Rhubarb tart, a marriage of complementing flavors

I went on a run one morning and decided to stop by at an old neighbor’s house. She is an elderly woman that our children have come to know quite well. We had coffee and enjoyed the summer weather. As I was leaving to go home she gave me a big bag of rhubarb. I really couldn’t say no, even though I had come by foot. So I ran back home carrying a bag of rhubarb switching hands every once in a while. It was well worth it, the rhubarb tart turned out delicious. Perfect fare for the independence day party.

The rye flour in the crust gives the tart a nice multi-dimensional flavor. Originally I made the crust using only rye flour for my babysitter who is allergic to wheat. It worked quite well, but had a stronger flavor. For those who prefer a milder flavor the recipe below uses a mixture of rye and wheat.

Rhubarb tart

Filling:

330 g/11.5 oz or about 3 stalks of rhubarb chopped
2-3 tablespoons water
100g/1 dl/generous 1/2 c sugar

Place rhubarb, water and sugar in a saucepan and let simmer until the rhubarb has softened. Thicken with the cornstarch mixture below.

1 tablespoon of cornstarch
2 tablespoons of water

Mix the cornstarch and water to form a paste. Take a few tablespoons of the hot rhubarb filling and mix with the paste. Pour mixture into the simmering rhubarb and let bubble once or twice. Take off heat and set aside.

Crust:
3 egg yolks
150 g/5.3 oz butter melted
85 g /1 dl/3oz/little under 1/2 c brown sugar
45 g/ 1/2 dl/1.5 oz/little under 1/4 c sugar
150 g/3 dl/5.3 oz/ little under 1 1/2 c rye flour
120 g/2 dl/4.2 oz/ little under 1 c flour
5 g/ 1 teaspoon baking soda

Meringue:
3 egg whites
3 generous tablespoons brown sugar

Whip egg yolks, brown sugar and sugar until the mixture is a pale yellow. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients. Take turns folding in parts of the dry ingredients and melted butter into the batter. Pat the crust into a tart pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake the crust for about 14 minutes or until golden brown at 200 C/390 F.

While the crust is baking make the meringue. Whip the egg whites adding the brown sugar in one tablespoon at a time. Whip until soft peaks form.

When the crust is done lower the oven temperature to 160 C/320 F. Spoon the rhubarb filling on the crust and then the meringue on top of the rhubarb. Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the meringue is a golden brown.

Serve with ice cream or home made vanilla sauce.