The only thing to survive yesterday’s dessert mass extermination was my Rhubarb Vanilla Crumble Tart. As much as I knew it should get tossed into the garbage with the rest of the sweets, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. 1) It was much more complicated and time-consuming to put together than the other desserts, so I was hesitant to trash something I had worked hard on. 2) Mouse loves anything rhubarb, so I can count on him to help me eat it. 3) I was able to incorporate one of my weekend-finds, honey powder, into the dough recipe, which lent a subtle complexity to the crust that I fell in love with. 4) I just really like this dessert. The combination of the tart rhubarb, with the sweet crust and crumble topping is wonderfully delicious. So, I’m granting this dessert a reprieve and allowing myself just one more slice. See below for the recipe if you want to give it a try. (BTW – Thanks to Smitten Kitchen for the compote recipe!)
Rhubarb Compote
1 lb rhubarb stalks
3/4-cup dark brown sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
Rinse the rhubarb stalks and trim the very ends. Cut them in half lengthwise (unless they’re very slim) and then on the diagonal into 3/4-inch chunks. Leaving 1 cup aside, put the remainder of the rhubarb into a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the brown sugar, vanilla bean seeds and pods and turn the heat to medium low. (Starting at a low temperature encourages the rhubarb to release its liquid, this compote recipe uses no additional water.)
Cook the rhubarb mixture, covered, for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture is saucy. Remove the cover and increase the heat to medium, cooking an additional 15 to 17 minutes, or until the rhubarb is completely broken down and thick enough that a spoon leaves a trail at the bottom of the pan. Discard the vanilla bean pods and add the remaining rhubarb chunks to the compote. Add the flour.
Remove the pot from the heat to allow the mixture to cool.
Note: This keeps for up to one week in the fridge, so it can easily be made ahead.
Tart Dough
1 egg yolk
2 Tbs. very cold water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3-cup sugar
1⁄4 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 Tbs. honey powder (optional, but highly recommended)
Preheat oven to 375°C.
In a small bowl, stir together the egg yolk, water and vanilla. Set aside.
Use either a food processor or stand mixer fitted with the flat beater. Stir together the flour, sugar, honey powder, and salt in the processor or mixer bowl. Add the butter and beat on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the egg mixture and beat just until the dough pulls together.
Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. Use the dough immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.
To roll out the dough, on a lightly floured board, dust the top of the dough with flour as needed, then roll out until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick. Using your rolling pin, gently fold the dough in half to transfer it to the tart pan. Press into the tart pan and trim the extra dough from the sides.
Line the pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or raw dried peas or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Check the dough. If it still looks wet, continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until the dough is pale gold. Transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Turn the oven down to 350°C.
Crumble
1/4-cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoons all purpose flour
pinch of salt
3 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, diced
1/4-cup pecans, finely chopped
In a food processor or stand mixer, combine sugar, flour, and salt and mix to combine. Add butter and mix until crumbly and the butter pieces are very small. Add pecans and mix just to combine.
Spread cooled rhubarb filling evenly into the tart. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the filling.
Bake for about 35-45 minutes until the crumble is golden.
Cool completely on wire rack before removing tart from pan.
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