I forget where I read it, but when I was looking for ways to use cardamom after finding out it was in Indian food and buying some for my spice rack, I read somewhere (from someone who had read The Flavor Bible) that rhubarb, cardamom, and vanilla are a really good combination. It has stuck with me and I now have my own copy of The Flavor Bible (thanks thrift store).
Fast forward to planning what to make for a tea party and coming across this recipe by
Will Cook for Friends for individual rhubarb tarts with torched meringues on top. The photos were inspiring to me. They looked so pretty, I had to try making it. But I don't have a kitchen torch and don't know anyone else that does...so how to get cooked meringues on the top without baking them on at the end? I decided to make meringue cookies to decorate the top of the tart instead, flavoring them with -- you guessed it -- vanilla and cardamom.
The rhubarb filling tasted great, with a nice balance of sweet and tart. Though I was worried it might not be thick enough to hold, the filling stayed in the shell even after I cut it. The meringues didn't turn out as pretty as I was hoping, but they tasted fine! Some more practice will probably help me figure those out. The thing I remember most: don't store them in an airtight container. It will trap moisture in and make them sticky. Or maybe I didn't dry them out enough. But I didn't want them to turn brown.
Verdict: I think with some tweaking and practice, this could be really good. It was kind of a lot of work though so I don't know how often I'd make it. I have considered making just the tart and buying a container of vanilla meringue cookies to decorate it with since I know where to get them.
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RECIPE:
Rhubarb Tart with Cardamom Meringues
adapted from
Smitten Kitchen (tart shell),
Will Cook for Friends (filling),
Eating Well (meringue cookies)
Makes 1 9-inch tart; serves 8-12
Shell
1 1/2 cups (195 g) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup (65 g) powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
9 tbsp (4 1/2 oz) very cold or frozen unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Filling
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, or more to taste
½ tbsp (about 7 g) powdered fruit pectin
7 oz (about 1¾ cups chopped, 200g) fresh or frozen rhubarb, cut into ½ inch pieces
¼ cup water
1 tsp (5 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
1-2 drops red food coloring (optional, if your rhubarb is not very red and you want the filling to have a pinkish tint)
Meringues
3 egg whites, from 3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Garnishes
Fresh raspberries
Pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
Fresh mint leaves
Mix and shape the tart dough: Place flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Sprinkle the butter pieces on top of the dry ingredients, and pulse to cut in the butter until the pieces range in size from oatmeal flakes to peas. Add the egg in several additions, pulsing after each one, until just incorporated. From there, process the dough in longer (~10 second) pulses until the mixture begins to form clumps. The food processor noise will sound different once this begins to happen. Transfer dough to a large cutting board or other flat work surface and if necessary, gently knead the dough just enough to finish incorporating any dry ingredients. Press the tart dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom, making sure that you apply enough pressure so the pieces of dough stick together but still maintain their crumbly texture. Place the tart crust in the freezer and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes, but longer is better.
Prepare the filling and meringues while the tart crust freezes. If your egg whites for the meringues are still cold, prepare them and let them stand at room temperature while you make the rhubarb filling.
Prepare the filling: Place sugar and pectin in a nonstick or stainless steel or other non-reactive saucepan and whisk to combine. Add remaining ingredients to the pan and heat on the stove to a rolling boil over high heat. Cook until pectin has activated and rhubarb pieces have broken down to where no whole pieces remain, about 7-8 minutes. At this point, you can adjust the taste by adding more sugar and/or more lemon juice. When you are satisfied with the flavor, remove pan from heat. If you want a very smooth filling, use an immersion blender or transfer the mixture to a standard blender and blend until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. You will likely end up with extra filling; it can be stored in a clean jar or other airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen.
Make the meringue cookies: Preheat oven to 300
°F (150
°C). Place oven racks in the 2nd and 3rd positions from the bottom. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and cardamom in a small bowl and set aside. Place egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar in a very clean medium sized bowl; it should be free of grease. Using an electric mixer, beat egg white mixture until it forms soft peaks when the beaters are removed (tips will curl over) when the beaters are removed. Add the sugar mixture in several additions, beating on high speed, until the egg white mixture forms stiff peaks (tips will stand straight up when beaters are removed). Using a spoon, transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a star tip, or if you don't have a piping bag or decorating tips, a gallon zipper bag with the corner snipped off will work. Twist the top end closed, making sure to trap as little air inside as possible, and hold it shut with your hand. Pipe the meringue mixture onto the parchment paper lined pans in small mounds about 1 inch in diameter, 1 inch high, and about 1 inch apart. Place both pans in the oven at the same time and bake for 10-15 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in it for another 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, put pan on a wire cooling rack, and let cool completely. While they are cooling, bake the tart shell.
Bake the tart shell: Preheat the oven to 375
°F. Cut a piece of aluminum foil from the roll that is slightly longer than your tart pan, and grease the shiny side with butter. Press the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the contours of the crust. Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet, put it in the oven on the second rack from the bottom, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and peel off the foil carefully. If the crust got puffy, use the back of a spoon to gently press it back down. Return it to the oven for approximately 10 more minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and firm. Transfer the tart pan to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.
Assembly: When crust has cooled completely, fill it with the rhubarb filling so that it is level with the edge of the crust. Arrange meringues, raspberries, and mint leaves on top. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. It is best served immediately but can be stored in the refrigerator for several hours before serving. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.
