07/12/22

Free-Form Pear and Rhubarb Tart

The abundance of seasonal fruit nestled in hand-rolled pastry...

The silly season, with back-to-back gatherings and entertainment can have its moments of excess. To tackle the overflow of too-ripe fruits in your bowl this season, our favourite Tart recipe — made this time with pear and rhubarb — has proven to be flexible, lending itself to any sweet, tart or stone fruits. Any combination, sprinkled with a little sugar and wrapped in hand rolled pastry will be delicious.

The goal here is flavour, not looks, the more imperfect the pastry the better - an appearance that suggests the hand that worked it. Made with love, above all. Add ginger if using plums, or cinnamon if using apples. Here is a recipe that will become your own, an easy go-to for any last minute plans...

Free-Form Pear and Rhubarb Tart

145g butter
2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 Tbsp iced water
1/4 cup almond meal
2 green pears, cut into wedges
6 stalks (200g) trimmed rhubarb, cut into 4cm lengths
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp sugar, extra

Place the butter, flour and caster sugar into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. While the motor is running, add enough iced water to form a soft dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Roll out pastry between sheets of non-stick baking paper to 4mm thick and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with the almond meal. Toss the pears and rhubarb in the sugar and pile in the middle of the pastry, leaving a 7cm border. Sprinkle the fruit with the extra sugar, Fold over the pastry edges to partially enclose the fruit.

Refrigerate the tarte for 20 minutes or until the pastry is firm.
Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Serves 6-8.