Rhubarb and Pistachio Frangipane Tart with Raspberry and Rose Sorbet
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Cuisine
British
Servings
8
Forced rhubarb — that impossibly vivid, candyfloss-pink stems grown in darkened sheds in Yorkshire's famous rhubarb triangle — has one of the shortest and most eagerly anticipated seasons of the year, arriving in the depths of winter like a small, brilliant act of defiance. Here it's paired with a deeply nutty pistachio frangipane in a crisp butter pastry case, the gentle bitterness of the rhubarb cutting beautifully through the richness of the filling. The raspberry and rose sorbet alongside is at once unexpected and completely natural — floral, bright and cooling, it lifts the whole dish into something rather special.
Why you'll love making this TART
This is the kind of recipe that looks and tastes as though considerably more effort has gone into it than actually has. The tart itself is straightforward — a simple frangipane enriched with pistachios rather than the traditional almonds, which gives it a more interesting flavour and that lovely pale green colour against the shocking pink of the rhubarb. The sorbet, though effortless to make, is the detail that will have people asking for the recipe — and if time is short, the cheat's version at the bottom of the recipe is genuinely very good. Make the sorbet the day before, blind bake the pastry case in the morning and the rest comes together in under an hour.
Ingredients
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For the raspberry and rose sorbet:
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160g caster sugar
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350g fresh raspberries
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1/2 lemon, juice of
- 1/4 tsp rosewater
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For the tart:
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1 sheet shortcrust pastry (or preferably make your own)
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150g pistachios, shelled
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150g unsalted butter
- 150g caster sugar
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2 eggs
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1 tsp vanilla bean paste
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800g fresh rhubarb
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To serve:
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Fresh raspberries
- Chopped pistachios
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Pistachio ice cream
Directions
To make the sorbet, add the sugar to a saucepan with 300ml water and then reduce over a high heat until syrupy or the short thread stage. Place the raspberries into the bowl of a processor with the lemon juice and rosewater and then pour over the hot sugar syrup. Process for a couple of minutes, strain and then freeze. Once frozen, return to the processor to break up the crystals (but don’t allow it to fully melt) and then refreeze after which it is ready.
- Take the sheet of pastry and roll it out to fit the tin. I used a fluted, loose bottomed, rectangular tart tin that was 20cm x 30cm but you could also use a round one. Line the tin with the pastry and then place in your refrigerator until fully chilled.
Preheat your oven to 200c/400f. Fill the tart case with parchment and baking beans before blind baking for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and baking beans and then return to the oven for a further 10 minutes, when it’s lightly golden. Lower the oven temperature to 160c/
- Meanwhile, place the pistachios in a blender and process until ground. Tip them into a bowl and set aside. Either in a mixing bowl or using the same blender bowl, add the butter and sugar. Combine until pale and fluffy before adding the eggs and vanilla. Combine again and then add the pistachios into the mixture. Mix until an even colour and then pour into the tart tin. Arrange the rhubarb in long stems across the pistachio frangipane and bake for 35 minutes. Cool slightly and then remove from the tin to a board to cool.
Serve the tart warm with the raspberry and rose sorbet, fresh raspberries, chopped pistachios and pistachio ice cream.
(For a cheats version of the sorbet, simply buy raspberry sorbet and add a single drop of rosewater to the top of each scoop when serving, but be careful to literally use only a single drop as the goal is ‘a hint of’ rather than anything too overpowering.)
Recipe Note
If forced rhubarb is out of season, outdoor rhubarb works perfectly well though it tends to be thicker, more tart and less vividly coloured. Trim the stems into similar lengths to ensure even cooking, and you may want to add a little extra sugar to the frangipane mixture to compensate for the sharper flavour.
The pistachio frangipane can easily be made with ground almonds if you'd prefer a more classic approach, or to save the step of blending the pistachios yourself — though the pistachio version is worth it for both the colour and the more complex, slightly savoury flavour it brings.
For the pastry, a good all-butter shortcrust from the chiller cabinet is an entirely respectable shortcut and will give you excellent results. If making your own, a sweet shortcrust enriched with a little icing sugar is ideal here.
Rosewater varies enormously in strength between brands — Persian brands tend to be considerably more intense than supermarket own-label versions. Start conservatively and add more to taste when processing the sorbet. The same caution applies to the cheat's version, where a single drop is genuinely all you need.
The tart is best served just warm or at room temperature on the day it's made, but will keep refrigerated for up to two days. The sorbet will keep in the freezer for up to a month — just give it a brief blitz in the processor again if it has frozen too solid before serving.