I’ve posted a chocolate bakewell tart once before on this site, but I have never had the “regular” version.  A traditional bakewell tart contains a shortcrust pastry, filled with some kind of fruit, and topped with frangipane.  The frangipane filling is light and spongy, flavored mostly from the almonds.  For the Daring Bakers challenge, we had to include the shortcrust pastry and frangipane but could use whatever fruit filling we wanted.

I decided to make a rhubarb compote to fill my tarts.  We were watering some plants for some friends that are out of town and noticed that they had a meyer lemon tree.  Since there happened to be a ripe one, and I already knew I liked the combination of Meyer lemon and rhubarb, I brought it home and added its juice and zest to the rhubarb.  I also ended up flavoring the rhubarb with lavender by adding a few stems while it stewed.

The almond frangipane is really pretty sweet, so the rhubarb compote was a good match as the tartness helped to cut the sweet filling.  Still, it was almost too sweet for me, and I’m glad I decided to halve the recipe and make small tarts instead of a large pie-sized tart as the orginal recipe called for.  And I’m definitely looking forward to eating the leftover compote on pancakes (like this morning) and ice cream.  Overall, I enjoyed the flavor of these tarts, and it was nice to have a challenge that was interesting but a bit more relaxed and not too involved.  Thanks to Jasmine and Annemarie for hosting, and don’t forget to check out the blogroll to see what everyone else was up to!

Rhubarb Bakewell Tarts

Adapted from Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict

1 recipe shortcrust pastry (see below)
about 2 cups rhubarb compote (see below)
1 recipe frangipane filling (see below)
a couple tablespoons slivered almonds

Roll out the pastry for the tarts and place in tart pans. Freeze the crust for at least fifteen minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F. Spread about a tablespoon of rhubarb compote on the bottom of each tart. Top with the frangipane so that the pans are about 2/3 full or a little more. Spread to the edges of the tart so it seals over the rhubarb.

Bake for about fifteen minutes. When the crust is starting to puff and barely golden, pull out and top each tart with a few slivered almonds. Bake another five minutes, until the filling is lightly browned.

Let cool a few minutes before removing from the pans. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Shortcrust Pastry

1 c flour
2 T sugar
1/4 t salt
1/2 stick (4 T) butter, cold
1 egg yolk
1/4 t almond extract
1-2 T cold water

Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter. Beat the egg yolk and almond extract. Mix into the flour and butter. Add the water a little at a time just until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

Lavender Lemon Rhubarb Compote

This ends up with about 3 cups of compote, more than is needed to fill the tarts.  Leftovers are great on pancakes, ice cream, by the spoonful, etc.

4 stalks rhubarb, cut in 1/2″ pieces (about 4 cups)
1 T Meyer lemon zest
1/4 c Meyer lemon juice
3 stalks of fresh lavender

Mix the rhubarb, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Tie the lavender stalks together and place in the pan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb starts to break down and release its liquid. Remove the cover and continue to simmer for 15 minutes or so, until it’s thickened up and the rhubarb has broken down.

Frangipane Filling

6 T (3/4 stick) butter, softened
3 oz. powdered sugar
2 eggs
1/4 t almond extract
3 oz ground almonds
1 T flour

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs and almond extract.  (The filling will look “curdled”, but that’s as it should be.)  Stir in the almonds and flour until mixed well.

You might also like:

• Rhubarb Meyer Lemon Scones
•  Ginger Rhubarb Tarts
• Rhubarb Apricot Galette
• Jammin’ Chocolate Tarts

Ginger Rhubarb Tarts  

3 or 4 large stalks of rhubarb, or several thin ones
1-2 T granulated sugar (or to taste)

1/3 c brown sugar
3 T finely chopped almonds
2″ piece of ginger, grated
salt

1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
3 T butter

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cut the rhubarb into sticks, 3″ long and about 1/2″ wide. Toss with the sugar. Leave in a colander or on paper towels to drain off some of its water.

Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the crumble: brown sugar, almonds, ginger, and a pinch of salt. Let it stand while you prepare the crust, so the flavors meld a bit.

Roll out the puff pastry so it’s a little thinner than it comes in the package (maybe 3/16″? I’m terrible at estimating these things). Cut it into rectangles about 1/2″ wider than the sticks of rhubarb, and 4-5″ long. Optional: brush the edges with a little bit of melted butter. Sprinkle each rectangle with the crumble and top with several sticks of rhubarb. Dot lightly with butter.

Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 F for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden. Serve warm or at room temperature. I wished I had some lightly sweetened whipped cream to top them with, although they were plenty tasty without it.

I got this nifty square tart pan (how could I have gone this long without a tart pan?!) with a gift certificate from Christmas.  I was itching to try it out, but I’m cutting back on sweets, so I was on the lookout for a savory tart idea.  I ended up using a balsamic vinegar crust from La Tartine Gourmande and a custardy filling of beets, goat cheese, and walnuts from alpineberry.  It was a delicious but light and simple supper.  Matt’s comment was “it’d be good as an appetizer, and smaller” — well, not a bad idea, maybe I’ll try it sometime with miniature tart pans.  Anyway, the night we made it, all we needed was something light and simple, and this fit the bill perfectly.  It was also pretty good leftover, at room temperature even.

The balsamic vinegar added a different little tang to the crust, and I think beets and goat cheese are always a great combination.  The only problem I had was that the tart shell shrank — a lot — but I think that was probably my own fault since I didn’t want to wait to let the dough rest after I made it.  So, if you try this out, I’d recommend letting the dough sit in the fridge at least an hour before rolling it out, and then refrigerate again before baking.

Beet and Goat Cheese Tart with Balsamic Crust

adapted from La Tartine Gourmande and alpineberry

For the crust:
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
7 T butter, cold
2 T balsamic vinegar
2-3 T cold water

For the tart:
2 beets
1 T butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 large eggs
3/4 c heavy cream
1/4 t dried thyme
8 oz goat cheese
1/2 c walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cut butter into flour. Add balsamic vinegar and just enough water to bring the dough together. Shape into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate at least an hour.

Meanwhile, wrap the beets in foil and roast until they’re tender, about 1 hour. (Making the dough and roasting the beets can both be done up to a few days ahead.)

Roll out the dough and place in a tart pan and prick with a fork.  Refrigerate for at least 15-30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 F and bake for 20 minutes or so, until lightly golden.

For the filling, heat butter over medium heat.  Cook the onion in the butter until tender and a little bit caramelized.  Slice the beets and cut the slices into chunks.

Combine the beaten eggs, cream, and thyme, and season with pepper and a little salt.

Place the beets and onions in the bottom of the tart.  Pour over the custard.  Sprinkle with goat cheese and walnuts.  Bake about 35 minutes at 375 F until set and golden.