Rhubarb Custard Pie – A Recipe to be Reckoned With
Though I do say so myself, I make a mean rhubarb pie: elegantly plain, in the classic flaky crust plus sweetened fruit fashion; lily-painted, as in Deep Dish Rhubarb Peach Pie, and mixed with black cherry jam , as an easy rhubarb crostata that’s not really pie but is really tasty (and very nearly instant).
However
The pie that makes people say “ I thought I hated rhubarb, but this is wonderful!” is Carol’s Mother’s Deep Dish Rhubarb Custard Pie.
Both title and ingredients may raise warning flags to experienced cooks: rhubarb and custard sound like curdled filling just waiting to happen; the custard itself contains enough flour to suggest the result might be more than a tad stodgy. Fear not.
The custard is soft and smooth, and although this pie is far from light, that’s just because it’s big; the flour has nothing to do with it.
All credit goes to my friend Carol – the wine colored dahlia Carol, not the Heath Bar Cookie one. When she sent me the recipe, back in 1992, she said: “This is straight out of my mother’s copy of the Betty Furness Westinghouse Cookbook (Simon and Schuster, 1954). I just doubled all of the ingredients…” so, with credit where due, Carol’s transmission of
Carol’s Mother’s Betty Furness’ Westinghouse Cookbook Deep Dish Rhubarb Custard Pie
Place in a 9 inch pie-plate (deep dish variety) pastry for a 1-crust pie. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. The baking time is 50-60 minutes (I’ve found it to be closer to 60 than 50).
Fill the pastry lined plate with 6 C. cut rhubarb. Over this, pour the following mixture: 4 beaten eggs, 4 T. milk, 2.5 C. sugar (white or brown as you like), 6 T. flour, ½ t. salt, ½ t. nutmeg. Then dot with 2 T. butter.
You can add a lattice top, but if you have pretty strawberry rhubarb, you really don’t need that sort of camouflage.
Cooks’ Notes:
1. (Pastry recipe here if needed) The deep dish must be very deep, and it pays to build up the pastry rim to add a bit more height. Even then there may be a bit of custard left over, depending on your pan and how you measure the rhubarb. Stop pouring a bit short of the top or you’ll have custard all over the oven.
2. Size of rhubarb slices isn’t critical, but they should be somewhere around ½ to ¾ inch wide.
3. Custard is smoothest and least inclined to puff over if you mix the dry ingredients first, then stir in the lightly beaten eggs. Brown sugar adds both color and flavor, enriching the experience; the pie is prettier and clearer-tasting with white. Warning: this custard is very sweet, a real souvenir of the 1950′s. I haven’t experimented with using less sugar – our rhubarb is very tart – but you might want to.
4. I like having the lattice, not so much for decoration as because additional pastry makes a better balanced pie.
5. This bakes so long the bottom crust isn’t as soggy as you might fear, but it will be crisper if you use a baking stone as described in the recipe for Maple Walnut Pie (which is very good served frozen, btw, should you be looking for an excuse to make one for summer consumption).
6. If you do have extra custard, see it as a bonus. Pour it into a greased dish that it will fill halfway, add some more rhubarb and put the leftover pastry (lattice always leaves a little) around the edge and over the top. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the dish, and keep the little pudding at home when you take the pie to the party.
This little pudding also includes a few lumps of ricotta - there wasn't that much leftover custard and I wanted to have enough for both of us.
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You know this is serendipity, I was JUST looking for a rhubarb dessert to make. Don’t know why, just felt like a seasonal treat. So, I’ll be trying this out in the next three weeks and I’ll keep you posted on the results.
Over here at RA, we can vouch for OTT (as in over the top) deliciousness of this pie. The combination of rhubarb and custard is unbeatable–and that crust, oh that crust!
I will have to try this, as I have rhubarb coming out my ears, but am not much of a fan. Thanks!
This looks wonderful. It’s amazing how simple ingredients can yeild such a treat. We always have a lot of Rhubarb and it’s nice to find a different recipe. Most of our pies are the ones that you describe-Rhubarb & Sugar. The addition of a custard is a surprise!
Darn! Don’t I wish the rhubarb was doing well enough to be harvested this year. Wonder how my son’s rhubarb is doing…
This is one of my favorite pies and your recipe is a little different than mine, so I’m eager to try it. Nice combo, fruit, custard and crust. Nice lattice work!
I made this Saturday, using brown sugar. It did not set up completely before the crust was too brown, but it was amazing nonetheless. Finally, a rhubarb recipe I can love! Thanks!
Needless to say, you’re welcome, Ali! Though of course I’m sorry to hear the custard was recalcitrant. It never does get as firm as the custard in classic custard pie, but it should have been cohesive enough to stay in the slice when chilled. Right now, I mostly hope your rhubarb is still producing enough for you to play with. Ours is over for this year and I’m missing it exceedingly. LL
My mother made a rhubarb custard pie same recipe only we put a meringue on top after baking. I lost the recipe and found yours to be the same except for the meringue.
Note: She at times crushed soda crackers for thickening instead of flour. VERY GOOD.
nice pie ate some at your house pat many moons ago still think of you every day love and prayers Lou and her lost friend
Sounds and looks amazing!!….and that being said after just snarfing down 2 huge helpings of strawberry shortcake!
Pass the pie!