Rhubarb Vanilla Custard Pie

It just hit me, that the very first pie I ever baked, while still a teenager was a rhubarb custard pie.

So it just seems right that I finally get this pie up on the blog!  This pie is pure Spring.  No two ways about it.  Fresh tart pink rhubarb, and vanilla are the stars of this pie.  The custard is just sweet enough to balance the rhubarb, but not so sweet that you forget you are eating rhubarb.  You want to sense that delightful tartness, don’t you!!

Forced or Greenhouse Rhubarb vs Garden Rhubarb

We all get excited when we see those first bright pink stalks at the markets.  For some reason, they always seem to show up in Britain first: thanks to social media these days, we can pretty well tell exactly when it has arrived over the sea, by the sudden flood of beautiful pink hued baked goods.  What we are seeing is forced or greenhouse rhubarb.  It is grown entirely under the cover of protection and watched lovingly till ripe and that signature pink.  Over here in Toronto, I seem to be able to find this same rhubarb around the end of February or the first week of March.  These pink stalks are usually more tender and less tart than the rhubarb we seeing growing like giant weeds during May and June in gardens across North America. In Yorkshire, England they have even sanctioned their Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb with an official designation, like Stilton, or Parmesan, etc.

The rhubarb from your garden will be red, but with a much more of a green undertone.  Unlike the greenhouse rhubarb which is also pink inside, the garden rhubarb is often a pale pink to green inside.  It will grow tougher and more woody, as the season progresses.  So if you have rhubarb growing, or you have a neighbour that does so, you want to pick it before it’s too late in the season.  If you want to slice it up and freeze, use the earlier rhubarb, anything grown before late June depending on where you live.

How to Freeze Rhubarb

Rhubarb has such a presence, and truly is the fruit/veg that ushers in Spring for so many of us.  And we want to keep that feeling alive, by freezing rhubarb to add to crumbles and bakes all through the winter.  The best way to do this is like this: Wash, dry and cut the stalks into 1/2 inch or so slices.  Lay them all out on a wax paper lined baking sheet and place this in the freezer.  Once the individual pieces have frozen, remove them from the baking sheet and place them into freezer bags.  This way they won’t stick to each other, and will make for a much easier and less messy thaw when it comes time to use them in January.

Rhubarb Custard Pie

Honestly, I think this is the most simple, and brilliant way to show off rhubarb!  No other fruit to compete for attention. And the recipe uses ingredients that we all have in the kitchen.  It is as simple as lining a pie dish with pastry, slicing up rhubarb, whisking up eggs and cream and a bit of flour together and pouring them all into said pie plate.  Bake until the custard has just set, and the crust is a golden brown.

The simple addition that takes this pie to the next level is vanilla.  Good vanilla.  I use vanilla paste, but as long as you are using an all natural vanilla extract you’re good.  Don’t be shy with the vanilla either.  This is a case where the vanilla is one of the stars.  Vanilla is such a beautiful flavour against rhubarb, so let it shine.  The finished custard is creamy, a wonderful sensation in your mouth.

Yes,  you can use a ready made pie crust.  Yes you can use my No Fail Pie Pastry.  Or you can substitute cup for cup gluten free flour blends for the all purpose flour in my pastry recipe.  Or you can use a great gluten free pastry that I love, from over at  The Bojon Gourmet.  

Finishing this Pie

The best accompaniment that I know for this pie is a lightly sweetened whipped cream.  Ice cream is fine, but I think it is a little heavy for this tender custard.  Add a little vanilla or even bourbon to the cream as you are whipping it up.  You will want to use icing sugar to sweeten the cream.  Icing sugar contains cornstarch which is a great stabilizer to keep the whipped cream full and firm for a longer period of time. This pie is best kept in the fridge, so that the custard doesn’t separate and start to weep.  It won’t last long, I promise!

While I think a custard pie shouldn’t be served warm, if you want to, reheat any leftover slices at 350F for 10 or so minutes, or until a knife inserted into the filling comes out warm to the touch.

While this recipe works great without the need for par- or blind-baking the crust, if you feel so inclined, check out my Peach Sour Cream Pie for the method.

Love Jen

And if you want some other Rhubarb Pie options, check out: Mojito Strawberry Rhubarb Pie,    Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Mint and Bitters,   Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Urfa Pepper in a Chocolate Marble Crust,  Strawberry Rhubarb Jalousie

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Rhubarb Vanilla Custard Pie

Just the most simple and flavourful way to enjoy rhubarb. It really shines in this simple custard filling, with only vanilla to bring out its perfect tart flavour.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword custard, pie, rhubarb, vanilla

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 52 minutes

Cooling Time 3 hours

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe, (one disk) of my Pie Pastry recipe, see Notes below, can be made with gluten free cup for cup flour blend
• 3 cups rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch or so pieces
• 3 tbsp flour can use gluten free flour blend
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar if you are using garden rhubarb, you may want to increase the sugar by another tbsp or two.
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
• 1/2 tsp salt

Sweetened Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tbsp icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Line a 9 inch pie dish with the pastry and crimp as desired. Chill in the fridge till needed, for at least 30 minutes (this can be done in advance, even the day before)

3. Place the rhubarb in a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle the flour over the rhubarb and give it a good toss to coat the rhubarb evenly. Using a slotted spoon, remove the rhubarb and transfer it to the cooled pie shell.

   If you are using a more shallow pie dish, you may not be able to use all the prepared rhubarb. Place the remaining rhubarb in a ramekin bowl for baking. Leave the remaining flour in the bowl. Place the pie plate near the oven for easy transfer when ready.

4. Add in the sugar, eggs, cream, vanilla and salt to the flour. Whisk until smooth. Pour this custard mixture over the rhubarb. Depending on the size of your pie plate you may not use all the custard. You can fill it almost to the top though, it will not rise all that much when baking. Any remaining custard can be poured over the rhubarb in the ramekin dish (see above)

5. Carefully transfer the pie to the oven. Bake at 425F on the centre rack for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350F and bake until the crust is golden, and the custard is mostly set, about 45-50 minutes or so. You will find that the centre is still just a tad jiggly, but don't worry, it will set as it cools. If you wait till everything is completely set, you will find that the custard is over-baked and will crack along the outer edges. Every oven is different, so start checking after 35 minutes.

6. Let cool on a cooling rack for at least 3 hours, to be completely set. At this point it can be chilled, see Notes. Serve with the sweetened cream.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

1. Using a stand or hand held mixer, whip the cream on low speed for 30 seconds. Up the speed to medium and whip another 30 seconds or so. It should now be starting to thicken. Add the icing sugar by passing it through a small mesh strainer to get rid of any lumps. Add the vanilla. Now increase the speed to high and whisk until you have firm peaks. This will last in a sealed container in the fridge for a day or two as well.

2. See blog post for more recipe details.

Recipe Notes

Here is the link to my Perfect Pie Crust recipe.
If you want to bake this with frozen rhubarb, this time, thaw the rhubarb completely. Pat the pieces dry and toss them in a little bit of flour which will soak up any excess juices as they bake up.

Once cooled, store in the refrigerator, wrapped gently.  Don't wrap too tight, or you will trap moisture, and this can cause the custard to split and affect the crust and turn it soggy.

If you find that the custard did not set, you may have removed it from the oven too early.  Or if you used frozen rhubarb, it may have released too much liquid which wasn't absorbed by the flour.  Also, if you didn't use full fat whipping cream, it also would have affected the custard integrity.

If you want to switch up the flavour, reduce the vanilla to 1 tsp and add 1 tbsp fresh grated orange zest.