Sweet stuff, RecipesMike PittsJanuary 15, 2021rhubarb, custard

Rhubarb and custard meringue pie

Sweet stuff, RecipesMike PittsJanuary 15, 2021rhubarb, custard

As a massive fan of rhubarb, but also a lover of lemon meringue, I had the evil scientist idea to combine these in a dessert. Egged on by the rest of the FatSteakClub gang, a quick search found this recipe which is what I worked with to produce this recipe. It is delicious but next time I might just do a straight rhubarb meringue.

Step 1 - Rhubarb

Preheat the oven to 180 C.
Line a baking dish with greaseproof paper.
Peel and slice the rhubarb sticks cutting the thicker stems diagonally into rhomboid shapes.
Spread the cut rhubarb in the baking dish and scatter over 250g of the sugar, the orange zest and the vanilla syrup. Juice the orange over this mix, cover with foil and bake until the rhubarb is soft but not collapsing (~20 min).
Allow to cool then strain the mixture reserving the syrup.

Step 2 - Base

Work the flour, 1 teaspoon of caster sugar, the ground ginger and a pinch of salt into the butter to a breadcrumb texture.
Add 30 ml cold water and form to a dough, kneading until elastic. Form into a disc, wrap with cling film and chill for at least 30 min.
Roll the dough out between two pieces of greaseproof paper until a circle large enough to line a 20/25cm tart tin.
Blind bake using baking beans on top of one of the sheets of greaseproof paper (Top tip: or use a pile of coins if you don’t have baking beans) for 25 min then remove the blind and bake for a further 5 min for a golden, crisp base.

Step 3 - Custard filling

Combine the rest of the sugar with the egg yolks and whisk until pale.
Warm the cream and milk until scalding and then combine gradually with the egg mixture and returning to the pan.
Stir while heating gently until the custard thickens (~ 5min). Remove from heat.
Take the pieces of rhubarb that are small or have collapsed or lost their shape (you need about half the rhubarb) and blitz in a hand food processor to a pulp.
Mix the rhubarb puree with custard and chill the mixture before pouring into the base.
Arrange the reserved rhubarb pieces into a pattern on top of the filled base.

Step 4 - Meringue

Weigh 160g of the reserved rhubarb syrup and bring to a boil in a small pan. Monitor with a thermometer.
Meanwhile in a food mixer beat the egg whites to soft peaks, then add the cream of tartar and beat further.
When the syrup reaches 118/120 C slowly pour down the side of the mixer bowl while whisking to form an Italian meringue.
Put the meringue in a piping bag and use to decorate the pie. Finish by gently scorching the meringue parts with a blowtorch and serve immediately.