Rhubarb Flan Food

RHUBARB TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Unfold 1 pastry sheet and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet; repeat with remaining pastry sheet. Whisk egg and water; brush over pastries. Using a sharp knife, score a 1-in. border around edges of pastry sheets (do not cut through). With a fork, prick center of pastries. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. With a spatula, press down center portion of pastries, leaving outer edges intact. Remove to wire racks to cool., Meanwhile, for topping, arrange rhubarb in a single layer in a 13x9-in. baking dish. Combine orange juice, honey and amaretto; pour over rhubarb. Bake at 400° until rhubarb is just tender but still holds its shape, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking liquid; let rhubarb cool. Transfer reserved cooking liquid to a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. Cool., For filling, stir together mascarpone cheese, amaretto and honey until smooth. Spread mascarpone mixture over center of each pastry. Top with rhubarb ribs. Brush rhubarb with cooled cooking liquid. Refrigerate leftovers.

RHUBARB CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Prepare the Roasted rhubarb and leave to cool. Turn oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin and use it to line a 25cm flan dish, leaving some pastry hanging over the edge. Prick the base of the pastry lightly with a fork, then line with greaseproof paper. Tip some baking or dried beans into the pastry case, put it on a baking sheet and bake for 20 mins until the pastry edges become biscuity. Remove the beans and cook the pastry for a further 5 mins until brown; you want to cook it a little more than you would normally. Remove the pastry case from the oven and reduce the temperature to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.
• While the pastry is baking, make the custard. Put the cream, milk and vanilla in a pan, bring to the boil, then take off the heat. Beat the sugar and eggs to combine, then pour in the hot liquid while whisking continuously. Strain the custard mixture into a jug.
• Scatter the rhubarb over the bottom of the pastry case, put the case in the oven and carefully pour in the custard. Bake the tart for 30-35 mins until the custard is just set. Leave it to cool in the dish, then trim off the excess pastry with a knife before serving.

RHUBARB TART

Steps:

• Mix flour, salt and powdered sugar in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolks and process briefly to blend. Add enough water by tablespoonfuls until mixture forms moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch diameter round. Transfer to 9inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Trim crust overhang to 1/4-inch. Fold overhang in, creating double thick sides. Freeze crust 15 minutes. Line crust with foil. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake crust until golden brown, piercing with fork if bubbles form, about 15 minutes. Transfer pan to rack. Brush crust with jam. Cool completely. Combine sugar, water, brandy, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Add rhubarb and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover pan and simmer until rhubarb begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Let stand covered until rhubarb is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cool completely. Using slotted spoon, remove rhubarb from cooking liquid and arrange decoratively in crust. Boil cooking liquid until reduced to glaze consistency. Brush glaze over rhubarb.;

RHUBARB FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out pastry and use it to line a 10-inch fluted tart pan (the kind with a removable bottom). Cover pastry with foil or parchment paper and weigh down with dried beans, to keep it from shrinking during cooking. Bake in oven 20 minutes or until edges of pastry start to brown.
• As pastry cooks, make filling. Trim and wash rhubarb and cut into 2-inch lengths. Put in a saucepan with geranium leaves, if desired, orange juice and the half-cup of sugar. Bring to boil and simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until rhubarb is thoroughly softened. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Beat whole eggs and the yolks with remaining sugar until thick and pale yellow. Beat in orange rind and cheese curd.
• Set aside about 1/4 cup of rhubarb. Fold remaining rhubarb into curd mixture and pour into the pastry case. Use reserved rhubarb to swirl in a pattern over the top of the tart. Arrange slivered almonds on top. Bake 35 to 40 minutes; remove to cool to room temperature before serving. Tart will be slightly runny when it comes out of the oven but will firm a little as it cools. But it should not be tough and custardy.
• Serve with dollops of creme fraiche.

