rhubarb and creme fraiche tart
I fear this recipe will cause some problems for the Italians as rhubarb is something unknown in Italy. You can’t buy it in supermarkets over there, for example . In fact I would be surprised if an Italian knew what rhubarb looks like. Am I right? Please Candi/Italians, correct me if I’m wrong. However don’t despair: you could probably adapt this recipe and use another soft fruit instead, like raspberries or blueberries. I don’t know about you but I really love rhubarb. It’s really lovely stewed with some sugar and then eaten with yoghurt. Would you believe that in Holland it is classified as a vegetable and eaten as a side dish to accompany meat? Really quite bizarre! Anyway, this tart was made by one of the ladies that belongs to my book group. I liked it so much that I asked for the recipe. I have already made it a few times, slightly adapted from her original one. If you have the time to make your own shortcrust pastry this is a lovely dessert worth the faff. You can of course buy the pastry ready made but I doubt it would be as light if you did. The sweet shortcrust pastry I made comes from another recipe (very complicated I know). What I like about it is that it doesn’t disintegrate when you handle it and it’s easy to roll. Usually I curse and swear when I have to work with shortcrust pastry as it either sticks to the worktop or the rolling pin, or both and I end up with an almighty patchwork mess! Not so with this recipe. The only slight “problem” is that it makes more than you need. But all I did, rather than throwing it, was to freeze the excess. I can always use it for a little tartlet in the future. Aren’t I the clever girl?
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE SHORTCRUST PASTRY
275 gr. plain flour
75 gr. icing sugar
150 gr. unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
Add a tablespoon of cold water if pastry is too dry
FILLING
150 gr. sugar
3 eggs
zest of an unwaxed lemon (or a few drops of vanilla essence)
1 level tbspoon plain flour
250 gr. crème fraiche
2 stalks of rhubarb, cut in smallish chunks and slightly poached with some sugar. Let it cool before using it.
Start by making the pastry: whizz all ingredients in a food processor. You’ll end up with a softish dough ball. Line a 20 cm. tart tin with it (I promise you won’t have problems rolling it) and put in the fridge for half an hour or so. This will prevent the sides of the tart to collapse. Take out of the fridge and bake blind at 180 degrees for approx. 15 minutes.
In the meantime mix all the other ingredients together, minus the rhubarb. When the case is ready take out of the oven, arrange the drained rhubarb pieces at the bottom and pour on top the crème fraiche mixture. Bake at 190 degrees for approx. 40-45 minutes until the mixture is firm in the middle.
Ciao clever girl!!! Concordo. Il rabarbaro lo amiamo moltissimo e qui al sud è difficile ma non impossibile trovarlo. Laura aveva fatto una panna cotta questa primavera. http://www.ricettemisfatti.eu/panna-cotta-al-rabarbaro-laura-in-cucina.html#more-2886
Ma non sapevo che si potesse trovare anche in autunno. Noi abbiamo trovato dei giovani agricoltori che fanno buonissimi prodotti biologici che hanno il rabarbaro in primavera (sono i nostri fornitori della cassetta settimanale). La Cascina Rampina. Consigliata a tutti (tra Lecco e Monza, più vicino a Lecco). http://www.cascinarampina.it