French Style Rhubarb Tart

Who doesn’t like a lovely tart for dessert? This French Style Rhubarb Tart is just that. I have always loved rhubarb and often had stewed rhubarb and custard as a child. It was a favourite as part of my school dinners. Rhubarb crumble was another firm favourite, and still is.

But there is something even better about this French style rhubarb tart. It has a lovely shortcrust pastry, sweet and buttery, and a wonderful almond and vanilla filling. That is topped with rhubarb to make a perfect dessert.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is, as you probably know, quite tart. However forced rhubarb is slightly sweeter and that is what I used. But the soil grown rhubarb works very well too.

I have seen lots of recipes for a rhubarb tart that cook the rhubarb, adding sugar, in advance. However that is not what I wanted. I didn’t want to soften and sweeten the rhubarb in advance. The texture and look of the rhubarb is not the same as when using uncooked rhubarb for the tart. Also the rhubarb releases some juices into the almond filling during baking which enhances the overall flavour. Using cooked rhubarb would have the same result.

The recipe is not too difficult to make, and it has three distinct stages. Firstly make the pastry, and partially bake it. Then make the almond filling and place it into the cooled tart case. Top that with rhubarb, chopped as you wish, to make any pattern. Bake the tart for 30 to 40 minutes and you have the perfect dessert.

Once the tart is baked it is ready to server warm, or cold. But you can also brush over a little apricot jam, if you wish, to glaze the top. I actually used a clear glaze for mine, which came in a packet. But that is difficult to obtain so I haven’t included that in the recipe. The picture above simply shows the tart as it came out of the oven. As you can see it looks great just as it is.

My Rhubarb Tart

For my tart I used a 9 inch/23cm tart tin, with a removable base. I decided upon a pattern for the rhubarb, and I cut the rhubarb into pieces of different lengths and widths to achieve the pattern. Then I laid out the pattern on a circle of parchment paper that was 8 inches/20 cm in diameter. I used that size as the pastry would take up some of the space in the 9 inch pan. Let me stress that you can use any pattern. Or you can simply free form the rhubarb on the top of the filling.

Having made the pastry I baked it for about 10 minutes. That set the pastry up well. I didn’t blind bake it, with baking beans, though that would work very well too. Then I allowed the pastry to cool as I made the almond filling. That was then placed into the pastry and I transferred my rhubarb pattern onto the filling.

I baked my tart for 40 minutes, covering the edge of the pastry with some foil for the last 10 minutes to avoid excessive browning. After 40 minutes the filling had risen up through the rhubarb somewhat and it had set well on the top.

I removed the tart from the oven and left it to cool completely before putting a glaze over the top. Though, as I mentioned above, that is not included as part of the recipe. Instead, if you wish, just brush a little warmed apricot jam over the top to provide a sheen.

Another lovely tart is: Iced Bakewell Tart

French Style Rhubarb Tart

Recipe by geoffcooCourse: Desserts, Pies, TartsDifficulty: Medium

Servings

12

servings

Prep time – Incl. waiting

1

hour 

40

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• 4 or 5 stalks of rhubarb, chopped into shapes for your pattern

• Pastry

• 230g(1 1/2 cups + 2tsp, based on scooping packed flour into a 250ml cup) plain flour

• 75g(9 tbsp) icing sugar

• 60g(1/2 cup+1/2 tbsp) ground almonds

• 130g(9 tbsp+1/2 tsp) softened unsalted butter

• 1 medium egg(large in USA)

• pinch of salt

• Filling

• 60g(1/4 cup+1 tsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 70g(1/4 cup+ 1 1/2tbsp) demerara sugar(granulated will be fine too)

• 70g(1/2cup + 3 tbsp) ground almonds

• 1 medium egg(large in USA)

• Seeds from a vanilla pod(or a tsp of vanilla extract)

• 1.5g(1/4 tsp) salt

Directions

• Cream the butter and icing sugar together.
• Add the egg and whisk to combine.
• Place the salt and ground almonds onto the mixture and stir to combine.
• Add the flour and mix again, until the mixture clumps into a soft dough.
• Tip the dough onto some plastic wrap and squeeze into a ball, then flatten it to a disc.
• Chill the dough for about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/350F
• Roll the dough out on a floured surface, to a diameter of about 12 inches/30 cm.
• Carefully transfer the dough into a 9inch/23cm tart pan which has been buttered and floured, with a piece of parchment covering the base.
• Press the dough into the edge of the pan, to create the fluted edge. Cut off the excess dough,leaving a slight overhang.
• Prick all over the base of the pastry with a fork.
• Bake the pastry for about 10 minutes to allow it to set up(you can also blind bake it if you wish).
• Allow the pastry to cool as you make the filling.
• Place the egg and melted butter into a bowl, with the vanilla seeds and whisk to distribute the seeds throughout.
• Pour in the sugar and salt and whisk again.
• Add the ground almonds and stir until the mixture is a gloopy paste.
• Tip the filling into the pastry case and spread it out to cover the base.
• Arrange the rhubarb onto the top of the filling, in the pattern you prefer.
• Place the tart into the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes(covering the edge with foil if the crust is browning too fast), until the centre feels firm to the touch.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool until you wish to serve it, warm or cold.