FRESH RHUBARB PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Combine sugar and flour. Sprinkle 1/4 of it over pastry in pie plate. Heap rhubarb over this mixture. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and flour. Dot with small pieces of butter. Cover with top crust.
• Place pie on lowest rack in oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

CREAMY RHUBARB TARTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Roll the pastry out thinly and, using a plate or cutter, cut out 4 circles about 14cm in diameter. Use a slightly smaller cutter to cut a circle out of the middle and trim away the outside border, reserving these trimmings.
• Lay the 4 circles on a baking sheet, prick all over with a fork and brush the edges with egg. Use the pastry trimmings to make a border around the edge like a vol-au-vent and press down gently with your thumb. Chill until needed. This can be done up to 1 day ahead or frozen for up to 1 month.
• In a small bowl, mix the demerara sugar with the crème fraîche and spread a thin amount over the base of each tart. Neatly arrange slices of rhubarb, overlapping in a floral pattern, over the crème fraîche, then dust generously with icing sugar. Bake the tarts for 20 mins until puffed up and golden. Leave to rest for a few mins and eat warm with a scoop of ice cream, if you like.

RHUBARB STREUSEL PIE

Steps:

• Roll out the pastry and use to line a deep 23cm/9in flan tin. Chop the rhubarb into 3cm/1in lengths and tip into a large bowl with the flour and sugar. Mix well, then tip into the pastry case, spreading the rhubarb to level it.
• To make the topping, mix together the flour, cinnamon, sugar and nuts. Add the butter, cut into small pieces, and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the rhubarb. Set aside until ready to bake, up to 6 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5/fan oven 170C. Bake the pie for 40-45 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden and the rhubarb is tender - test by spearing a piece of fruit through the topping with a knife. Serve warm or cold with single cream or vanilla ice cream.

FRENCH RHUBARB TART

Steps:

• Cut the rhubarb into 10.5cm batons, using pieces that are roughly the same width. Put the vanilla pod, sugar, lemon juice and 300ml water (or enough to just cover the rhubarb) in a wide frying pan or shallow casserole set over a low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the rhubarb and simmer for 5 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to cool in the syrup, preferably overnight, or for at least 1 hr. This way your rhubarb should be perfectly cooked, but still hold its shape.
• To make the pastry, put the flour, almonds, sugar and butter in a food processor. Blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. While the motor is running, add the egg yolk and dribble in 1-2 tbsp cold water. Tip onto a work surface and knead briefly to bring the mixture together to form a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
• While your pastry chills, make the crème patisserie. Heat the milk and reserved vanilla seeds in a pan set over a medium heat until nearly boiling. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and flours together in a large bowl until pale. Continue whisking while you pour the hot milk over the egg mixture. Wipe out the saucepan and strain the liquid back into the pan through a sieve. Set over a medium-low heat and stir continuously until the mixture has a thick custard consistency. Scrape into a clean bowl, cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin from forming and chill for at least 1 hr or up to 2 days.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge. If it is a little hard, leave it at room temperature to soften for 10 mins or so. Roll out to 1mm thick on a lightly floured surface. Use the pastry to line a 12 x 35cm fluted rectangular tart tin, making sure you press the pastry into the fluted edges (you can use the blunt end of a knife to help you do this). Leave any excess pastry overhanging. Chill for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove the pastry case from the fridge, line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Blind-bake for 20 mins, then remove the parchment and beans, and continue baking for 8 mins more until pale golden and biscuity. Use a sharp serrated knife to trim off the overhanging pastry to give you a clean edge. Cool in the tin.
• Remove the rhubarb pieces from their syrup and set aside. Return the syrup to the hob and boil until thick and sticky. Leave to cool slightly. To finish the crème patisserie, whisk the cream until it holds soft peaks and fold this into the chilled mixture. This is easier if you start by beating in a little cream and then folding in the remaining.
• Remove the pastry case from the tin and put on a plate. Fill with the crème patisserie and smooth over the surface. Carefully line up the rhubarb down the length of the tart case, trying to fit them in quite snugly. Use a pastry brush to glaze the tart with the rhubarb syrup. Chill for 30 mins before serving. This tart will keep for 3 days in the fridge, however it is best eaten on the day it is made.