Rhubarb

I love rhubarb. Last year marked the beginning of my seasonal affair with rhubarb stalks. I'm up for some good rhubarb lovin' as long as it's available at the market. I tried this recipe once before last year and this time I added a few raspberries. I was really happy with it. So happy in fact that I single-handedly ate two of the four tartlets!
Rhubarb and Raspberry Tartlets with Vanilla-Ginger Crumb Topping

(adapted from La Tartine Gourmande)

* 1 recipe sweet Pâte brisée (recipe below)
* 1 lb + 2 oz rhubarb (I used two very large stalks)
* 2 oz sugar
* 1 vanilla bean, seeds removed
* 2 inch ginger root, peeled and grated extremely thinly
* 3/4 cup almond powder
* 3.5 Tbsp brown raw granulated sugar + 2 Tbsp to sprinkle over
* Confectioner’s sugar

Steps:

* Peel the rhubarb and cut it in 2.5 ” long sticks.
* Place them in a colander placed over a bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 cup fine sugar. Let rest for 1 hour so that the rhubarb looses its water.
* In the meantime, roll your pastry dough thinly and divide in four 8 x 4″ rectangulars, and place them on a baking sheet.
* Preheat your oven at 420 F.
* Make small holes with a fork leaving a 1/2 inch border. Cover with a plastic film and place in the fridge.
* Mix together the almond powder with 4 Tbsp raw brown sugar, the vanilla seeds and the ginger. Crumble.
* Take the dough out of the fridge and top with the almond crumble, leaving the border intact.
* Arrange the rhubarb sticks on top and sprinkle with additional 1/2 Tbsp on each tartlet.
* Cook for about 20 min. Remove and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar if desired.



Sweet Pâte Brisée

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 lb. very cold unsalted butter, diced

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and toss quickly with your fingers to coat each cube of utter with the flour. Pulse 12-15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the otor running, add 1/4 cup ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and form into 2 disks. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.I hope to be bringing you more things rhubarb in the near future!