Alsace Rhubarb Tart
Over the holidays I spent some time with my husband's family. It wasn't the Christmas I had hoped for as we were originally meant to be in Montreal this year. It was still a lovely time and I count myself lucky to be able to have such lovely people in my life on both sides of the Atlantic.
During one of our gatherings, my brother-in-law gifted me Ginette Mathiot’s I Know How to Cook cookbook. What a treasure! This is weighty volume but full of traditional (and more modern versions of classic) recipes.
Half a kilo of gorgeous rhubarb gave me the perfect excuse to try my hand at this book. Now I'll have to admit that I am devoted to strawberry and rhubarb tart. I love the combo though I did learn that rhubarb and blackberries also make a lovely combo. So I was surprised when I was informed by my husband that rhubarb and custard was actually the true classic (in England that is). So obviously, I went and found a French take on that.
La tarte Alsacienne is a typical, and delicious, French dessert from the Alsace région (in the East of France). Typically, it is made with apples, snuggly nestled in a blanket of custard but I opted for the rhubarb version. The result was beautiful with the silky custard perfectly balancing the tartness of the fruit.
A note on presentation : I had time and the inclination to cut all my pieces the same size and place them carefully in a somewhat geometric pattern. It's “faffy” but I enjoyed it. You do not have to do this. The resulting pie will be just as lovely if the rhubarb is chopped roughly and thrown in together with the custard in no particule order. But do make sure to drain your rhubarb first or it can get a little soggy.
For the pastry and fruit filling:
1/2 quantity pÂTE brisée (shortcrust pastry)
1 egg (for the eggwash)
400 - 500g rhubarb, chopped
50g caster sugar
For the custard (from I Know How to Cook):
50g flour
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
100ml crème fraiche
Lightly grease a pie dish or tart tin
Preheat the over to 180C/160C Fan/350F
Get to work:
Put the rhubarb in a mixing bowl with the 50g sugar. Tumble the rhubarb around the bowl to coat, then leave to macerate while you bake the pastry case – mix now and then to help release the water from the rhubarb.
Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface (about 1/4” thick) and line your pie dish. Trim any excess pastry* and prick the base all over with a fork. Line with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, assemble the custard by mixing all the ingredients together. Leave to one side.
Place the pastry case in the oven and blind bake for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the rice or baking beans, and greaseproof paper, then return the case to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
Use the eggwash to brush all over the inside of the pastry case, then bake for an additional 15 minutes before taking out and leaving it to cool.
Increase the oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F
Discard the liquid from the rhubarb. Drain with a paper towel before spreading the fruits onto the bottom of the cooled crust. Pour the custard over the fruit (it will not completely cover the fruit) and bake for 30-40 minutes
*I use the discarded pastry to make mini galettes or some impromptu biscuit bites from the scraps
