the rhubarb compote, combine the water, sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, and star anise in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the rhubarb sticks to the simmering spiced syrup and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the rhubarb is very soft and beginning to break apart. Remove the rhubarb with a slotted spoon into a clean bowl, discarding the lemon peel, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Mash with a fork until it forms a smooth and slightly chunky compote. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
To assemble, spread the cold pastry cream in an even layer across the bottom of the cooled tart shell using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Spread the cooled rhubarb compote evenly over the pastry cream. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving.
How to Serve This Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipe
Serve this tart at room temperature or very slightly chilled for the most vibrant and complete flavor experience. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to allow the pastry cream to soften and the flavors to open up fully.
Slice into wedges with a sharp knife and serve each piece on a white plate with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or a generous spoonful of softly whipped cream alongside. A sprinkle of crushed pistachios or toasted flaked almonds over the top of each slice adds a beautiful crunch and color. Our Easter Swirl Pie makes a wonderfully colorful and festive companion dessert for a complete and beautiful spring celebration spread.
How to Store This Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipe
Store the assembled tart covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. The pastry shell will soften slightly over time from the moisture in the pastry cream and compote but the flavor remains excellent throughout. For the crispest possible shell, assemble and serve the same day if possible.
Store the individual components separately for the best make-ahead results. The baked tart shell stores at room temperature covered for 1 day. The pastry cream stores covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The rhubarb compote stores covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Assemble no more than 2 hours before serving for the crispest shell and freshest presentation.
Tips to Make This Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipe
Whisk the pastry cream continuously without stopping from the moment it goes over the heat until it is poured into the bowl. Even 30 seconds of no stirring can produce lumps at the bottom of the saucepan that cannot be whisked out once they form. A silicone whisk that reaches the curved edges of the saucepan bottom is the most effective tool for keeping the cream in constant motion and preventing hot spots that produce lumps.
Chill the pastry in the freezer rather than the refrigerator immediately before baking. The freezer chills the butter in the pastry to a much lower temperature than the refrigerator and this means the butter melts more slowly during baking, producing a pastry that holds its shape better and does not shrink dramatically from the sides of the tart pan during the baking time.
Helpful Notes for This Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipe
The star anise and cinnamon stick in the rhubarb poaching syrup add a spiced and fragrant complexity to the compote that is subtle but unmistakably present in the finished flavor. Neither spice is identifiable as itself in the finished compote but together they give it a warmth and depth that makes it taste significantly more complex and interesting than plain sugar-poached rhubarb. Do not skip them. Ground spices can be substituted in smaller quantities, approximately one quarter teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and ground star anise, if whole spices are not available.
The very soft butter in the pastry dough is not an error. This pastry is made by creaming the soft butter with the sugar first before adding the egg and flour, which produces a distinctly different pastry from one made with cold butter cut into flour. This method produces a pastry that is rich, slightly crumbly, and deeply buttery with a cookie-like texture rather than a flaky shortcrust texture. It holds its shape well during baking and does not require blind baking weights.
Variation of This Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipe
Maria made a version adding a thin layer of good quality homemade strawberry jam spread across the pastry cream before the rhubarb compote was added and the sweet strawberry note between the two layers was completely extraordinary and made the tart taste even more vibrantly and unmistakably like spring. Teresa tried making individual tartlets in small fluted tins rather than one large tart for a dinner party where each guest received their own beautiful and completely elegant little tart on their plate.
For an almond variation that deepens the nutty character of the pastry shell, spread a thin layer of frangipane over the prebaked shell, return to the oven for 10 minutes until set, allow to cool, then spread the pastry cream and rhubarb compote on top as directed. The frangipane layer adds an extraordinary nutty and moist middle layer that makes the finished tart even more complex and deeply satisfying. Our Pistachio and Blackberry Olive Oil Cake makes a beautifully nutty and fruit-forward companion alongside this tart for a complete and stunning spring celebration dessert spread.
FAQs About This Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipe
How do I prevent the pastry cream from becoming lumpy?
Whisk continuously without stopping once the custard goes over the heat. The most common cause of lumpy pastry cream is inattention during the thickening stage when the eggs are beginning to cook and can scramble if the bottom of the pan gets too hot. Keep the heat at medium-low and whisk constantly. If small lumps do appear despite continuous whisking, pour the hot custard immediately through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl to catch and remove them.
Can I use ready-made pastry for the tart shell?
Yes. A good quality ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry from the supermarket can be used in place of the homemade almond pastry for a significantly faster preparation. The flavor will be slightly less complex and nutty without the almond flour but the finished tart will still be beautiful and genuinely delicious. Line the tart pan, blind bake with weights for 15 minutes, remove weights and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden, and proceed with the filling as directed.
What should I do if my rhubarb breaks down too much during poaching?
Slightly overcooked rhubarb that has broken down significantly still makes an excellent compote through mashing as described in the recipe. The texture becomes smoother and more jam-like when the rhubarb is very soft and while this is different from a compote with distinct rhubarb pieces it is equally delicious spread over the pastry cream. If you prefer more textural rhubarb, reduce the poaching time to 4 to 5 minutes and check with a knife. It should be tender but still hold its shape.
Conclusion
This Rhubarb Custard Tart is the spring dessert that makes every person who tastes it understand immediately why rhubarb season is one of the most anticipated and beloved times of year in any kitchen that knows what to do with it. Buttery, silky, tangy, sweet, and completely extraordinary in every single slice. We hope it brings the same quiet joy and the same genuinely impressed table to your kitchen that it has always brought to ours. Make it, share it, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa.
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Rhubarb Custard Tart The Most Elegant and Beautiful Spring Dessert You Will Make
- Total Time: 2 hours plus chilling
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most elegant Rhubarb Custard Tart made with a buttery almond pastry shell filled with silky smooth vanilla pastry cream and topped with a fragrant spiced rhubarb compote. A beautiful make-ahead spring dessert that looks and tastes like a French patisserie creation you can make entirely at home.
Ingredients
1 large Egg for pastry
1/3 cup Powdered Sugar
1.4 oz Almond Flour
1.3 cups All-Purpose Flour
Pinch of Salt
3.5 oz Unsalted Butter very soft
1 1/2 cups Whole Milk for pastry cream
2 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp Granulated Sugar for pastry cream
3 Egg Yolks
1 lb Fresh Rhubarb trimmed and cut into sticks
2 cups Water
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar for compote
1 Lemon juice and peel
1 Cinnamon Stick
6 Star Anise
Instructions
1. Beat very soft butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Add egg and mix. Add almond flour and salt. Fold in flour until just combined.
2. Roll dough between parchment sheets into a disk. Refrigerate 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 10-inch tart pan with rested pastry. Prick base. Freeze 10 minutes.
4. Bake 20 to 30 minutes until fully golden and dry. Cool completely.
5. Heat milk with vanilla until just boiling. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.
6. Pour hot milk slowly into yolk mixture while whisking. Return to saucepan over low heat.
7. Whisk continuously until thickened into a smooth glossy custard.
8. Pour into bowl. Press plastic wrap against surface. Refrigerate until cold.
9. Combine water, sugar, lemon peel and juice, cinnamon, and star anise. Bring to gentle simmer.
10. Add rhubarb and poach 5 to 10 minutes until very soft.
11. Remove rhubarb with slotted spoon. Discard spices and peel. Mash into compote. Cool completely.
12. Spread cold pastry cream into cooled tart shell.
13. Spread rhubarb compote evenly over pastry cream.
14. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Tart
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French, American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 85mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 145mg
Keywords: rhubarb custard tart, rhubarb tart recipe, pastry cream tart, elegant spring dessert tart recipe
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