Plump juicy fruit appears with the season, patient and allowing nature’s my normal course.
Rhubarb’s the only who blows my cool. Impatient, I push. Store after shelf I stalk the ruby red. Shelves echo no, no, until a rosy yes! My hands shake, fumbling. Pie, you’ll soon be. Glorious pie, shared with those who adore and have yet, but after one taste, won’t remember a day without.
This year, a change, an eye catching recipe. Roasted Rhubarb Bakewell. I’ve never but now desperate, must have this dessert in my life.
While awaiting rhubarb, I juggle my own tailored rhu baby pie, Vikalinka’s heavenly recipe, paper and pen.
Alas! Imagine orange/clove/vanilla bean roasted rhubarb wedged into an almond orange zest frangipane, making one delicate puffed dessert. If you too have never, sweet dreams are made of Roasted Rhubarb Bakewell Tarts.
The house, the neighborhood, piece by piece, all aglow.
Bakewell Tart
the making is similar to pie, but easier ~ a recipe good for losing yourself in vibrant color, irresistible flavor and sampling at its best ~ worth every stage as when the sun bounces, this tart radiates ~ faces have a different glow with each wedge shared ~ the power of food, bringing and holding people together
Enough talk, let’s get to it.
Step By Step
Roast Rhubarb.
Make and bake the tart dough.
Whirl the frangipane.
Bake the Bakewell.
Cool.
If wanting, (which is an incredible addition =) make fresh whipped cream.
Admire, slice, dollop, savor.
Roasting Rhubarb
Sun streaked stalks, nature at its finest.
I’m in love with Rhu.
Are you for Rhu too?
Slice
Lop the ends, then choose a design for the top.
Long or short, any size rhubarb’s a wonder of this tart.
I prefer smaller, so there’s rhubarb in most bites.
Mix
rhubarb ~ sugar ~ orange juice ~ zest ~ vanilla ~ cinnamon ~ clove
The flavor’s like a summer day — fresh, sunny and warm.
Roast
Until fork tender.
Add an extra stalk for you, so piece by piece they disappear while making.
Tart Dough Tips
Tart Dough Tips❇︎ Keep ingredients cold.
❇︎ Pulse ingredients until dough just comes together, hence avoid over mixing.
❇︎ Bundle, wrap, refrigerate and let rest so the dough is easy to handle and work with. Yay!
Rolling, Filling & Baking
✼ The dough is too cold to handle? Let rest on the counter for 5-10 minutes.
✼ My dough tore? Borrow from Peter (scrape) to pay Paul (patch like shown one picture above).
✼ With a light hand, press beans into areas of void.
Roasted Rhubarb
Mash half the rhubarb and layer over the baked tart shell.
Castor Sugar
What?
A British superfine sugar between granulated and powdered sugar.
How?
Measure granulated and grind in a food processor or blender until superfine. A plume of white awaits, so let settle before opening the lid.
If I don’t want to?
Granulated should work fine.
Frangipane
✼ When processing almonds, our goal is fine but not paste/butter.
✼ I filled my tart a little too high; I’d say 1/4″ below the tart rim allows room to puff.
Arrange rhubarb to your delight.
A sprinkle of powdered sugar.
As is.
Or dollop of fresh whipped cream.
Aren’t you lovely.
Bakewell Tart | Roasted Rhubarb
Ingredients:
9-inch pastry
- 1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 medium orange, zested
- 1 large egg - beaten
- splash milk
- 1 egg white
- sprinkle cane sugar
Rhubarb
- 4 medium stalks fresh rhubarb (1 pound) cut into 1¼" pieces
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
- ½ teaspoon orange zest - light packed
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- dash ground clove
Frangipane Filling
- 1 cup almonds - fine ground
- 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder (sea level - 1/2 teaspoon)
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1/2 medium orange, zested
Whipped Cream (optional)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tablespoon reserved juice from roasting rhubarb - or powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Roasting Rhubarb
- In a medium bowl, mix rhubarb, sugar, orange juice, zest, vanilla and spices. Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until fork soft. Remove and allow to cool. If making whipped cream, reserve juice from roasting rhubarb.
9 " Tart
- Have a cut piece of plastic or a container close to the processor for your finished dough disk.
- Add flour, sugar and salt to a food processor. Pulse a couple times to mix. Open the lid and scatter the butter, then pulse about 6-7 times. The mixture should resemble small to sand crumbs. Add the egg, orange zest and splash of milk, then pulse until just incorporated (careful not to over mix). The dough will be soft, make a ball, then wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Once ready to roll, lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough disk to about 12 x 10 inch oval aiming for 1/2” thick. To avoid sticking rotate the dough every few rolls. If necessary, lightly re-flour underneath the tart dough. Once the dough is in shape, brush excess flour and transfer by letting the dough fall in the middle. Without stretching, gently press the dough against the pan side, then trim by either running the rolling pin against the top tart pan or by pushing your thumb perpendicular along the top edge. To make a consistent and similar thickness, I find it helps to allow a smidge extra dough on top, then gently press downward into the tart pan. If tears or holes happen along the bottom or sides, no worries, take tiny pieces of scrape dough and gently patch and smooth.
- Fork the bottom several times, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove, uncover, then line with crumpled parchment or foil with a 1” overhang. Fill the tart with pie weights or dried beans bake for 12 minutes, the edges may begin to brown. Carefully remove foil and beans from tart shell. Lightly brush the egg white over the bottom to midway up the side; this helps seal the crust preventing a soggy bottom. Add a light sprinkle of cane sugar to the tart bottom and continue baking until golden, about 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Frangipane Filling
- In the processor, pulse the almonds until midway to fine. Add flour, salt, and baking powder. Continue processing until the almonds are fine (avoid the nuts becoming a paste). Using en electric mixer and a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about two to three minutes. Add eggs, almond extract and orange zest. Mix on low until just incorporated. Fold the nut mixture into the butter/eggs until smooth and well incorporated.
- Smash half the roasted rhubarb and cover the bottom of the tart shell. Add the fragipane to just below the rim of the the tart shell. With remaining roasted rhubarb, decorate as you wish.
- Bake 40-50 minutes. Slide a pan one rack below, and becasue of oven hot spots, rotate the tart 180° halfway through. Tent with foil if areas of the top brown towards the end. Remove when the tart is golden, has risen, is firm to the touch and a center toothpick comes out with few crumbs or clean.
- Transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool in the tart pan for 30 minutes. Carefully loosen the edges of the pan, then whil holding the edge, press up to release and allow to further rest on the rack.
Fresh Whipped Cream (optional)
- About 15 minutes before ready to serve, chill a medium-size deep (preferably metal or glass) bowl and the beaters from your electric mixer in the freezer.Start at low-medium speed. Beat the cream, reserved roasted rhubarb juice, almond extract, and ground clove until the mixture begins to thicken. Increase the speed towards medium/high and continue until stiff peaks form. Avoid over beating. Place the whipped cream in the refrigerator until ready for use.
- Slice, dollop, love!
Notes
- If dough is in the refrigerator for over an hour, let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before rolling.
- The dough can be frozen for up to one month.
- Why place the pie in the refrigerator or freezer prior to baking? By firming an all butter crust, the edge keeps better form throughout the baking process.
- The deeper or lighter the color stalks make no difference in taste of rhubarb.
- Leftover roasted rhubarb is incredible on its own, with whipped or ice cream.
- Store airtight for up to 4-5 days.
- Contain well and Bakewell tarts freeze up to a couple months. Thaw and enjoy.
