Rhubarb Tarte Tatin
Rhubarb, that oh-so-tarty vegetable that eats like a fruit, is finally in season. I picked some up from Whole Foods last week, not knowing what I would make with it. I’ve only worked with it a few times, so I wanted to play around with it. Rhubarb is one of those vegetables that isn’t seen on menus as often as it should be.
I had some leftover puff pastry in the freezer so I decided to try making a tarte tatin with the rhubarb. After searching the internet* and cookbooks and texting my pastry chef friend about one billion times, I came up with a recipe after many trials, tweaking ingredients and techniques. This recipe worked out perfectly for 4 individual 5-inch cast iron pans. Of course it can be made in a single larger one if desired.
Rhubarb Tarte Tatin
Ingredients:
4C rhubarb, cleaned and cut into 1/2″ thick slices (about 3 large stalks)
1/3 C sugar
2 tbl butter
2 tsp Grand Marnier
1/2 sheet of puff pastry dough (I used DuFour, one package was about 14 oz, used about a third)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425˚F.
Thaw out puff pastry dough in refrigerator if frozen. Once thawed out, cut out 4 circles with a ring mold, the circles should be as close to the same size as the openings of the cast iron skillets. Save the leftover dough for another use. With the dough rounds, take a fork and poke holes all over the surface of the dough. (This process is called docking, it allows steam to leave the dough when baking, therefore preventing the dough from rising too much.) Place the rounds in a refrigerator.
Prepare rhubarb, set aside.
In a heavy skillet, melt the sugar over medium heat, constantly stirring. Allow the sugar to darken to a caramel color, lighter than molasses, approximately 5 minutes. Add the butter, (be careful as it is very hot), stir constantly until it is fully incorporated. Move the pan away from the stove and add the Grand Marnier. (Again, be careful, it may splatter). Return to stove and stir vigorously until mixed well. Add in the rhubarb, tossing and stirring just until the rhubarb begins to cook and soften, about 3 minutes.
TIP: Be careful not to overcook rhubarb when adding it to the caramel, it tends to fall apart very easily once cooked and will lose its shape quickly.
Remove pan from heat and place mixture into a bowl. With a slotted spoon, place the rhubarb into 4 5-inch cast iron pans (well-seasoned, they must be non-stick!), making one tight layer. There should be no spaces. Add about 1 tbl of cooking liquid to each tart. Place one dough round, docked side up, over each tarte tatin.
Place tarte tatins in oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven, cool on rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto cutting board, the tarte tatin should fall out in one piece. I like to eat this warm with ice cream or yogurt sorbet.
*recipe adapted from: ninemsn.
4 comments
Looks great! Is the garnish a candied slice of rhubarb?
@Marc: Thank you so very much! Yes, that is indeed a slice of candied rhubarb (which I’m writing a post for at the moment funnily enough, had half a stalk of leftover rhubarb)
Looks interesting. I’d like to try it. What would you serve with Rhubarb Tarte Tatin?
Vanilla ice cream, maybe strawberry since that’s a classic combo. In the picture I have yogurt sorbet with it. Thank you for visiting and commenting on my post!
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