Rhubarb spelt tart
SERVES 8-10 // PREP TIME 40 MINS // COOK 1 HR 30 MINS (PLUS RESTING, COOLING)
“We make this tart every day and have it on the counter to serve with coffee or as a dessert,” says Smith. “The flavour changes daily depending on what we have around – in summer we use a lot of berries, in winter more apples, pears or marmalades and fruit preserves. We mill our own spelt to make this shortcrust pastry and have access to great local almonds that we grind to a meal for the frangipane. It’s a wholesome and delicious treat.”
800 gm rhubarb stalks, coarsely chopped 200 gm raw caster sugar Pure icing sugar, for dusting Double cream, to serve SPELT SHORTCRUST 100 gm spelt flour 200 gm (1⅓ cups) plain flour, sifted 220 gm unsalted butter, diced FRANGIPANE 125 gm unsalted butter, softened 125 gm caster sugar Scraped seeds of ½ vanilla bean
Finely grated zest of ½ orange and ½ lemon 3 eggs, beaten 125 gm almond meal 1 For spelt shortcrust, pulse ingredients and 1⁄4 tsp salt in a blender until fine crumbs form, add 40ml iced water and pulse briefly until a loose dough comes together. Turn out dough onto a work surface, knead until smooth, then wrap in plastic wrap and rest (30 minutes).
Roll out dough between two sheets of baking paper to a 3-4mm-thick round, then chill (5 minutes). Line a greased 22cm tart tin with dough, allowing pastry to overhang, then chill (30 minutes).
2 For frangipane, cream butter, sugar, vanilla and zest in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Gradually add egg until fully combined, then fold in the almond meal. If making ahead, chill until required and bring to room temperature before using. 3 Preheat oven to 180°C. Blind-bake tart, rotating as necessary, until light golden and cooked through (40 minutes; see cook’s notes p167), then remove baking paper and weights and cool.
4 Meanwhile, add rhubarb to a wide saucepan, sprinkle with sugar and cook over high heat until just softened (8-10 minutes; thick stalks may take longer). Remove from heat, cool slightly, stir to break up rhubarb, then cool completely.
5 Drain excess liquid from rhubarb, then spread over tart base (you may have some leftover). Top evenly with frangipane, filling to just below the edge of the crust. Bake, rotating as necessary, until frangipane is light golden and firm to touch (40 minutes). Remove from oven and place tin on a wire rack to cool completely. Trim any overhang with a serrated knife, then remove tart carefully from the tin. Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream.
Drink suggestion Sommelier’s Breakfast: 1 shot of coffee and 1 shot of Walcher “Venticinque” Bio Bitter or Campari.
Opposite: friends and colleagues gather at The Summertown Aristologist.