The first sign of transition into autumn the first rhubarb haul from the farmer’s market and should be celebrated! This recipe takes a flaky filo pastry crust, and fills it with rich black tahini vanilla frangipane and tarty rhubarb. As soon it comes out of the oven, it’s just waiting to be brushed with orange syrup. This is the ultimate entertaining sweet, and it comes together super quickly!
Vegan option:
Use coconut oil/butter to brush the filo pastry.
For frangipani use vegan butter or coconut butter
Replace eggs with chia seeds. As for white chocolate- you can use cashew salted caramel from the source…that will be yum!!
Other option will be to let go of the frangipani and just use melted vegan chocolate with black tahini on top of the crust below the rhubarb.
10 sheets Filo pastry
400g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into halves
Syrup:
¼ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
¼ cup coconut sugar
Frangipani:
130g coconut sugar
150g unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
100g ground almonds
2 tablespoons black tahini
½ tsp vanilla powder
50g plain flour, plus extra for rolling (shortcrust pastry)
80 g white chocolate
Preheat the oven to 180°C
Pastry case:
To form the tart shell use 23cm loose bottomed tart tin. Lightly brush a sheet of filo pastry with melted butter and place in base of tin or dish so that the excess drapes over the sides. Repeat with the rest of the filo sheets offsetting them so the base and sides of the tin are completely covered or lined. (Make sure to leave outer dough over, so it can be folded like a galette)
For the syrup:
Stir orange juice, coconut sugar in a wide saucepan over medium high heat and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until syrup get slightly sticky.
Arrange fresh rhubarb slices in single layer in syrup in the saucepan. Place saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to very gentle simmer. Cook rhubarb 1 minute. Remove from heat. Turn rhubarb slices over. Simmer again until almost tender, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Set syrup aside and remove rhubarb with slotted spoon to cool down.
Almond black tahini frangipani:
Using electric beaters, cream butter and sugar till unified and creamy. Add the eggs continue to mix for 1 minute, add vanilla powder and black tahini making sure tahini is mixed well. Lower the speed to slow and add ground almond and flour until well combined. Mix in the white chocolate buttoned gently and spread the frangipani mixture over dough, leaving outer 2-inch border clean. Arrange rhubarb in a houndstooth pattern, alternating the direction of the rhubarb to line up or you can spread it in long lines over lapping the rhubarb lightly. Fold outer dough over rhubarb with a series of pleats, then brush liberally with beaten egg and sprinkle crust with coconut sugar. Bake until golden brown for about 35-40 minutes. (cover loosely with foil if it starts to brown on top).
When tart is finished baking, immediately brush syrup over rhubarb. Let cool slightly, drizzle 1 teaspoon of black tahini (optional). Serve warm.
