Rhubarb Tart with Sweet Pie Pastry

RHUBARB TART WITH SWEET PIE PASTRY
TARTE A LA RHUBARBE A LA PATE SUCREE

This is a beautiful tart: huge, round and golden, it is both delicate and rustic. Try this recipe with other fruits as well—blueberries, apricots, plums, even apples.

3 tbsp red currant jelly, warmed
3 large eggs
½ cup (100 g) vanilla sugar
3 tbsp crème fraîche or heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp flour
¼ cup (40 g) almond powder
1 lb (500 g) rhubarb, trimmed, peeled, and cut into ¼ inch (.75 cm) dice
One 10-1/2 inch (26 cm) pre-baked pâte sucrée tart shell

1. Preheat oven to 425º F (210º C).

2. Spread tart shell with red currant jelly.

3. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla sugar until the mixture is pale yellow. Whisk in crème fraîche. Sift in flour and whisk. Finally, whisk in half of the ground almonds.

4. Arrange rhubarb in an even layer in pastry shell. Pour egg mixture over rhubarb, shaking the tart pan so cream is evenly distributed over fruit. Sprinkle remaining ground almonds over the tart, place it on a baking sheet, and bake in center of oven until golden and puffed, about 30 minutes.

5. Remove tart from oven and remove sides of pan. Place tart on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

6 to 8 servings

Susan Herrmann Loomis teaches cooking classes in Normandy and Paris. www.onruetatin.com. Her latest book, Nuts in the Kitchen, is published by HarperCollins. Find it in the France Today bookstore: www.francetoday.com/store

Originally published in the June 2011 issue of France Today