Valentine’s dessert idea : Posh Birds custard tart with spicy roasted rhubarb

I did a bit of a double take when I saw the words Posh Birds in this recipe title when it hit my inbox earlier, thinking it wasn't very politically correct - who says women should be the ones slaving away in the kitchen, and who are they calling posh birds anyway?! - but it's actually quite a clever, tongue-in-cheek name for a new brand marketing "better than average" eggs. The company explains : "Posh Birds are a speciality breed of high-flying birds that are truly living the dream. All our ladies enjoy the finer things in life, and as result they lay delicious eggs of a superior quality." They have Ivory Duchess free-range duck eggs, Speckled Princess free-to-fly quail eggs, Bronze Queen free-range hen eggs and Blue Baroness free-range hen eggs. Whichever eggs you use though, I love the sound of this recipe for custard tart with spicy roasted rhubarb.

****************************************************

Get hot in the kitchen this Valentine’s Day with this delicious

custard tart with spicy roasted rhubarb

Nothing says ‘I love you’ like a home cooked dessert - so impress your loved one with something extra special from Posh Birds. This Valentine’s night why not bake this mouth-watering custard tart with spicy roasted rhubarb.

Rhubarb and custard go perfectly together, so give this scrumptious tart a try - it is bound to bring something extra special to your evening.

Preparation Time: 45 mins

Cooking Time: 1 hour 5 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the pastry:

1 Posh Birds Ivory Duchess duck egg

170g flour

80g butter

Pinch of salt

Approx 2-3 tbsp cold water

For the custard filling:

2 Posh Birds Ivory Duchess duck eggs, plus 1 Posh Birds Ivory Duchess duck egg yolk, lightly beaten

25g caster sugar

300ml single cream

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the roasted rhubarb:

8 stems of rhubarb

150g caster sugar

80ml water

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C/428°C/Gas mark 7

To make the Pastry

Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and water and mix to form dough. Chill for 20 minutes.

Roll out the pastry to line 6 x 10cm individual tart tins, prick the pastry in the bottom of the tins and chill for a further 10 minutes. Take a circle of greaseproof paper and pleat it so that it fits into the pastry cases easily.

 Fill the pastry cases with baking beans and bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove the baking beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.

For the rhubarb

Cut the rhubarb into 10cm lengths. Place in a roasting pan, sprinkle with sugar and water, add cinnamon and star anise and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Lower the temperature to 180°C/356°F/Gas mark 4.

In a large bowl, beat the two duck eggs and the additional duck egg yolk lightly with the sugar.

Warm the cream in a pan until the first boiling bubble appears, then pour slowly over the beaten eggs, stirring constantly. Be careful not to overheat the cream or it will curdle the eggs. Add the vanilla extract.

Pour the egg and milk mixture through a sieve.

Spoon some of the rhubarb into the pre-baked pastry cases, keeping some rhubarb back for the topping, and pour over the custard.

Place the tarts back in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the custard is just set.

When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly. Then remove the tarts from the tins and serve with the remaining rhubarb.

for more information : http://www.posh-birds.com/

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

A Year of Flavour with Herbs & Spices : January

Delicious Desserts Recipes with Aero Bubbly Chocolate

Recipe : Drizzled Date Muffins (& 1000 recipe books up for grabs)