Clara Cooks

RHUBARB FRANGIPANE TART 

Every year I have an overload of Rhubarb growing in the veggie garden, I make gorgeous jams and compotes out of it as well as these lovely tarts. This Rhubarb Frangipane tart is an old classic and a beautiful looking dessert to wow your friends and family.

Frangipane tarts can be accompanied by many different fruits. Frangipane is a sweet filling made from or flavoured with almonds and goes back to the 16th century named after an Italian nobleman Marquis Muzio Frangipane. 

I use a 9-inch tart tin with a removable base

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry

10oz Flour

5oz butter

2 Tablespoons icing sugar 

1 medium egg with 4 tablespoons of water mixed

For the  Frangipane

100g butter

100 g caster sugar

1 egg and 1 egg yolk (beaten)

110g ground almonds

25g plain flour

6 tablespoons of good quality gin

400g rhubarb

Apricot Glaze (optional)

175g apricot jam

Juice of ¼ lemon

A little water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃/350F
2. For the pastry mix the flour and butter in the food processor until it looks like a crumb texture. Add in the egg and water mixture. Once it starts coming together, turn off the processor and put out on a floured surface
3. Collect the pastry into a ball with your hands and flatten down a small bit. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for 15-30 min.
4. Take the pastry out of the fridge. I like to give my pastry a quick 2 min knead again before rolling.
5. Sprinkle the worktop with flour and roll out, turning the pastry in a clockwork position after every roll. Use your palette knife to ensure the pastry does not stick to the surface. Remember you can always sprinkle more flour if you need to. Keep checking the base of your tin for the size required ensuring you have enough to come up the edges of the tin. Once you are happy with the size, line the tin and flute the edges. Return to the fridge and chill for 30 min. 
6. Once fully chilled take out and cover with parchment paper put in baking beans, if you don’t have baking beans you can use rice or other dried pulses as an alternative. Blind bake for 20 min, take out and remove the beans and parchment paper,  brush egg wash on base and put back in for 5 min.
7. Take out and allow to cool for 10 min.
8. For the frangipane cream the butter, gradually add in your sugar and continue beating until mixture is light and soft. Add in your egg mixture little by little, beating well after each addition. Stir in the ground almonds and flour and then add in the gin. 
9. Pour the frangipane into the pastry case spreading it evenly. 
10. Cut the rhubarb into 4cm lengths and start placing them on the frangipane starting with the outer circle working your way in to get the desired design.
11. Turn the oven up to 200℃ and bake for 15 min until the pastry is beginning to brown. Turn the oven down to 180℃ and bake for a further 15-20 min. The Rhubarb should be tender and the frangipane set and golden brown.
12. If you want to do the apricot glaze, melt the apricot jam, lemon juice and a little water in a small pan. The glaze should have a consistency that can be poured. Put the contents through a nylon sieve and then into a jar. This will last months in your fridge. 
13. Paint the tart generously with the glaze and remove from the baking tin onto a serving dish.

This can be served hot or cold with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Delicious!