Rhubarb meringue pie 1

Rhubarb meringue pie

Written by on in Fruit desserts, Tarts

Rhubarb meringue pie recipe. Soft and melt-in-the-mouth, this tart combines the slight acidity of rhubarb and the sweetness of the meringue.

Every time I go to the Alsace region in France, I scour the pastry shops for a rhubarb meringue pie. I’ve always loved the contrast of the tartness of the rhubarb and the sweetness of the meringue and custard filling.

I already had a rhubarb pie recipe on the blog, but after I after trying Maxime’s rhubarb flan filling.

I was very happy with the end result. The pie is delicious and melts-in-your-mouth. The tartness and sourness of the rhubarb was nicely softened and balanced by the custard and meringue without the pie going the other extreme and being too sweet like some of my earlier attempts.

Rhubarb meringue pie 2

Rhubarb meringue pie

Rhubarb meringue pie recipe. Soft and melt-in-the-mouth, this tart combines the slight acidity of rhubarb and the sweetness of the meringue.

For the shortcrust pastry:

  • 250 g (2 cups) flour
  • 75 g (2/3 cups) icing sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 125 g (1/2 cup) butter
  • 50 g eggs (about 1 egg)
  • a dash of water (if needed)

For the filling:

  • 640 g (6 1/2 cups) chopped rhubarb
  • 70 g (1/3 cup) sugar

For the custard filling:

  • 90 g eggs (about 2 eggs)
  • 25 g 2 tbsp sugar
  • 170 g (3/4 cups) whole milk

For the French meringue:

  • 100 g egg whites (about 3-4 egg whites)
  • 200 g (1 cup) sugar

Prepare the dough:

  1. Place the flour, salt, icing sugar and butter in a bowl and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can also use a stand mixer (paddle attachment). 

  2. Add the egg and water (if needed) and continue mixing quickly until the dough comes together. Flatten the dough into a disc and chill the dough for at least 1h.

  3. Preheat the oven to 170°C (340F), convection setting. Remove the dough from the fridge, roll out the pastry to 3mm thick and use it to line the tart tin. Prick all over with a fork and refrigerate again for 1h.

  4. Blind bake the pie crust: cover the pastry with a sheet of baking paper, and fill with dried beans, rice, or ceramic beads. Bake at 180°C (355F) for about 15 minutes. Remove the dried beans/rice/ceramic beads and the baking paper. 

Prepare the rhubarb custard filling:

  1. Wash, peel and cut the rhubarb into 1 cm sections. Add sugar and mix. Let drain in a colander for 30 minutes.

  2. In the meantime, prepare the flan: mix the eggs and sugar, then add the milk.

  3. Pour the rhubarb into the pre-baked pie shell, add the flan and bake for 30 minutes at 180 °C (355F).

Prepare the French meringue:

  1. Start whisking the egg whites on a slow speed (if you start on high, it will be unstable and collapse). Increase the speed to medium after 1 minute. When the eggs whites get a bit foamy, add 1/3 of the sugar, mix for a bit, then add the second 1/3, mix, and after adding the last 1/3, you can increase your mixing speed and mix until you get firm peaks.

  2. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a nozzle of your choice. Pipe the meringue decoratively over top. Alternatively, you can also simply dollop the meringue over the pie and use a spatula to create decorative peaks and swirls.

  3. Bake at 150°C (300F) for 30 minutes using the convection setting. The meringue will then be slightly golden and crisp on top.

  4. Store the pie at room temperature, under a bell if you have one. Avoid storing in the refrigerator as it could soften the meringue if it is too humid.

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