What a glorious mess: Rhubarb and Custard Cream Pie

I’m a big rhubarb fan. I was delighted to see it in long, leggy bunches at the market a few weeks ago. Bright pink neon glow sticks amongst the more muted root vegetables. We always ate rhubarb when we were little. It was usually a tangle of beige, bitter fibres that were unearthed at the bottom of the bowl once you broke through a layer of thick custard. Our homegrown rhubarb was nothing like the slender champagne stalks that are gathered in little bouquets and tied with twine.

Seasonal bargain

Our rhubarb was thick and ran from dark green through €5 at the market, a seasonal bargain. To keep the gorgeous pink colour I roast it. No simmering in orange juice or water to dilute those blush pigments. Simply chop the stalks into 3-inch pieces, cover with sugar and lay in an ovenproof ceramic dish. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 25 minutes. The rhubarb keeps it’s shape so well this way. I usually leave it to cool in the cooking liquid overnight; this intensifies the colour even more. Served with yogurt and granola, it makes a really lovely breakfast. Keep all of the sweet rhubarb syrup for adding to gin, cocktails or soda water.

This recipe takes inspiration from the classic rhubarb custard pairing and the good old-fashioned American cream pie. It’s a glorious mess of custard and cream swirled together over a bed of pink roast rhubarb, all encased in a biscuity pastry shell. The perfect spring dessert.

Ingredients

• 500g rhubarb, chopped into 3" pieces
• 120g sugar
• For the pastry:
• 150g cold butter, diced
• 240g plain flour
• 30g icing sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white, for brushing the pastry case
• For the custard filling:
• 450ml milk
• 50g custard powder
• 30g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk
• 250ml cream, softly whipped

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

For the pastry put the butter, flour and sugar into a food processor and blitz until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and blitz until a smooth dough forms. You can also do this by hand.

Flatten into a disc and cover with clingfilm. Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 mins.

Place the rhubarb into an ovenproof dish. Pour over the sugar. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Roll the pastry out on a floured surface. Line a loose-bottomed 12-inch tin with the pastry. It’s fine if the edges are messy. Line the inside of the pastry shell with tin foil, press the foil against the pastry so it stays in place. Bake blind for 10-12 minutes. Remove the tin foil and brush inside the entire pastry shell with egg white. Bake for a further 10-12 minutes until completely golden. Leave to cool slightly then remove from the tin. Using a sharp knife trim the edges so it is neat and even.

To make the custard heat the milk until almost boiling. Mix the sugar and custard powder with a little milk until it forms a smooth paste, keep whisking in the milk until it’s smooth. Return to the saucepan and bring to the boil, whisking all the time. Remove from the heat and cool quickly in an ice basin. Place clingfilm on top of the custard. Once the custard is cool swirl it through the whipped cream. You may need to sieve it if there are any lumps.

Place the rhubarb pieces into the pastry case and top with the custard cream mix. Serve right away.