Rhubarb Tart
Jaws will drop when you serve your guests this gorgeous rhubarb dessert! Â Thin slices of tart, seasonal rhubarb top a sweet almond frangipane filling, nestled into a buttery shortbread crust. Â It’s as delicious as it is beautiful!
For the life of me, I can’t be sure if I thought of this myself or saw it somewhere. Â I swear, I look at so many genius food ideas every day, I can’t even keep it straight!
I do know that last year, Sprinkle Bakes covered a cake in thin ribbons of poached rhubarb and my jaw hit the floor.
I get so excited about rhubarb every year.  I think my family thinks I’m nuts.  But I only just discovered it a few years ago and I feel like I need to make up for all those sad years where there was no rhubarb in my life!
If you’ve never had it, it’s the loveliest pink-y red color, with stalks like celery, but a flavor that reminds me more of a tart apple.  It comes into grocery stores in spring, and if you blink you could easily miss it.  This is why I get a little crazed every year around this time.  Once it’s gone you won’t see it again for a full year.
This past weekend we were in the Hudson River Valley visiting my in-laws.  We hit a farmers market while we were there, and lo and behold they were selling big rhubarb plants in pots.  We snatched one up in a heartbeat, so from now on I know I’ll have rhubarb to play with every spring 😉
Yes, I play with my food.  This tart was an especially fun little project.  I completed it in a couple hours, maybe less, but I’m not even gonna pretend this isn’t fussy.  This is the very definition of fussy food- so if you’ve got zero patience for those kind of shenanigans, it’s probably not for you.  But if you are artsy-fartsy and good with your hands and you just want to floor everyone in the best possible way, give this a go.  I bet you’ll really enjoy it.
Start by slicing the rhubarb stalks, long-ways, on a mandolin slicer.  I think this would work well with a veggie peeler too though.  Make the slices about 1/16-inch thick and then poach them in simmering sugar water for a minute, just until they’re soft enough to work with.  Mine were like very al dente pasta almost.  Then, just lay them out on a sheet of parchment in a lattice pattern.  First, line them up horizontally, tight close together with the sides touching.  Then, flip up every other strip and lay another ribbon cross-wise.  Keep working in this way until the sheet of lattice-woven rhubarb is big enough to cover the whole top of your tart.
The crust is simple enough; you make it in the food processor and it only takes about 20 minutes total active time to mix it up, roll it out, and place it in the tart pan.
I decided to go with a frangipane filling, just for something different.  It’s mostly ground almonds, sugar, eggs, and brown butter, baked in the shell, but  the complex flavor you get from the rum, vanilla bean, and lemon is really nice!  You could also go with a pastry cream filling, as a nut-free option, and I think it would be equally delish!
Once everything’s filled, baked, and cooled, you just flip that rhubarb lattice sheet on top, peel off the parchment, and trim the excess away with kitchen shears.  Brush the leftover poaching liquid on top to give it a shiny pink glaze, and put on your most gracious smile, because lots of oohs and ahs are coming your way!
A few useful tools you may need for this recipe:Â
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Rhubarb Tart
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Crust
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, (1 stick), cut into cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, (extract can be substituted)
For the Frangipane Filling
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3/4 cups almond meal
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, (extract can be substituted)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Rhubarb Lattice Topping
- 8 -10 stalks fresh rhubarb
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
To make the shortbread crust
- Place the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Combine the egg, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl and add to the flour/butter mixture, while running the machine.
- Continue to process until the dough comes together into a ball.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll the dough to a thickness of about 3/16-inch.
- Place it in the tart pan, trimming away any excess.
- Line with foil and ceramic pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden.
To make the frangipane filling
- Place the butter in a small pan and cook over medium heat until nutty-brown. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Place the almond meal, sugar, egg, rum, vanilla, zest, almond extract, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Mix in the browned butter, and transfer the mixture to the partially baked tart shell.
- Bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until golden brown and set.
- Cool completely and top with rhubarb lattice.
To make the rhubarb lattice topping
- Using a mandolin slicer or vegetable peeler, slice the rhubarb long-ways to a thickness of about 1/16-inch.
- Place the water and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a bare simmer, and add 4 or 5 slices of rhubarb. Cook until slightly softened, then drain on paper towels. Repeat, until all the rhubarb is cooked. Reserve the remaining syrup.
