I love the vibrant flavor and tartness of strawberry and rhubarb.  A strawberry rhubarb pie is one of the best things about spring.  That and the end of another soul-crushing Chicago winter of course.  I wanted to see if I could pack all that spring flavor into a tart resembling a lemon meringue pie, using rhubarb as the filling and adding strawberries to the classic Italian meringue topping.  This Strawberry Rhubarb Tart does it all.  It’s bursting with juicy flavor, rich and tart, and topped with pillowy swirls of strawberry meringue.

The Perfect Crust:

For this strawberry rhubarb tart I chose a sturdy shortbread crust that would stand up to the moisture without getting soggy and stay crisp for several days in the fridge.  It’s the base of a yummy lemon tart from Ina Garten and it is extra-sturdy and buttery and yummy.  I’ve used this same crust with curd fillings before, like this Earl Grey Lavender Lemon Tart or this lemon tart with White Chocolate Blueberry Buttercream, and it’s worked like a charm.  When you put the tart dough in the pan, expect it to be quite crumbly.  Press it into the bottom and up the sides as evenly as you can, then chill it completely before baking.  I’ve made my tart in a 10″ wide pan with 2″ high sides because I like the way the meringue is nestled into the pan.  But if you only have a classic tart pan, you can simply reduce the crust recipe by about a third.  Everything else will be the same, your meringue rosettes will just be sitting atop the tart instead of inside it.

Fine-tuned Rhubarb Curd:

It was a little tricky getting the rhubarb curd to thicken up.  In the end, I used a few tablespoons of corn starch to make sure it would set-up enough to be sliced and served easily.  You don’t really need to use a blender or food processor on the rhubarb puree unless, like me, you demand complete and total silky-smoothness from your fruit curds.  I had to buy my rhubarb at the grocery store since it’s so early in the season.  It was rather floppy but cooked up just fine and with a lot of flavor so don’t worry if your rhubarb isn’t perfect.  Depending on how red it is, you will probably need to add a few drops of red food dye to the curd if you want it to have the deep pink color of rhubarb.  I needed two drops of Americolor Super Red.

Strawberry Meringue Topping:

I made a few versions of this tart trying to figure out which type of meringue topping would be best.  There are lots of methods for making meringues.  They are all surprisingly straightforward but each have their own pros and cons.  The first version I made  was topped with crisp baked French meringue dollops.

I’ve made them a bazillion times and prefer the convenience of this method because it doesn’t involve a candy thermometer like the more stable Italian meringue does.  I have a weird mental block about candy thermometers.  But I found it was difficult to arrange them snugly enough to cover the filling. It was difficult to cut into slices without making a huge mess. And they got soggy quickly, dissolving into the filling and making an unappealing layer of soupy syrup on the top.  So I got out the candy thermometer (where’s my big girl baking trophy?) and made a strawberry Italian meringue.  It was worth it.  Italian meringue is very stable and can be refrigerated for several days without deflating or weeping.  It’s got great volume compared to a Swiss meringue (another type of stable meringue where the egg whites are heated slowly over a bain marie) so it didn’t get to weighed down when I added the strawberry powder.  And because it stays soft but firm, it’s perfect for piping and slicing.  You may also want to add a bit of red food dye to pink it up a bit like I did, but that’s your call.

Assembling the Perfect Strawberry Rhubarb Tart:

The crust can be baked the day before assembling the tart.  Just wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it.  You can also make the curd ahead, it can be refrigerated for 3-5 days or frozen for a few months.  The strawberry meringue can be made the day before, covered and refrigerated.  It’s best to assemble this tart on the day it’s being served, but I made mine three days ago and when I tasted it this morning it was still crisp on the bottom and holding together fine.  To put it all together, lay your sliced strawberries in a single layer, cover with some of the rhubarb curd then add another layer of strawberries and another layer of curd.  Let it chill completely, then pipe the meringue on top.  You can get this rosette effect with the meringue by using a 1M star tip stuck into a ziplock bag.  It looks pretty fancy but it is so easy and foolproof.  My 11 and seven-year-old daughters could have done this tart top.  Just remember to start the rosette in the center and pipe a circle around that point.  Fill in any gaps with little stars.  Don’t bother trying to make it perfect, it’s going to look so elegant and appealing no matter what.

