Rhubarb and Apricots and a Rustic Tart

I still had one batch of rhubarb left yet from when my friend Tetiana gave me that huge bag. I have made all kinds of rhubarb things, and all have been really good. Growing up, the only way I ever had rhubarb was in Rhubarb Pineapple Pie. We had a huge stand of rhubarb in the back yard, but I cannot recall ever having eaten it in anything but this pie. And now that I mention this Rhubarb Pineapple Pie, I urge you to try it, because it is fantastic!

Apricots

Back to the point. I had some of that rhubarb, already cut up, in a bag, so I absolutely had to do something with it. We still had some of the Rhubarb Raspberry Cheesecake Bars in the fridge until just two days ago, so I surely did not need another dessert around. Yesterday, finally, came the day to do something. I had been planning for more than a week, and while wandering the produce section in the local grocery, I saw apricots. In general, I have nothing strictly against apricots. I am not completely wild about them, but I will eat them. But, because I am not crazy for them, other fruits always get in the way. Still, the idea stayed in my mind, and I was thinking about making something like a pie, or tart, or rustic tart, i.e. galette. This may have been the second time in my entire life that I bought apricots. I have had some apricots in past that were quite tiny, maybe ping-pong ball sized, at most. The ones at the grocery yesterday were quite large in comparison, more like a very small peach.

My Apricot Rhubarb Rustic Tart, with pretty sparkling sugar on the crust

Before anything else though, I had to cook the rhubarb. I don't think it had many more days of useful life, so it was imperative. I figured I would cook it into a compote and that way it could last another day or two, if I did not get around to making this proposed tart right away. As it happens I did make the tart, after all, but this compote would be wonderful over pancakes, or ice cream, or cheesecake, or anything that might be enhanced with a delicious compote. And this one was really delicious, I can tell you! I used 1 tablespoon of orange juice concentrate and ¼ cup of water in here, but substituting 5 tablespoons (¼ cup + 1 tablespoon) of orange juice would be fine. I got a little exotic with the flavors, adding both Gran Marnier liqueur and orange flower water. Either or both of these can be omitted and instead just use some vanilla extract and/or almond extract.

Rhubarb Compote

Rhubarb Compote

Makes about 3 cups

3½ cups rhubarb, cut in small chunks
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons Gran Marnier liqueur, optional
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch (or tapioca starch)
½ teaspoon orange flower water, optional

In a medium saucepan combine the first 6 ingredients and stir together. In a small bow, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch (this will help the cornstarch not to clump when adding to the moist ingredients). Stir the sugar mixture into the pan ingredients and set over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring often. Once the mixture comes to a boil, continue to cook and stir for at least 5 or up to 8 minutes. Once cooked through it will be thickened and semi-transparent. Allow this mixture to cool completely before using.

Once I got the apricots, having selected ones that were very ripe, I went straight to washing and cutting. I wanted to use entire halves in this tart, so once cut in half from stem end, down through the natural crease to the bottom and then removing the pits, I tossed the fruit with some sugar and more Gran Marnier to marinate a bit while I prepared the crust.

I have made a pastry with some cornmeal added for my Taco Pizzas, and the crust is delicious with just that tiny bit of crunch the cornmeal gives. I knew that this crust would also be good for a tart, but had not tried it out yet. The recipe for my Taco Pizza makes a very large crust, to fit a 15-inch pizza pan. I knew I would not need a crust that large for my rustic tart, so I clipped back the ingredients a bit. I had absolutely no intention to add sugar to the crust, but somehow, the sugar was out, and open, and I misread something and ended up adding sugar. Sheesh. I leave it up to you to choose whether to use sugar in the crust or not. It is not necessary, but it sure is good!