- Line up slices of cooked rhubarb side-by-side on a sheet of parchment. Fold alternating slices up, and place perpendicular slices over, in a lattice pattern. Repeat until the sheet of lattice is big enough to cover the entire top of the tart.
- Flip the sheet onto the top of the cooled tart, and peel the parchment away. Trim off any overhang with kitchen shears.
- Using a silicone pastry brush, dab the remaining poaching liquid over the lattice to glaze.
Love this! I adore rhubarb and try to make as much as I can with it during its short season. I pinned this and will be made soon. 🙂
Yay! I’m the same way. It comes and goes so quickly I just want to enjoy it as much as I can! Thanks so much for pinning Adina and I hope you enjoy!
Luv-luv-luv it. So beautiful and I bet the flavor matches in excellence!
Your blog is so perfect, such great photos! I love this rhubard tart! It looks amazing, really jaw dropping!
Aw thank you so much! That is so nice to hear, you just made my whole day! Thanks so much for stopping by Katy!
Oh my goodness, this is so beautiful! I’ve made rhubarb tarts before, but I’m amazed at the pretty pink, perfectly latticed top. Also, rhubarb + almond frangipane sounds divine.
Thank you so much Bhiravi! I really loved the combination of flavors and you’re so right- the color of rhubarb is just so irresistible 🙂
How completely stunning is this tart!! I love the lattice idea. I never thought you use that on a non-round pastry, let alone with rhubarb! Brilliant!
Thank you so much sweetie! I don’t know how this idea came to me but it worked surprisingly well!
Holy moly, this is SO totally gorgeous Allie! I’m absolutely loving it. I’ve been on a rhubarb kick recently, but none of my stuff has been nearly this gorgeous. Pinned!
I’m totally on a rhubarb kick too! It’s so good. Thanks so much for pinning Rachel and for the sweet comment!
wow! this tart is beautiful! the rhubarb strips are so lovely, almost jewel-like 🙂
Thanks Mel! I thought the same thing! It’s amazing how gorgeous fruits and vegetables can be, isn’t it?
Oh my gosh!!! This is seriously a masterpiece! I am in love with the idea of using the rhubarb to make a lattice woven top! So beautiful and creative! Seriously no words can describe how amazing this dessert is! Love it!!!
You are too kind Kelly! Thank you so much <3
I love recipes with rhubarb and this one, besides it’s with rhubarb, it also looks beautiful.
I do too! Rhubarb is one of my favorite things about Spring. Thanks so much!
Allie – This is such a gorgeous dessert. I just had a rhubarb wine in Vermont this past weekend that was really delicious. I bet it would go great with this tart. 🙂
That sounds delicious! And so unusual I would love to try that! Thank you so much my dear!
Just freaking gorgeous!! That’s all. I finally got some rhubarb this weekend and cannot wait to start enjoying it!
Yay! Can’t wait to see what you come up with love!
Seriously Allie, this is AMAZING!! I love your filling choice. I feel like it balances out the tartness of the rhubarb perfectly. I can be a gluten for fussiness and I do consider myself a little artsy-fartsy (lol, I love that you used that adjective), so this is right up my ally. Love everything about this! Pinned 🙂
We are so much alike! I’m so glad you like it Aida and thanks for pinning!
I have yet to try rhubarb. After seeing this beautiful tart, that has to change. Love the gorgeous basket weave.
Thanks Jennie! Definitely give it a try- I bet you’d love it!
There is no denying the beauty of those beautiful variations of pink in the rhubarb lattice! Since Spring means Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie in my family….I’m brainstorming how to make it work!? BTW….the long rectangular tart pan is the perfect vehicle for your lattice! Thank you for the great pictures and the inspiration!
Thanks so much Joy! Strawberry Rhubarb is my absolute favorite kind of pie. I think this would work really well with a circular tart or pie too, I just trimmed the excess off with kitchen shears. Thanks for the awesome feedback; hope you’re enjoying the long weekend 🙂
What a presentation! One of the most beautiful tarts I’ve ever seen. And it sounds all around delicious too, of course!
Thank you so much Nicole!
Really??! Oh my goodness … this is such a beautiful tart, words fail me! You could sell this as art. Oh wait, you sort of are .. 😉
You really should publish a baking book full of all your stunning recipes, Allie. I would certainly find a place for it on my coffee table!
I’d find a place for yours too Helen! Your recipes are always gorgeous and so delicious too!