More Rose-Topped Tarts And Fruit-Filled Treats From Baker’s Brigade:

• Earl Grey Lemon Lavender Tart
• Blackberry Bramble Bars
• Dark Chocolate Tart with Espresso Whipped Cream
• Lemon Rosemary Linzer Cookies

Print Recipe

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

This tart is an elegant reimagining of a lemon meringue pie and strawberry rhubarb pie. It has a vibrant flavor and tartness, with a silky smooth rhubarb curd and decadent strawberry meringue topping. It can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

Tart Crust:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• pinch salt

Rhubarb Curd:

• 3/4 pound rhubarb bright red stalks, cut in 1/2" slices
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 5 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• zest of one lemon
• 4 tablespoons butter softened
• a few drops red food dye optional
• 3/4 pounds fresh strawberries sliced, for layering in the tart

Strawberry Meringue:

• 5 egg whites room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ounce freeze-dried strawberries ground into a powder
• a few drops red food dye optional

Servings servings Ingredients Tart Crust: 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour pinch salt Rhubarb Curd: 3/4 pound rhubarb bright red stalks, cut in 1/2" slices 1/3 cup sugar 3 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons corn starch 5 egg yolks 2/3 cup sugar pinch salt zest of one lemon 4 tablespoons butter softened a few drops red food dye optional 3/4 pounds fresh strawberries sliced, for layering in the tart Strawberry Meringue: 5 egg whites room temperature 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ounce freeze-dried strawberries ground into a powder a few drops red food dye optional

Instructions

For Tart Crust:

1. Mix the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Press the dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false-bottom tart pan, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside the chilled tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Slowly lift the edge of the foil, if it sticks it needs to dry out more. Put back in oven and check every 2 minutes until the foil lifts off cleanly. Remove the foil and beans. Prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. If the edge is browning too quickly, cover it with a ring of foil or pie shield. Allow to cool to room temperature.

For Rhubarb Curd:

1. Combine the sliced rhubarb and 1/3 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes. Then cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until no chunks are still visible. If a super smooth consistency is desired, puree in the pan with an immersion blender or transfer to food processor and blend until smooth. Let the rhubarb puree cool before moving on to the next step.
2. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch and stir until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture, 1 cup of rhubarb puree, the egg yolks, 2/3 c. sugar and salt to a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat until mixture is thickened and coats the back of the spoon, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes. You may turn the heat up a little once the mixture is warm if it does not thicken within 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest. Then stir in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until smooth. Set aside to cool.

For Strawberry Meringue:

1. Make sure your stand mixer bowl is completely clean and free of any fatty residue which will prevent your egg whites from whipping properly. If you're unsure, you can wipe the inside of your bowl with some lemon juice, then wipe again with a paper towel. Using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-low until bubbles start to form. Then turn up the mixer to high and beat until the egg whites are just starting to hold a soft peak.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Cook over low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Turn up the heat and boil until temperature reads 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
3. Once, the sugar and water have reached 240 degrees, turn the mixer back on high and add the syrup in a steady stream, being careful not to pour it directly onto the moving whisk attachment. Continue mixing on high until the bowl feels just barely warm to the touch. Then add the vanilla and beat again. Next add the strawberry powder in three additions, beating well each time. This mixture can be kept covered in the refrigerator for a day or used right away.

Assembling The Tart:

1. In the bottom of the tart shell, arrange a layer of strawberry slices starting at the edges and working inward. Cover the strawberries completely with about a third of the rhubarb curd. Add another layer of strawberries and another layer of curd. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 3 hours. You will have rhubarb curd leftover.
2. Using a piping bag or ziplock fitted with a 1M tip, pipe the meringue in large rosettes onto the top of the cooled tart, filling in any gaps with small stars. The tart should keep, covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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