RHUBARB FRANGIPANE TART

Rhubarb thrives in the cooler climate of Tamborine Mountain and is available most of the year. Firm bunches of ruby stalks are fastened with thick rubber bands and sold at roadside stalls across the mountain and at The Green Shed growers’ market on Sunday mornings.

Ingredients

75 g unsalted butter

100 g rapadura or golden castor sugar

70 g almond meal

40 g organic wholegrain spelt or wholegrain plain flour

5 ml rosewater

2 free-range eggs

5 rhubarb stalks

1 tablespoon rapadura or golden castor sugar

SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY

160 g organic wholegrain spelt or wholegrain plain flour

80 g rapadura or brown sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste pinch of sea salt

80 g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

1 free-range egg

Method

To make the pastry, place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor, and blitz to combine. Add the butter and pulse several times until the butter flecks resemble almond flakes. Lightly beat the egg, then drizzle into the processor and pulse until the dough starts to come together. Add a little iced water if you need to, just enough to bring the dough together. Remove the pastry from the processor and gently knead into a ball. Press into a disc shape, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make the frangipane, place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on a medium speed for 6 minutes, or until pale and fluffy. Add the almond meal, flour and rosewater, and mix on a low speed until just incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and refrigerate until required.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 36 x 12 cm loosebased rectangular tart tin.

To bake the tart, remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured bench to a thickness of 3 mm. Line the tin with pastry and prick the base with a fork. Place the lined tin back into the fridge to harden for 20 minutes. Remove and place a rectangle of baking paper on the base, and weigh it down with pastry weights or beans. Blind bake for 10 minutes and then remove the paper and weights, and bake for a further 3 minutes to brown the base. Remove from the oven and cool.

Turn down the oven to 160°C. Pipe the frangipane into the pastry case, and don’t worry if it’s not perfect as the frangipane will spread as it cooks. Top the frangipane with the rhubarb stalks cut to lengths to fit the tin lengthwise, side by side. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool, and then remove the tart from its tin. Serve with whipped cream.