Spring is in full gear at the Huber Farm, our Elderberry plants have been cleaned up and the buds are sprouting! Rhubarb is growing in an abundance, so it's time to pluck a few stalks and make some of Grandma Avis' yummy rhubarb tart, keep scrolling for pictures and the recipe below.
Our rhubarb crop is the best it's been this year! So red, plump & juicy!
I use a glass 9x13 pan
the combination of the cookie like crust, the gooey between layer where the custard touches the crust and the tart rhubarb!
Elderberry plants are sprouting right now!
You can probably use an actual tart pan for this recipe if you want, but the pan would have to be deep enough to hold everything, and there's a lot to hold with this yummy cookie like crust, sweet gooey custard filling and yummy meringue topping!
RHUBARB TART RECIPE BY GRANDMA AVIS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare crust by mixing well in food processor: butter, sugar & flour. transfer crust mixture to 9x13 pan, pat down crust with your hands. Bake until slightly golden, about 15 minutes or so. The timing is usually perfect to start mixing the filling while the crust is baking. In a mixing bowl combine: egg yolks, sugar, then add the flour, salt, grated orange rind, then add the half & half, then lastly add the rhubarb. Once the crust is slightly golden, remove pan from the oven and pour the filling evenly over the crust. Return pan to the oven and bake until the custard is set, which is about 45-55 minutes depending on your oven. During this time you can prepare your meringue topping: in a bowl beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form, gradually adding the sugar, salt, vanilla, and cream of tartar. Set aside, go pet your dog for a bit. :) Once the custard is set, remove the pan from the oven and add your meringue mixture, place back into the oven until the meringue looks pretty (some light brown areas have appeared). Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. In my opinion it tastes even better the next day after it has chilled in the fridge overnight, but sometimes certain family members (ahem...Trent) can't wait that long.
Enjoy!
By the way, if you have a lot of rhubarb that does not get used by the end of summer/early fall before the first hard frost, please save it! Chop your rhubarb into chunks and double bag it in Ziplock bags. In the winter when you are craving something sweet, you can make your favorite rhubarb dessert and it tastes just as good as when it was fresh! You can also make rhubarb preserves, or just can your rhubarb with some boiling water to save it for years to come or give out to friends and family. It just kills me when I see rhubarb being left out to freeze in the winter-what a waste!
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