Rhubarb Curd Tart With Rosewater Meringues
Rhubarb season came early this year, along with all of the things that typically signify the arrival of summer: lilacs, lily of the valley, 90-degree temps. Even the mosquitos seemed to be early to the party. As someone who is constantly too warm and whose skin burns easily, I’ve never been particularly enthusiastic about summer. And while I still can’t say that I’m a fan of 90-degree days, sunburns, and mosquitos, I have to admit that the arrival of the flowers, fruits, and foliage of summer now fills me with a giddy kind of joy. The extra-long days don’t hurt either.
I’m a big fan of all things rhubarb, so getting to use it a few weeks early this year means that much more time to create new rhubarb treats before I switch over to strawberries (though if they follow the trend, those juicy red berries should be coming along any day now). This season’s new creation is this rhubarb curd tart, and I have to say…I think I’m in love.
The Rhubarb Curd
Rhubarb curd, if you don’t know, is just exactly like lemon curd, but made with rhubarb juice. So if you like lemon curd, and you like rhubarb, there’s a really good chance you’re going to love rhubarb curd.
I can’t take credit for the rhubarb curd recipe — it’s from the blog The View From Great Island (where, incidentally, I also found the recipe that I adapted my Kabocha Squash Soup from). I’m a pretty big fan of Sue’s recipes and writing.
The recipe calls for fresh rhubarb — and that’s what I used — but if you don’t have fresh on hand, I think it would work great with an equal amount of frozen rhubarb. Just thaw it fully first, and since thawed frozen rhubarb is typically pretty watery, I’m guessing you could leave out most of the water the recipe calls for. I’d try it without, and add water if you need it.
As far as the food coloring in the recipe goes, it’s totally optional. However, just know that without it, your curd will turn out sort of a murky beige-brown color. I tried making a batch using ground dehydrated raspberries (with the seeds strained out) for color, and that worked well, giving the curd a mauvey-pink color.
But ultimately I wanted a brighter pink hue, so I went with food coloring. Sue’s original recipe calls for pink food coloring, but I only had red, so I used that and I personally love the bright, almost neon pink result.
The Tart Crust
For the crust, I used the Sweet Tart Dough recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook Everyday Dorie (I HIGHLY recommend that cookbook not only for dessert recipes, but for simple and amazing main courses, sides, and apps). You’re welcome to use any tart crust recipe you like, but this one is the perfect blend of buttery, sweet, and salty. It’s also super easy to make, especially if you have a food processor (see recipe for instructions).
Don’t have a food processor? You can still make this crust. Simply do the following:
- Combine the flour, sugar, and sea salt in a medium bowl.
- Using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut or massage in the COLD butter until it’s in pea-sized pieces. (Note: it’s important to keep the butter cold, so if it starts to warm up, pop the bowl into the fridge or freezer for a bit to chill, then continue)
- Drizzle in the egg yolk a bit at a time, gently blending into the flour-butter mixture with a fork or your hands. Once all of the egg is added, very gently knead the dough in the bowl until you can gather it into a ball.
- Then continue with the instructions in the recipe below, beginning with #3.
Blind-Baking Your Tart Crust
You’ll need a 9-inch tart pan for this recipe (though a 9-inch pie pan should work fine too). I used this tart pan from Fat Daddio’s in the 9 1/2″ x 1″ size.
You’ll also need something to weigh down the crust in the tart pan for blind baking. If you have enough pie weights to fill the tart pan to the top, use those. If not, you can use uncooked rice, dried beans, or even granulated sugar.
Once you line your tart pan with the dough, dock the bottom of the crust all over with a fork, then line it with a sheet of aluminum foil, shiny side down. The foil should be large enough to fill the crust and cover the edges. Then fill the foil lining with your pie weights, beans, rice, etc., making sure the weights fill the crust all the way to the top of the pan.
Note: you definitely want aluminum foil here, not parchment paper. The foil will keep the crust edges from getting too dark during blind baking (I learned that the hard way by burning my first crust!).
