Rhubarb Tarte Fine
By Andrea GearyPublished on April 1, 2025
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
To thaw frozen puff pastry, let it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours or on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Puff pastry dimensions vary by brand; if your sheet measures at least 11 by 9 inches, trim it to that size and skip rolling in step 1. Buy the thickest, reddest rhubarb you can. If only a mix of red and green is available, use as much green rhubarb as possible in the puree and reserve red rhubarb for the top. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream, if desired.
Instructions
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll pastry into 11 by 9-inch rectangle on lightly floured counter. Transfer to prepared sheet and refrigerate.
- Cut 8 ounces rhubarb crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices (you should have about 2 cups). Combine sliced rhubarb, ⅓ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and salt in 10-inch skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb begins to fall apart, 6 to 8 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring frequently and mashing with spatula, until rhubarb becomes thick puree and measures ½ cup, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Transfer puree to plate and spread into thin layer. Refrigerate until cool, about 20 minutes.
- While puree is cooling, cut remaining 8 ounces rhubarb on bias into ⅛-inch-thick slices. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer pastry, still on parchment, to counter. Using sharp paring knife and ruler, trim pastry to create 10 by 8-inch rectangle. Reserve scraps for other use, if desired. Using paring knife, score ¼-inch border around edges of rectangle (do not cut through pastry). Lift parchment and return pastry to baking sheet.
- Spread cooled rhubarb puree evenly over pastry, avoiding border. Starting at 1 corner of pastry and leaving border uncovered, shingle rhubarb slices decoratively over puree. Brush top of rhubarb with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until edges and bottom of tart are deep golden brown, about 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Transfer tart, still on parchment, to wire rack. Carefully slide parchment out from under tart. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- While tart is cooling, combine remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and remaining 1½ teaspoons water in small bowl. Microwave until bubbling, 20 to 40 seconds. Stir until sugar is dissolved; cool.
- Gently brush sugar syrup over rhubarb slices. Transfer tart to platter and serve warm or at room temperature.
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Our elegant rhubarb version of the French tarte fine aux pommes is simple to prepare and requires only a handful of ingredients. We rolled out store-bought puff pastry and refrigerated it briefly to prevent it from retracting later. While the pastry rested, we sliced rhubarb thin to shorten its fibrous strings and then cooked it down into a thick, smooth puree. As that cooled, we thinly sliced more rhubarb—this time on the bias—to create elegant strips for the top of our tart. After cutting the pastry to size, we scored a narrow border around the perimeter; this would allow the edge of the tart to puff while the center, covered with rhubarb puree and slices of rhubarb, would remain flat. After baking the tart, we brushed a thin coat of sugar syrup on it while still warm to accentuate our careful arrangement of rhubarb slices. Lightly whipped cream balances the brightness of the rhubarb, but it’s not compulsory.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
To thaw frozen puff pastry, let it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours or on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Puff pastry dimensions vary by brand; if your sheet measures at least 11 by 9 inches, trim it to that size and skip rolling in step 1. Buy the thickest, reddest rhubarb you can. If only a mix of red and green is available, use as much green rhubarb as possible in the puree and reserve red rhubarb for the top. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream, if desired.
Instructions
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll pastry into 11 by 9-inch rectangle on lightly floured counter. Transfer to prepared sheet and refrigerate.
- Cut 8 ounces rhubarb crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices (you should have about 2 cups). Combine sliced rhubarb, ⅓ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and salt in 10-inch skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb begins to fall apart, 6 to 8 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring frequently and mashing with spatula, until rhubarb becomes thick puree and measures ½ cup, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Transfer puree to plate and spread into thin layer. Refrigerate until cool, about 20 minutes.
- While puree is cooling, cut remaining 8 ounces rhubarb on bias into ⅛-inch-thick slices. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer pastry, still on parchment, to counter. Using sharp paring knife and ruler, trim pastry to create 10 by 8-inch rectangle. Reserve scraps for other use, if desired. Using paring knife, score ¼-inch border around edges of rectangle (do not cut through pastry). Lift parchment and return pastry to baking sheet.
- Spread cooled rhubarb puree evenly over pastry, avoiding border. Starting at 1 corner of pastry and leaving border uncovered, shingle rhubarb slices decoratively over puree. Brush top of rhubarb with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until edges and bottom of tart are deep golden brown, about 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Transfer tart, still on parchment, to wire rack. Carefully slide parchment out from under tart. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- While tart is cooling, combine remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and remaining 1½ teaspoons water in small bowl. Microwave until bubbling, 20 to 40 seconds. Stir until sugar is dissolved; cool.
- Gently brush sugar syrup over rhubarb slices. Transfer tart to platter and serve warm or at room temperature.
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