Rhubarb Galette

My aunt brought us some rhubarb from her allotment and as I normally poach or bake rhubarb, I wanted to try something different. Enter the Violet Bakery’s Rhubarb Galette. I’d never made my own puff pastry before but this turned out much better than I’d expected. A deft hand is necessary when rolling it out as you really don’t want the butter to melt. Time is of the essence in its prep but well worth the challenge. An absolute bomb of a pud. Serve with cream or a spoonful of yoghurt.

To make the flaky pastry: you will need; 140g of plain flour plus a bit more for rolling, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, 85g of cold butter cut into 1cm cubes, 2-3 tablespoons of iced water. Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter gently mixing it into the dry ingredients with a fork. Avoid mixing too much, you don’t want the butter to melt. Less mixing also means you will have larger chunks of butter than you might think, this will make the pastry more flaky once baked. Drizzle in the water and bring the mixture together without working the dough. Shape into a ball and leave to rest in the fridge for about 45 minutes.

To make the frangipane: beat 2 tablespoons of softened butter with 2 tablespoons of sugar until pale and creamy. Add 50g ground almonds and beat well. Add 1 egg yolk and 4 teaspoons of double cream and beat well. Use while still soft. 

To make the tart: preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius and line a large flat tray with baking parchment. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until it is about 30 cm in diameter. Slide the pastry onto the baking sheet and leave to cool in the fridge whilst you prepare the rhubarb.

Cut the rhubarb (500g) into 3 or 4 pieces and then cut each piece lengthways into 5mm strips. Toss the rhubarb pieces with the sugar and the flour. Remove the pastry from the fridge and arrange a ring of rhubarb pieces around the perimeter of the pastry, leaving a border of about 4cm. Roll the edge of the pastry up over the rhubarb to make a decorative edge.

Spread a little soft frangipane on the centre of the pastry and pile the remaining rhubarb over this. Brush the pastry with the melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 45 minutes. After about 15 minutes, rotate the baking tray and, using a spatula, push down the rhubarb to flatten it. Rotate again after 15 more minutes to ensure even baking.