Prepping Dough for the pan

Tart Crust with Cornmeal

Makes one 10-inch rustic tart

1¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup fine cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water

In a large bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients. With a large holed grater (such as a box grater on largest holes), grate the cold butter into the flour mixture and toss to coat the butter. (Alternatively, cut the butter into tiny chunks and add in.) Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or just use fingers to quickly rub together until the mixture makes pea-sized crumbs. Add in about 5 tablespoons of the ice water and toss quickly with a fork, until it starts to come together. If the mixture will not come together into one mass, use an additional 1 or 2 tablespoons of the water until it will come together in one mass. Do not overwork the dough. Flour a surface and roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut it into approximately 14 or 15 inch diameter. There will be leftovers, unfortunately.  

Sparkling Sugar

Place a sheet of parchment onto a rimmed baking sheet. Roll the pastry onto the rolling pin, then unroll it centered on the parchment lined baking sheet.

When assembling this tart, I wanted the crust to look really pretty once baked, so I brushed the crust with cream and sprinkled on some "sparkling sugar", This is a coarser type of sugar used to make baked goods look pretty and appetizing, as the sugar does not melt while baking. It is not completely necessary, and on the outside of a pie crust, regular sugar will also work, but this fits with the more rustic look I was going for. I have some white sparkling sugar from the King Arthur Flour site, but it is available from many venues. Wilton and India Tree have 8-ounce jars for a price, and Bob's Red Mill has a much larger bag of sparkling sugar for a much more reasonable price. The decision is in how much you might realistically use, though it does not go bad.

        Rhubarb Compote                |        Compote on the prepared crust           |        compote spread to 10-inches

Apricot Rhubarb Rustic Tart

Makes one 10-inch tart

- Rhubarb Compote, recipe above
- Tart Crust with Cornmeal, recipe above
1 pound fresh apricots, halved, pitted
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Gran Marnier, optional
½ cup sliced almonds
1 - 2 tablespoons cream or milk
1 - 2 tablespoons sparkling
sugar, or regular sugar

Have the rhubarb compote already made and cooled. Have the pie crust rolled and set on the parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet. Set the apricot halves in a bowl and sprinkle them with the 3 tablespoons of sugar and the Gran Marnier, if using. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour the prepared compote in the center of the crust. Spread it to about 9 inches, as shown in the series of photos above. The tart will be 10-inches in diameter, but the compote will spread once the apricots are in place. Set the reserved apricot halves onto the compote, cut sides upwards, as shown in the first photo below. Drizzle some of the remaining sugar mixture over the apricots, but if there is too much juice, it will tend to leak out during baking. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over all the fruit. Now, begin to flip up the edges of the crust, to only partially cover the fruit. Pleat the dough as needed to make an artfully free-formed look, as in photo 2 below. Using a pastry brush, brush the milk or cream all over the outside of the crust. Sprinkle the milk coated crust with the sparkling sugar.

Apricots and almonds in place          |       edges of pastry flipped up    |    pastry brushed with milk; sugar in place

Bake the tart for about 50 to 55 minutes, or until the crust is nicely golden and the fruit is bubbling merrily. Allow the tart to cool completely before slicing.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Quick Simple Peach Galette or Rustic Peach Tart

What is a Galette?

Fresh Peach Galette

If you are unfamiliar with the term "galette" it is nothing more than a rustic, free form tart, made sweet or savory. Why use the term galette, when it is a rustic, free form pastry? Just a simpler term; one word instead of four. Plus, it sounds cool. How's that for a technical answer. I believer galette is a French term originally, for this type of rustic tart, though it also has other meanings there, as well as in Canada.

These rustic tarts or galettes have become very popular here in the US and are seen more and more as years pass. For one thing, they are so easy to make. Making a pie is intimidating to some, in a way that the galette is not. There is nothing fussy about making a galette. If you have a pie pastry made, and some fresh or frozen fruit, you have nearly all the ingredients necessary to make a galette. Making a savory galette can be equally easy, but can be spruced up amazingly.

