Baked rhubarb and custard
This silky, comforting combination of baked custard and rhubarb should convert even those who are on the fence about rhubarb (or custard). It gives a beautiful visual contrast of pink on yellow, and a lovely contrast of tangy fruit and creamy, comforting custard.
Ingredients
for the baked custard
- 1 litre whole milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 6 eggs and 2 egg yolks
- 150g caster sugar
- ¼ tsp nutmeg, grated
for the rhubarb
- 500g rhubarb, cut into 4-5cm lengths
- 120g caster sugar
- 100ml water
- zest of 1 and juice of 2 oranges
Method
main
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Fold a clean tea towel over a couple of times and put in the base of a roasting pan. Place a 1.5 litre ovenproof dish on top, making sure it sits flat.
To make the custard
-
Step 1
gently heat the milk in a saucepan until it's steaming (don't let it boil). Put the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a large heatproof bowl. Stir gently together. Try not to form too many air bubbles. Take the milk off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
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Step 2
Gradually pour the milk onto the egg mixture, stirring gently. Strain the mixture through a sieve into the ovenproof dish. Scatter the nutmeg over the top.
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Step 3
Boil a kettle of water. Put the roasting tray with the ovenproof dish in on the middle shelf of your oven. Pour the boiled water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the dish and form a water bath. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/Gas 3 (don't worry about the tea towel - it has water covering it, so won't be a fire hazard!).
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Step 4
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until just set but with a wobble. The custard will carry on cooking when you take it out of the oven, so don't let it overcook.
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Step 5
Carefully remove the ovenproof dish from the water. Leave to cool slightly while the rhubarb is cooking, or make in advance, leave to cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge for a firmer texture.
For the rhubarb
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Step 1
once the custard has cooked, turn the heat up to 200°C/Gas 6. Put all the ingredients in a baking dish, one that can fit the rhubarb in a single layer if possible. Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes, or slightly longer if the rhubarb stalks are very thick. Halfway through, remove and toss to make sure the rhubarb cooks evenly.