Once your crust is fully blind baked, you can fill it with that delicious rhubarb curd. You don’t have to wait for the crust to cool before you pour in the curd, but you can certainly let it cool completely if you want to. Chill the completed tart overnight before decorating it with the rosewater meringues.
The Rosewater Meringues
I love using meringues for decoration. For one, you can make them ahead of time and they last seemingly forever (several weeks at least). And for two, they’re just so darn pretty…they make decorating your desserts a cinch.
The recipe included here is the same as my original meringues recipe. It makes way more meringues than you’ll need to decorate your tart…which is good news if you’re a meringue fan! Simply store the remainder in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Use them to decorate other baked goods or snack on them until they’re gone.
Meringues are super susceptible to moisture. Once you place them on your tart, they’ll start to soak up moisture from the curd. Don’t fret about that — it will just soften the meringues a bit, making them easier to eat with the tart. However, if they’re left on too long they’ll basically disintegrate. So hold off on placing them on the tart until just before you serve it.
Not a meringue fan? This tart would be equally delicious topped with some piped whipped cream. You could even add a splash of rosewater into the whipped cream if you like.
Weeknight Baking: Breaking This Recipe Down Into Smaller Steps Over Several Days
So as you can see, this recipe has several steps: baking the meringues, blind baking the tart crust, and cooking the rhubarb curd. None of these steps are complicated, but the whole endeavor can be time consuming. If you like, you can split it up into a few days like so:
- Day 1: Bake the meringues and let them dry out in the oven overnight (per the recipe instructions). While they’re baking, mix up the tart dough, roll it out, and refrigerate it until the next day.
- Day 2: Pack the meringues into an airtight container for storage. Blind bake your tart dough, make your rhubarb curd, and pour the curd into the crust. Refrigerate the tart overnight.
- Day 3: Decorate your completed tart with the meringues, and serve!
When you break it down like this, it’s more than doable — even on a busy weeknight!
Tips For Making Your Best Rhubarb Curd Tart
A few final tips before we get to baking:
- When straining your rhubarb juice, use a wooden spoon to press the rhubarb pulp firmly against the mesh strainer to get as much juice from it as you can.
- Don’t forget to measure your rhubarb juice before making your curd — you may end up with more than the 1 cup you need. Make sure you have exactly 1 cup.
- Before you make your curd, measure out all of the ingredients you’ll need and have them ready. It goes pretty quick once you get started.
- When you’re working with your tart crust, it’s important to keep it cool. If it starts to get warm, pop it in the fridge for a bit before continuing.
- I mentioned this above, but I’ll say it again: when blind baking your crust, line the inside of the crust with aluminum foil, not parchment — it helps keep the crust edges from browning too much.
- Once your tart is assembled and cooled to room temperature, chill it uncovered (or covered with a cake dome) overnight so the curd can set nice and smooth.
- Questions? Leave me a comment below!
Got Rhubarb? More Rhubarb Recipes To Use Up Your Stash
If you’re like me and have a lot of rhubarb to use up, here are a few more recipes you might enjoy:
Buckwheat Rhubarb Muffins With Pecan Streusel
Ok friends, I hope you love this Rhubarb Curd Tart as much as I do. Give it a try and let me know what you think: leave a review and/or a comment below, and don’t forget to tag me in your photos on Instagram or Facebook!
Happy Baking!
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Rhubarb Curd Tart With Rosewater Meringues
Equipment
- 9-inch tart pan
- Food Processor
- Rolling Pin
- parchment paper
- large saucepan
- fine mesh sieve
- whisk
- stand mixer or hand mixer (for the meringues)
Ingredients
Tart Crust
- 1 1/2 c flour
- 1/2 c powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 9 T very cold butter, cut into small pieces (1 stick + 1 T)
- 1 large egg yolk lightly whisked
Rhubarb Curd
- 13 oz rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces (a little over 3 cups)
- 1/4 c water
- 1 c granulated sugar
- juice of 1 lemon (about 2T)
- 4 large eggs, whisked well
- 2 T butter, softened to room temp
- 1-2 drops red food coloring* optional
- dried rose petals for decoration optional
Rosewater Meringues**
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp corn starch
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp rosewater
Instructions
Tart Crust
- In the bowl of a food processor, add flour, powdered sugar, and salt and pulse just until combined. Add the pieces of cold butter and pulse until the butter is in coarse pieces about the size of large peas.
