Smitten Kitchen's Rustic Rhubarb Tarts
By flutelah
"They’re not only wonderful — a tart rhubarb compote with vanilla bean and dark brown sugar inside a mixed corn flour and cornmeal crust, barely sweet — but completely brilliant. The rustic style of the dessert is such that the more haphazard you are — tears! uneven edges! floppy sides! wild curls! — the better they look. Your friends will thank you, if you’re nice enough to share." -Deb Perlman
2 Pictures
Ingredients
- Dough
- 1 cup corn flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup fine cornmeal
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher or coarse salt
- 1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 egg yolks
- Rhubarb Vanilla Compote
- 1 1/2 pounds rhubarb stalks
- 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
Details
Servings 10
Level of difficulty Easy
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 35mins
Cost Average budget
Preparation
Step 1
In a stand mixer: Whisk the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, add the butter and turn the mixture speed to low (you’ll want to lock the top, so the mixture doesn’t fly about) and mix to break up the butter. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the butter is as coarse as cornmeal. Add the heavy cream and egg yolks and mix until combined. The dough will look crumbly but when pinched between your fingers, it will come together.
Step 2
Shape the tarts: Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Lightly flour a work surface and using the heel of your hand, flatten the dough into a rough circle. Continue flattening until it is approximately 5 inches in diameter. Try to work quickly, so the dough doesn’t get too warm and soft, making it harder to handle. For more elegant edges, gently flatten the outer edge of the circle with your fingertips, making it thinner than the rest of the dough.
Step 3
Rhubarb Vanilla Compote: Rinse the rhubarb stalks and trim the very ends. Cut them in half lengthwise (unless they’re very slim) and then on the diagonal into 3/4-inch chunks. Leaving the last 1 1/2 cups aside, put 3 cups of the rhubarb into a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the brown sugar, vanilla bean seeds and pods and turn the heat to medium low. (You want to start at a low temperature to encourage the rhubarb to release its liquid. Unlike most compotes, this one adds no water.) Cook the rhubarb mixture, covered, for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture is saucy. Remove the cover and increase the heat to medium, cooking an additional 15 to 17 minutes, or until the rhubarb is completely broken down and thick enough that a spoon leaves a trail at the bottom of the pan. Discard your vanilla bean pods and add remaining rhubarb chunks to the compote. Pour the compote out onto a large plate to cool.
Step 4
Spoon 3 tablespoons of the Rhubarb Vanilla Compote into the center of the dough. Fold the edge of the dough toward the compote and up, to create a ruffled edge; continue around the perimeter, letting the ruffles be their bad irregular selves. Slide a bench scraper or spatula under the tart and transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue with the remaining dough. Freeze the tarts on their tray for at least 1 hour or up to 2 weeks, wrapped tightly in plastic.
Bake the tarts: Preheat over to 375°F. Bake tarts, still frozen, for about 35 minutes or until the edges of the tarts are brown and the rhubarb is bubbling and thick.
Add the corn meal and corn flour to "get the full flavor and pretty color of cornmeal without the rough bite." It also makes the crust delicate and gluten-free, while maintaining the crust's structure.
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