Rhubarb Tartlets
Recipe by Silvia Baldini — I’m a big fan of thick and crunchy rhubarb stalks. I especially appreciate the sourness of the field-grown plants, which are pronounced in flavor and have cherry red stalks and deep green leaves. Rhubarb season starts now, in March and it peaks in June-July. I recently found a good looking bunch at my local store and I couldn’t resit baking a few tartlets. I prefer to free form my tartlets and bake them on rimmed baking sheets, always lined with baking paper, to catch the inevitable cooking juices. You can also make a large tart in a removable bottom pan, however I personally enjoy a little chaos in my kitchen. I brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle it with sugar to make a crispy crust. I cover the bottom of the tartlets with a couple of spoons of almond flour to absorb the cooking juices. Even if it’s not season yet, I decided to threw in a handful of sliced strawberries to help balance the rhubarb tartness, (blueberries, cherries or pineapple chunks would work as well).
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Rhubarb Tartlets
Recipe by Silvia Baldini — I’m a big fan of thick and crunchy rhubarb stalks. I especially appreciate the sourness of the field-grown plants, which are pronounced in flavor and have cherry red stalks and deep green leaves. Rhubarb season starts now, in March and it peaks in June-July. I recently found a good looking bunch at my local store and I couldn’t resit baking a few tartlets. I prefer to free form my tartlets and bake them on rimmed baking sheets, always lined with baking paper, to catch the inevitable cooking juices. You can also make a large tart in a removable bottom pan, however I personally enjoy a little chaos in my kitchen. I brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle it with sugar to make a crispy crust. I cover the bottom of the tartlets with a couple of spoons of almond flour to absorb the cooking juices. Even if it’s not season yet, I decided to threw in a handful of sliced strawberries to help balance the rhubarb tartness, (blueberries, cherries or pineapple chunks would work as well).
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| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4individual tartlets | 30minutes plus resting time |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 45minutes | 30 minutes for resting time |
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Ingredients
Tartlets Dough
- 1 ½cups flour
- ½ medium orange zested, organic
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾cup unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 6tablespoons iced water
Instructions
Make the dough
- In a food processor, pulse the flour, orange zest and salt. Add the butter and process briefly. Sprinkle over the ice-cold water and pulse for about 5 seconds, until just moistened.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead it 2 or 3 times until it comes together. Pat the dough into a disc. Lay a sheet of baking parchment on your work surface and dust it with flour. Roll out the dough and shape in 4 individual circles, about 5 inches in diameter or make an individual 13 inches circle, 1/4 of an inch thick to use in a tart pan. Transfer the parchment to a rimmed baking sheet and chill the pastry in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Make the filling
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the rhubarb in a bowl with the orange zest, juice, honey, sugar, salt, corn starch and mix well.
Assemble the tartlets
- Sprinkle the almond flower at the bottom of the rolled out tart or divide between the individual tartlets. Arrange the rhubarb on top of the pastry and sprinkle over any remaining sugary mixture. Leave a border of 2 inches around the edge of the pastry, fold in and crimp with a fork. Brush the fruit with melted butter and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 10–12 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 375°F and then bake for a further 30–35 minutes.