- Add the egg yolk in three batches, pulsing after each addition. Once all of the egg yolk is in, process for 10-15 seconds at a time until the dough starts to clump. At this point the dough should hold together when you squeeze a little between your fingers.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gather into a ball. Press into a flat disk, then place between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the dough out into a rough circle about 1/4" thick and about 11" in diameter. (If the dough is getting warm, place it on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 30 min-1 hr, then let it sit at room temp just until it's pliable before you proceed…if it's still cold, continue to the next step).
- Remove the parchment paper and fit the dough into the tart pan, pressing it gently to fit into the corners. Trim extra dough from the edges, using it to fill any cracks or holes in the crust. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Pop the crust into the freezer for 30 min – 1 hour. At this point, you can wrap the crust and keep it frozen until you're ready to bake it, or up to 2 months.
- Make sure your oven rack is in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Place a sheet of aluminum foil inside the tart crust, shiny side down, letting it hang over the edges of the tart pan. Press gently to fit the foil into the edges of the crust. Fill the foil with dried beans, uncooked rice, sugar, or pie weights, filling it all the way to the top of the crust.
- Bake the crust for 25 minutes. Remove the foil & filler, and if the crust is puffing up, gently press it down with a spoon or spatula. Bake for another 7-10 minutes or until it is firm and nicely browned. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Rhubarb Curd
- Place rhubarb and water into the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour mixture through a mesh strainer, using a wooden spoon to push as much juice out of the pulp as possible. Discard the pulp and measure your juice – you'll need 1 cup of juice.
- Put juice into a large saucepan with granulated sugar, lemon juice, and eggs, whisking until well-combined. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring/whisking constantly. At this point you can add your red food coloring or ground dehydrated berries (see note). Mix well.
- Once the mixture comes to a simmer, it should start to thicken. Continue simmering and stirring until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It may still seem thin at this point, but it will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the softened butter a bit at a time, allowing each piece to melt before adding more. Once all of the butter is added, pour the curd through a fine mesh strainer to strain out any bits of cooked egg.
- Pour the rhubarb curd into your baked crust and let it cool completely at room temperature. Once it's cool, place it in the refrigerator to chill overnight. You can leave it uncovered or cover it with a cake dome if you have one.
Rosewater Meringues
- Preheat oven to 275°F, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, mix together sugar, cornstarch, and baking powder, and set aside.
- Add egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl if you're using a hand mixer). Whip at medium-high speed until frothy, then add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form — for a total of about 3 minutes of mixing.
- Begin adding sugar mixture 1 T at a time, continuing to beat at medium-high speed. Then add rosewater and beat another 2-3 minutes, or until you have glossy, stiff peaks.
- Spoon meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (I used Ateco #808) and pipe onto prepared cookie sheets. Make sure meringues are all about the same size (about 3/4-1 inch diameter), and leave 1 inch between them.
- Place meringues in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 250°F. Bake for 50-75 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. When they are done, meringues should be puffed, dry, and some of them may have cracks. (Try to catch them before they begin to brown, but even if they brown a bit they'll still be beautiful and tasty). They should sound hollow if you tap the on the bottom.
- Once meringues are done, leave them in the oven with the heat turned off, propping the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Leave the meringues in the oven to cool and dry out for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Decorate Your Tart and Serve!
- When you are ready to serve your rhubarb curd tart, top with rosewater meringues and some dried rose petals (if desired). Slice, serve, and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. At this point the meringues on top will soften and sort of melt into the tart, so they won't be as pretty (but will still taste delicious).
Notes
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