A slick looking Rhubarb Tart following an adapted recipe from La Patisserie Des Reves. Perfect to try out at this time of the year as Rhubarb is (finally) in season
Out of all the patisseries I have been to, La Patisserie Des Reves has to be one of my favourite and most respected. I came across it originally when I was travelling in Paris on a friend’s recommendation – and it is one of those places where you would immediately be struck by their futuristic design and original take on traditional patisseries. Their pastries are elegant, intricate and in most cases taste better than you’d expect.
It is of no surprise that I immediately bought their book when I found out that they published an English version (although to be honest, even if that wasn’t available I would have bought the French version anyway and try translate it myself). Having tried out a number of recipes from the book, however, I think that it is probably fair to say that although their photos look absolutely amazing, the recipes can be a bit of an hit and miss.
Their Rhubarb tart is a clear example of that: while the photo in the book shows a very smooth and well layered rhubarb slices on top, they are difficult to achieve in real life. In fact, having looked at a number of other bloggers who tried it out, they all looked radically different from this picture. Even photo of the tart made from the Pattiserie themselves do not look as slick as this one.
Rhubarb tart recipe from La Patisserie des Reves
I tried this recipe twice. It looked ugly the first time – mainly because the rhubarb I used was out of season and therefore very green. So when I came across the beautifully red ones a few weeks back, I immediate snapped them up and gave it another go
Cutting ripe rhubarb into thin strips
I used a different recipe for the pastry – there are literally thousands of different variations out there. This one (from William Curley, see below) works and taste best from my experience
Pastry case
Fill the tart case with almond cream and bake for 15 minutes
Rhubarb Paste (can be prepared 1-2 days in advance)
Fill the tart with Rhubarb paste until full
Trim the pastry case for a clean finish
Layer the Rhubarb tart with rhubarb strips, avoiding gaps or overlap
The rhubarb strips are quite difficult to cut side way – so I’d suggest the best way to trim it around the tart is using a sharp scissors. I used a small (but really sharp one) from my swiss knife…
Trim the rhubarb strips carefully with a sharp pair of scissors
Rhubarb tart after trimming
Rhubarb tart slice – the cross section should show clear layers
The finished tart does taste amazing. The tanginess of the rhubarb is well balanced by the sugar on both the rhubarb strips and paste, and also supplemented nicely by the soft almond cream. This tart is best served on the day it is made, otherwise the pastry case will go soft.
Ingredients:
Sweet shortcrust pastry:
65g unsalted butter, cubed
50g icing sugar sifted
25g whole eggs (~half a beaten egg)
125g plain flour
pinch of salt
Rhubarb paste:
300g fresh rhubarbs, peeled and cut into 2-3cm chunks
25ml water
Juice of ½ small lemon
100g caster sugar
1.5 sheets gelatine
Almond cream:
50g unsalted butter, softened and cubed
50g caster sugar
50g egg beaten (~1 egg)
50g ground almond
10g plain (all-purpose) flour sifted
Rhubarb Slices:
3 stalks fresh rhubarb
Caster sugar (for sprinkling on the slices)
For 8-10 people (using 22cm tart ring, 2cm deep)
- For the sweet shortcrust pastry (can be made a few days in advance): put butter in the mixing bowl and beat (easiest with an electric whisk / mixer) till soft and smooth. Then add the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Then gradually incorporate the eggs, making sure the mixture becomes fully emulsified
- Mix in the flour and combine to a smooth mass. Then turn the dough out onto the work surface, shape it into a block and wrap it in cling film and put the dough in the fridge to rest until firm (ideally 2-3 hours)
- For the Rhubarb paste (can also be made a few days in advance): put the rhubarb chunks into a saucepan over medium heat. Add water, lemon juice, sugar and pinch of salt and simmer for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. It is done when it becomes a thick paste
- Soften the gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for 3-5 minutes. Squeeze out the water by hand and the stir them into the rhubarb paste until dissolved and incorporated. Pour into a bowl and cover with cling film. Refrigerate until needed
- Making the pastry case: roll out the pastry on a floured work surface to about 5mm thick. Line a tart ring (or tart tin) with it and place in the fridge for around 40 minutes until firmed up again
- Preheat the oven to 170 C (gas mark 3 to 4). Take the tin out of the fridge and lay a sheet of baking parchment over the pastry. Fill the case with baking beans and blind bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly coloured
- For the almond cream: Put the butter and caster sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Gradually beat in the eggs and mix until combined. Lastly fold in the ground almonds and the flour and mix until smooth
- Fill the pastry case with almond cream to within 1cm of the edge. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the almond cream is golden and soft. Trim the edge of the tart to ensure it is level all around.
- Making the rhubarb slices: strip the rhubarb stalks and then cut along the length to obtain about 20 slices, 1/2 cm thick
- Lay the rhubarb slices flat on a baking tray (lined with baking parchment) then sprinkle generously with caster sugar. Bake at 150 C (gas mark 2) for 2-3 minutes until soft and shiny. (note: keep a close eye on them, if you over bake them, it will curl and become crisp, making it difficult to lay onto the tart and get the shiny smooth finish)
- Assemble the tart: fill the tart case with rhubarb case up to the very top (note: this is important because otherwwise the rhubarb slices will sink below the top). Smooth over the surface then arrange the rhubarb slices on top, laying them side by side and making sure that there is no gap / overlap between them. It should look smooth from the side. Trim the edges using a sharp scissors
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