Delectably sweet, this rhubarb tart comes topped with fluffy meringue and crunchy almonds for a decadent slice of spring
“When I was younger, a cluster of rhubarb grew in our garden in Sweden. The stalks were firm, with flushes of pink, at the start of the summer and I was always fascinated by this plant with its huge lily pad-like leaves and edible stems.
We baked it, doused in sugar, in simple pie crusts to eat with vanilla whipped cream. This recipe takes things a little further, with almonds for crunch and a wholemeal crust for extra nuttiness.
The filling will be pretty wet once cooked so I recommend cooling it completely to allow it to set fully.”
Ingredients
For the pastry:
• 200g wholemeal flour
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 100g cold butter, cubed
For the filling:
• 1.5kg rhubarb, cut into 5cm lengths
• 120g caster sugar
• 1 orange, zested
• 3 tablespoons ground almonds
For the meringue:
• 50g blanched almonds
• 3 egg whites
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons flaked almonds
Method
1 Begin by making the pastry. Place the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor and blitz to a crumb-like texture.
2 Gradually add 3 tablespoons ice-cold water, pulsing between each addition until the mixture comes together into a dough. Shape into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate.
3 Preheat the oven to 160°C. Tip the rhubarb into a roasting tray, sprinkle with the sugar and orange zest, and bake for 15 minutes until the rhubarb is soft when pierced but still holding together.
4 Remove from the tray onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain, and leave to cool completely.
5 Roll out the pastry dough to 5mm thick and use to line a 22cm loose-bottom pastry tin. Prick the base all over and return to the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
6 Increase the oven temperature to 180°C. Scatter the blanched almonds for the meringue in a roasting tray and toast for 10 minutes until golden, tossing halfway through. Tip onto a board and finely chop. Spread out to cool quickly.
7 Line the pastry with a circle of crumpled baking parchment and fill with baking beans or rice.
8 Blind bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans. Bake for 5 minutes more to dry out.
9 Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a glossy meringue, then carefully fold through the chopped almonds.
10 Sprinkle the tart case with the ground almonds, then add the rhubarb, piling it up to form an even layer.
11 Spoon the meringue all over, then bake for 30 minutes, sprinkling over the flaked almonds before the last 10 minutes of cooking. Cool before serving.
Recipe courtesy of Steffi Knowles-Dellner, extracted from Lagom. Photography by Yuki Sugiura © Quadrille.
