rhubarb and custard tart – Brasted’s style!
Chef's note: With summer in full swing, Brasted’s Exec Chef Chris ‘Buzz’ Busby and Chef George Powles share one of their legendary desserts – rhubarb and custard tart. Make it your own by adding cream, berries, or even chocolate! We won’t judge you.
- 680 grams plain flour
- 455 grams butter
- 170 grams icing sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 egg
- 1 lemon (zest only)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 12 egg yolks
- 75 grams sugar
- 500 milliliters vanilla essence
- 1 egg
- 500 grams rhubarb
- 500 grams sugar
- Gelatine (four leaves per litre)
For the sweet pastry, beat butter and icing sugar until soft, then add the eggs. Slowly add the flour while still mixing, followed by remaining ingredients. Bring together with your hands to a ball of pastry, then put in a bowl and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
Once chilled, roll out the pastry and line an 8 x 20 square tin with the pastry at a thickness of 2mm. Blind bake in a preheated oven at 165°C/gas mark 3 for 15- 20 minutes; keep an eye on the colour as you may need to remove the baking beans and put pastry back in the oven to achieve an even golden colour. When done, remove from oven and chill.
To make the custard, simmer the cream with vanilla essence to infuse. Once warm, add the egg yolks and sugar, then return to the heat and whisk to thicken to the correct consistency – it should cover the back of a spoon, and you should be able to run a finger through the middle of it without the custard coming back together. Put to one side while you soak the gelatine leaves in water. For this recipe, we used six.
Roast the rhubarb and sugar together until soft, then blitz in a food processor until smooth. Divide the custard into two bowls. Flavour one half with your rhubarb purée – you want to achieve a nice pink colour and if you need more, add a couple of drops of red food colouring. Heat both custards separately and gently over bain-maries with the correct amount of gelatine to set. We work on four leaves per litre of custard to set the mixture.
Add the rhubarb flavoured custard to the tart base you made earlier and chill to set, around 45-60 minutes. Once chilled, remove and add the plain custard mix on top. To achieve even look, you need exact amounts
of each custard. Return to the fridge to set.Remove from fridge and portion to serve. This goes nicely with fresh fruits and iced cream.
The name Brasted’s has been synonymous with multi-award winning fine dining and entertaining for almost four decades, serving royalty, dignitaries, celebrities and guests across Norfolk, Suffolk, East Anglia and beyond. With two stunning venues in Norfolk, guests are spoilt for choice when it comes to experiencing the warm Brasted’s welcome, combined with sublime food, exquisite drinks, and opulent surroundings.
For a more intimate dining and oFor a more intimate dining and overnight experience, visit Brasted’s fine dining restaurant and Brasted’s Lodge? Located in the picturesque, privately owned village of Framingham Pigot in the heart of the Norfolk countryside, the restaurant’s warm, inviting décor and friendly staff make it the perfect choice for any special occasion or celebration. Complementing that, the six luxurious, individually decorated en-suite bedrooms, private dining room and snug offer a home-away-from-home.
Or you might choose to visit Caistor Hall Hotel, a beautiful country house hotel found on the fringe of the Fine City of Norwich. Located within the main house, The Bistro is open daily for lunch and dinner, including our mouth-watering Sunday lunch, with a range of delicious locally sourced and seasonally inspired menus. In addition, The Bar and Whiskey Lounge serves snacks and cocktails daily. With roaring open fires and 32 acres of grounds to explore, including beautiful established woodland, landscaped grounds, lawns, and Norfolk countryside, Caistor Hall is the perfect country retreat.
Looking to host a party? Look no further than Complete and Utter Brasted’s, offering extensive knowledge and expertise in all areas of event planning and production. Their highly experienced team can cater for events anytime and anywhere and have an impressive track record for delivering beautifully executed events and unforgettable celebrations in properties all over the UK and abroad!
With summer in full swing, Brasted’s Exec Chef Chris ‘Buzz’ Busby and Chef George Powles share one of their legendary desserts – rhubarb and custard tart. Make it your own by adding cream, berries, or even chocolate! We won’t judge you.