Rhubarb tartlets with Italian meringue

What can you make with rhubarb curd? A rhubarb and meringue tart is probably the first thing that comes to mind ;). I made individual tartlets, although you can of course make one large, classic-sized tart. I was feeling particularly lazy that day, so I used a biscuit base, but I would recommend making the base with shortcrust pastry instead, as it will hold together better. These rhubarb tartlets with Italian meringue look as sweet as they taste, and the caramelised meringue makes them especially pretty.

Makes 5 tartlets.

Ingredients for the base:

• 250 g digestive biscuits
• 100 g butter, melted

Place the biscuits and butter in a food processor and blitz until the biscuits are finely crushed and the mixture resembles wet sand. If you don’t have a food processor, place the biscuits in a sturdy bag (such as a resealable bag) and crush them thoroughly with a rolling pin or meat tenderiser, then mix with the melted butter.

Divide the biscuit mixture between five 10 cm tartlet tins with removable bases. Press firmly into the bases and up the sides of the tins. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

Ingredients for the rhubarb curd:

• 400 g rhubarb, cut into small pieces (red or pink stalks)
• 100 g caster sugar
• freshly squeezed juice of ½ a lemon
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg
• 45 g butter, cut into pieces

Place the rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook, stirring, for 10–15 minutes, until the rhubarb has completely broken down. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth.

Return the rhubarb purée to the saucepan, add the egg yolks and whole egg and whisk thoroughly. Place over the heat and cook until it comes to the boil and thickens, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and pass through a sieve. Add the cubed butter to the hot curd and stir until melted. Cover with cling film, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd, and refrigerate until thickened.

It is best to prepare the rhubarb curd a day, or even several days, in advance.

Ingredients for the Italian meringue:

• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 150 g caster sugar (130 g + 20 g)
• 30 ml water

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (the bowl must be completely clean and free from any trace of grease, and the egg whites must be perfectly separated from the yolks). Measure 20 g of the sugar into a small cup and set aside.

Place the remaining 130 g sugar and the water in a small saucepan. Stir, then bring to the boil. Attach a sugar thermometer and cook over a medium heat, without stirring at any point, until the syrup reaches 118°C (245°F). Meanwhile, when the syrup reaches 100°C (210°F), start whisking the egg whites. Whisk as you would for meringue until stiff, adding the reserved sugar gradually, a teaspoon at a time, while continuing to whisk. As soon as the syrup reaches the required temperature, remove it from the heat. Increase the mixer speed to maximum and slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg whites in a thin, steady stream, without stopping the mixer. Continue whisking for 5–8 minutes. The meringue should be very stiff, thick and glossy, and should have cooled down.

Note: This quantity of meringue is enough for much more generous decoration than shown in the photos. I decided to use two egg whites because making Italian meringue with just one egg white is more difficult.

To assemble:

Remove the chilled biscuit bases from the tins and fill with the rhubarb curd.

Transfer the Italian meringue to a piping bag fitted with your favourite decorative nozzle. Pipe the meringue over the rhubarb curd to decorate the tartlets. Use a kitchen blowtorch to caramelise the meringue. Decorate as desired; I used chopped pistachios.

Rhubarb tartlets with Italian meringue should be stored in the fridge, although they will keep well for quite some time at room temperature when served.

Enjoy!