My very first experience with a galette was in fact a savory variety. It came from a Food and Wine Magazine many years ago (March '94, if the many websites now displaying this recipe are to be believed). The recipe was for a Leek and Goat Cheese Galette and while not difficult at all, had many steps. It stated that a yeast dough could be used or a pie pastry. I feel that a yeast dough would end up far too doughy, and have only ever used the pie pastry. I have a fantastic recipe for Never Fail Pie Crust. Why use anything else? I made the Leek and Goat Cheese Galette and to my delight, it came out looking exactly like the photo in the magazine. I have made this recipe over the years many times. It is perfect with a side salad for a meal. Even my husband, a very staunch Midwest Meat Eater, found this galette good enough for a meal a couple of times. Here is the recipe for the filling for this galette:

Leek and Goat Cheese Galette

Leek and Goat Cheese Galette (filling)

Makes 4 or 6 servings

6 large leeks, white and light green parts only
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
½ cup soft goat cheese such as Chevre or Montrachet

Cut off dark green tops of the leeks and discard. Cut off root ends and then slice down the length of each remaining leek section. Hold each section under running water, fanning the ends to rinse well to clear out any mud or grit. Slice the leeks across into about 1/4-inch slices. There should be about 6 cups total.

Melt the butter in a medium large skillet. Add in the leeks with the thyme and about 1/2 cup of water. Cook over medium-low heat until the leeks are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Raise heat slightly and add the wine and continue cooking until wine is nearly evaporated, then add in the cream and cook until slightly reduced, about 3 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg aside. Mix the remaining egg and 2 tablespoons of the parsley into the leek mixture. Roll out a pie pastry to about 14 inches in diameter round and set it on a baking sheet. Spread the leek filling onto the center of the dough, leaving at least a 2-inch border all around. Crumble the goat cheese over top of the filling. Fold up the pastry edges, overlapping or pleating as necessary. Brush the outside of the pastry with the reserved egg. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Back to the Peach Galette

My sister-in-law loves peaches, a fact I have mentioned a few times in these blogs. She generally prefers a peach dessert for her birthday treat rather than a cake, so this year I decided on a fresh Peach Galette for her birthday dessert. If I was making this for myself, I might prefer another fruit such as blackberries or raspberries, maybe blueberries or a combination. Any fruits can be used. Pineapple would be great, apples, plums. Some people place a layer of marzipan or almond paste into the bottom of the pastry before adding the fruit, partly for sweetness and partly to absorb liquids as the fruit bakes. A frangipane mixture such as I used in my Cherry Frangipane Tart.
 

Peach Galette with Peach Ice Cream

How much sugar to add to the fruit will depend a bit on how sweet the fruit is initially. Adding too much sugar will only add to the liquids pooling in the pastry while baking and will contribute to a soggy crust. The Peach Galette recipe I created used a very simple 2:2:2 mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Another tablespoon of sugar could be added. The lemon juice would not be necessary for a berry tart, as berries can be tart enough to stand on their own. The lemon juice also helps the peaches (or apples) to keep a nicer color, not turning brown. The flour could be substituted with cornstarch as the thickening agent if desired. Spices could be added to the peach mixture. I added only a grating of fresh nutmeg. A sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg could also be added. 

Peach Galette

Peach Galette

Serves 6 or 8

2¼ to 2½ pounds fresh peaches (4 or 5)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 - 3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pie pastry for a 10-inch pie
1 egg yolk

Peel peaches and slice thinly. Place them in a bowl with the next 4 ingredients and toss to combine. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out the pie pastry on a floured surface to about 14 or 15 inches in diameter. Do not worry if the edges are uneven; this is a "rustic" tart. Set the pastry onto the parchment. Pour the peach mixture into the center of the pastry, spreading to within 2 or 2 /12 inches of the edge. Flip up the edges of the pastry all around, folding or pleating as necessary. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water. Brush this mixture onto all exposed areas of the pastry. Sprinkle the tart with a coarse crystal sugar such as demerara or turbinado, or with a fancy "sanding sugar." Bake the tart for 35 to 45 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.