For years, British cookbook authors kept mentioning winter tarts, pavlovas and other desserts made with “forced rhubarb,” and I longed to try it. For example, Nigella Lawson, in How To Be a Domestic Goddess (page 107, “Rhubarb Tart”), writes, “This is perfect for January, when the new season’s forced rhubarb is just in, rosy and budding with its rhubarbiness.”
I spent many winters searching grocery stores and markets in New York City and Washington, D.C., hoping to find that elusive forced rhubarb. Some years I had no luck — last year the first rhubarb didn’t appear in D.C. until late April. So finding it in January at a Whole Foods in New York felt like a victory. I debated buying the entire display and carrying it back to D.C. on the train, but decided against it, reasoning that if a New York Whole Foods had forced rhubarb, surely a D.C. store would, too.
Back home, I checked my regular Whole Foods and two others without success and resigned myself to another rhubarb-free winter. Then, a couple of weeks later while picking up grapefruits and kiwis at my local, ordinary Harris Teeter, I saw it: gorgeous, fuchsia stalks — rhubarb. I grabbed a pound immediately.
My first idea was a rhubarb panna cotta tart with a smooth pink surface to display many delicate rhubarb roses. In practice, shaping roses proved fiddlier than I expected: the forced rhubarb stalks were beautifully pink but quite thin. I switched to rhubarb ribbons, and the simpler approach produced a tart I loved even more than the one I had imagined with roses.
The finished tart has a clear but gentle rhubarb flavor. If you prefer a stronger taste and deeper pink color, try increasing the amount of rhubarb in the filling. As made here, the tart is pleasantly pink and not overly sweet — a light, elegant dessert for winter.
Rhubarb Panna Cotta Tart
The filling for this pretty pink tart is based on a blackberry panna cotta recipe. The tart shell is my go-to sweet shortcrust pastry from the cookbook Soulful Baker, by Julie Jones.
Ingredients
Tart Shell
-
230
g
all-purpose flour -
125
g
unsalted butter,
chilled and diced -
50
g
powdered sugar -
1
egg yolk -
2
tbsp
whole milk
To glaze the tart shell:
-
1
egg yolk -
a couple of drops
of boiling water
Rhubarb Panna Cotta Filling
-
2
cups
chopped rhubarb -
2
tsp
water -
1/3
cup / 67 g
granulated sugar -
2
cups
heavy cream -
1/2
tsp
vanilla bean paste -
1 3/4
tsp
powdered gelatin -
3.5
tbsp
cold water
To decorate:
-
rhubarb ribbons or rhubarb roses
(see notes).
Instructions
Make the tart shell:
-
Place the flour and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on low speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
-
Add the powdered sugar and beat gently until just combined.
-
Add the egg yolk and milk, increase the speed to medium-low, and mix until the dough just begins to come together.
-
Gather the dough into plastic wrap, form a ball, then flatten into a disk about 1/2 inch thick.
-
Chill the pastry for at least one hour.
-
Roll the chilled dough between two pieces of parchment paper to about 1/8 inch thick to avoid adding extra flour.
-
Remove the top parchment and transfer the dough (parchment side up) to a 9-inch fluted tart pan. Remove the remaining parchment and gently press the dough into the pan, leaving about 1/2 inch of overhang. Use a wooden spoon handle to press pastry into the fluted sides. Reserve extra dough.
-
Chill the tart shell in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
-
Place the chilled tart shell on a baking sheet, prick the bottom with a fork at 1-inch intervals, line with crumpled parchment and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or rice.
-
Blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, then return to the oven for another five minutes until the dough no longer looks raw.
-
Patch any cracks with reserved dough. Mix the remaining egg yolk with a couple of drops of boiling water and brush the inside of the tart shell with the egg wash.
-
Return the shell to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.
-
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack while still on the baking sheet.
-
When cool, trim the overhang with a peeler and brush away any crumbs with a soft pastry brush.
Make the panna cotta filling:
-
Combine chopped rhubarb, sugar and a couple teaspoons of water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook over low to medium-low heat until the rhubarb is mostly broken down. Set aside to cool for 10–15 minutes.
-
Add the cream to the rhubarb mixture and heat until just steaming (about 160–170°F). Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes.
-
Toward the end of steeping, place the cold water in a large spouted container and sprinkle the powdered gelatin over it to soften.
-
Reheat the rhubarb-cream gently until steaming again, then stir in the vanilla bean paste.
-
Strain the warm mixture through a fine mesh sieve into the container with the softened gelatin, pressing the solids to extract all the pink liquid. Whisk thoroughly to dissolve the gelatin completely.
-
Place the tart shell, still on the baking sheet, in the refrigerator on a low shelf.
-
Carefully pour the strained filling into the tart shell and refrigerate to set overnight or for at least four hours.
Decorate the tart:
-
Once the panna cotta has fully set, arrange rhubarb ribbons or roses on top as desired.
Recipe Notes
Instructions for making rhubarb roses are available from pastry resources and tutorials. Rhubarb ribbons can be prepared using a vegetable peeler and quick candying or maceration techniques to make them pliable for shaping.
If your filling sets with small surface bubbles, avoid whisking too vigorously when combining the warm rhubarb-cream with the softened gelatin; pop any stray bubbles with a toothpick after pouring the filling into the shell.
The rhubarb flavor in this tart is distinct but subtle. For a stronger flavor and deeper pink color, increase the amount of rhubarb in the filling.
