Rhubarb is a scrumptious ambassador for spring.  These days, it has attracted a cult following.  Among this veggie’s repertoire are sauces, preserves and desserts.   I love a tangy rhubarb pie!  However, a full-size pie is just about too big for our small family.

The recipe below makes a tart–a much smaller dessert.  It is adapted from my grandmother Bummie’s amazing rhubarb custard pie recipe.  In order to amplify the rhubarbiosity, I used almost the same amount of rhubarb as Bummie, but added half fresh (traditional treatment) and half stewed into a compote (to substitute for other liquid in the custard).

Enjoy!

Rhubarb Custard Tart

Preheat oven to 400 F.

• 1 unbaked pie crust formed into your tart pan (I like Martha Stewart’s pate brisee recipe.) Put the tart on a cookie sheet, which will make moving it around much easier.

• 1/4 C white sugar
• 2 T water
• 3 1/2 C chopped rhubarb
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1 t nutmeg
• 2 T arrowroot powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 C cream or half & half
• dab of butter (about 1 T)

Make the compote first:  combine the white sugar, water and 2 C of chopped rhubarb in saucepan.  Cook until it becomes a sauce.  (If your rhubarb was really tough, you might want to run it all through the blender.)  Set aside.

Mix 1 1/2 C chopped rhubarb with brown sugar, nutmeg and arrowroot.  Put this mixture into your unbaked tart shell.

Beat eggs with cream.  Add 1 1/2 C of the cooled compote to the egg mixture and combine well. Pour this mixture over the rhubarb in the tart shell. Dot the top with little pieces of butter. (You might have leftover compote. . . great over ice cream.)

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

Turn heat down to 350 and cook for 20-30 minutes or until set.

Best served at room temperature.

Stay briny,

–Stacey