Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

Source: Sphere, June 1978

Ingredients

• ½ cup Butter, Softened
• 6 Ground Almonds
• ¼ cup Sugar
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ⅛ teaspoon Almond Extract
• 1 cup Flour
• 4 cups Rhubarab, Cut Up
• 1½ cups Sugar
• ¼ cup Lemon Juice
• 2 pints Whole Strawberries, Hulled (halved if desired)
• Cooked Rhubarb Slices, if desired
• 1 cup Whipping Cream, Whipped
• 3 Egg Yolks
• ½ cup Sugar
• 2 Flour
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Milk, Scalded
• ⅛ teaspoon Vanilla And Some Rum
• ½ Butter, Softened, If Desired

Method

Make Pastry

Beat butter in small bowl until white and fluffy. Beat in ground almonds, sugar and salt; stir in almond extract. Work flour into mixture with wooden spoon or spatula until dough is soft and smooth. Refrigerate wrapped in waxed paper for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350. Roll dough between two sheets of waxed paper into 10″ circle. Fold pastry into 9″ tart pan with removable bottom. Press pastry against side and bottom of pan. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on wire rack.

Creme Patissiere

Beat egg yolks and sugar in medium saucepan until mixture is thick and forms ribbons. Stir flour and salt into eggs; stir in hot scalded milk. Heat mixture to boiling; boil, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth and thick. (My original recipe was cut off for the “whisk until” instruction. I think it probably means thick and smooth).

Filling

Combine rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice in medium saucepan; let stand covered with plastic wrap 1 hour.

Heat rhubarb mixture to boiling; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until rhubarb is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain; reserve rhubarb juice. Pass rhubarb through food mill using fine blade; reserve.

Mash ⅓ cup strawberries in medium saucepan; stir in reserved rhubarb juice. Heat mixture to boiling; reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until reduce to ⅔ cup; strain and reserve.

Fill prebaked pastry with Creme Patissiere; spread with pureed rhubarb. Brush remaining whole strawberries with strawberry-rhubarb mixture; arrange on tart with fork. Garnish with rhubarb slices. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into wedges to serve; pass whipped cream.

Notes

I don’t remember garnishing with rhubarb slices. How would that work, anyway??