This week’s challenge for the Great British Bake Off Bakealong was to make a fruit tart. Ordinarily I’d be jumping for joy as a berry tart is just about my favorite dessert. But given the current conditions I was not going to be able to get my hands on the beautiful berries I would need. The strawberry patch here is flowering but it’s a long way before it will be giving me fruit. The hubby was able to bring in a little bit of rhubarb so I looked in the freezer and was lucky – I found some frozen strawberries from last year. The recipe I have on the blog for strawberry rhubarb pie is very popular so I thought, why not a tart? The problem was, I didn’t have near enough fruit to fill a tart shell so I needed something else – I decided upon a lovely vanilla pastry cream. I used a shortbread cookie crust and it all came together into a very delicious dessert recipe.

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Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipe

Serves 8 to 10

For the Shortbread Crust

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg white, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling

For the Vanilla Pastry Cream

1/2 cup plus 2 TBS granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk
5 large egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean
2 TBS unsalted butter, cut into two pieces
1 – 2 tsp Grand Marnier or Brandy (optional)

For the Strawberry Rhubarb Topping

2 cups diced rhubarb
2 cups diced strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 TBS cornstarch mixed in 1/2 cup of water

Make the Shortbread Crust

In a stand mixer with the paddle attached, mix the butter and sugar on medium to medium high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Reduce to low and add egg white and vanilla. Don’t worry if the dough looks curdled.
Add the flour in 3 to 4 additions, mixing only until combined. Scrape the dough down as needed.
Remove the dough, flatten into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Roll the dough to fit a 9″ tart pan.(I love this tart pan. It’s the one I use) Trim. (Any leftover dough can be used to make cookies. Just roll out and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes)
Preheat oven to 375
Prick the dough with a fork. Line with parchment and add pie weights or rice or some manner of weight
Bake the preheated oven for 10 minutes, check, rotate and bake for another 5 – 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool.

Make the Strawberry Rhubarb Topping

Add the diced rhubarab and strawberries to a small saucepan with the sugar and pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is disolved and the fruit is soft and slightly reduced.
Stir in cornstarch mixture and let cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the Vanilla Custard

Whisk the salt, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk in the evaporated milk, egg yolks and then the milk.
Split the vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds and add both the seeds and the bean to the milk mixture.

Bring mixture to a simmer and continue whisking until mixture is thickened and smooth. Remove vanilla bean.
Remove from heat and stir in butter and Grand Marnier or Brandy if using.
Strain the custard into a medium bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap lightly on top and refrigerate until ready to use.

Put the tart together

When the tart shell has cooled, remove the shell from the pan, fill it with the pastry cream, smoothing with an offset spatula.

Top with the strawberry rhubarb topping.
If desired, serve with whipped cream

How Was the Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Tart Recipe

It was really good; the crisp cookie crust, the rich, creamy pastry cream and the sweet tart topping. It all came together in one delightful dessert. This was not a treat that comes together quickly but it was well worth the time to make it. It’s another way to celebrate rhubarb season.

Strawberry season extends a little further than rhubarb so you can celebrate it with a lovely Lemon Strawberry Tart or a magnificent Strawberry Pie.

This strawberry rhubarb tart was put together from reciped adapted from various pieces in Dorie’s Cookies and The Perfect Pie. As per usual I thank Laura from Little House Big Alaska for hosting this fun bakealong.