I wait all year for rhubarb season to roll around again. I’m talking about the early spring, forced variety – bright magenta and slightly sweeter than its speckled green summer cousin.
My dad adored his mother’s rhubarb tarts; they were sharp but soothing and full of nostalgia. While my version may not live up to the same standards as my grandmother’s legendary rhubarb tarts, this is a combination of flavours that I adore and would be proud to have served to her.
It starts with my go-to sweet shortcrust pastry; a quick pastry that is made in five minutes. If you use a food processor, that time is halved. I would encourage you to try your hand at home-made pastry if you haven’t before – it is simple and straightforward and can be made with ingredients you most likely have in your cupboard.
This tart is filled with a nutty pistachio frangipane. Frangipane is usually almond based and finds itself baked into a classic Bakewell. But this one is vibrant green and deep and rich in nutty pistachio flavour. It pairs so well with rhubarb, which really is the star of the show here.
Instead of baking the beautiful rhubarb into the tart, it is cut into even batons and poached gently in a simple syrup, then placed on top; this retains its flavour and shape and showcases the rhubarb’s perfect pink stalks. The poaching takes no time at all; the syrup is a simple mix of water, sugar, vanilla and a squeeze of lemon juice. The rhubarb takes less than five minutes in the simmering syrup. I take it off the heat before it’s completely tender and let it cool in the syrup. This helps to retain its shape and allows you to store it in the fridge for a few days until needed.
I like to bake this in a long rectangular tart tin (mine is 36cm x 13cm), as the rhubarb batons can be cut to fit the width of the tin and look so beautiful lined up across the length of the tin. You could also use a 20cm-22cm round or square loose-bottomed tart tin to bake your pastry and pistachio frangipane. Feel free to arrange the rhubarb batons any way you like. The result: a perfect teatime treat to celebrate the change of seasons.
