I’ve seen a bunch of collections of stunningly artistic tarts on social media over the years and always secretly wanted to try my hand at it. So when Mom came home from the farmer’s market with rhubarb one day, I decided it was my time to shine. I couldn’t find any recipes that seemed like what I was going for, so we ended up combining several recipes to get a pretty stunning end result.
Oh, and it was also delicious.
Rhubarb Frangipane Tart
Servings: 12
Equipment
- 9" removable bottom tart pan
- Food processor
- hand mixer
Ingredients
Tart Shell
- 3.5 oz unsalted butter melted or browned
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour plus 1 tbsp
- pinch salt
Almond Frangipane
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup sugar divided in two 1/4 c portions
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 oz unsalted butter (6 tbsp) softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Rhubarb
- 1.5-2 lbs rhubarb stalks
- 1.5 cups water
- 1.5 cups sugar
Instructions
Make the tart shell
- Preheat oven to 350°. Place tart pan onto a sheet pan to catch any butter that drips during baking.
- Combine dry ingredients well, stirring with a fork or spatula. Add melted butter and vanilla and continue mixing well until dough is moist and uniform and no dry flour remains.
- Press dough into tart pan, starting with sides and then pressing into base. Dock base with fork to prevent over puffing. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Leave on baking sheet and allow to cool slightly while preparing frangipane and pears. Leave oven at 350°.
Prep the rhubarb
- Wash and trim the rhubarb. Slice each stalk lengthwise and then into 3 cm sticks, cut on the bias. It may be easiest to slice one very carefully and then use it as a template to finish the rest. Keep any odd offcuts; you may need them to fill in edges.
- Combine sugar and water in a large, shallow saucepan and bring to a boil. Once sugar is dissolved, add rhubarb and turn off the heat.
- Stir through and then leave to come to room temperature.
- When rhubarb is just warm, remove it and bring simple syrup (sugar water) back to a boil. Reduce until it comes to syrup consistency.
Make the frangipane
- Combine almond flour and ¼ cup sugar, then add flour and combine.
- Beat together butter and remaining ¼ cup sugar with hand mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add extracts and beat to combine. Reduce speed to low, add nut mixture and beat just until combined. Spread frangipane in tart shell.
Arrange the rhubarb
- Cut out a circle of parchment paper the size of the tart pan. Arrange the rhubarb in the design of your choice on the parchment. Cut pieces as needed to fit the edges of the pan. Carefully transfer one piece at a time to the tart.
Bake
- Bake until frangipane is puffed and golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Brush rhubarb with simple syrup and cool tart completely in pan on rack. Remove side of pan and slide tart off base onto serving plate. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
