Rhubarb tarts are my favorite kind of tart, usually only available in the spring and summer when rhubarb is bright pink, readily available and filled with delicious (and tart!) flavor. Rhubarb often gets a bad rap for being tart and woody in texture, but when you thinly slice it, toss it in just the right amount of sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch, it melts into the most unbelievable texture with a hint of sweet, bright flavor. Plus, it’s pretty gorgeous to look at, too.
If you don’t have rye flour on hand, you can also make this with my fail-proof All Butter Pie Crust. I’ve included the rye crust measurements in the recipe box below for you, so if you do have rye flour on hand, you’re only a few steps away from this amazing tart.
And of course, if you are itching to make this rhubarb tart outside of peak rhubarb season, it also works marvelously well with fruits like peaches, apricots, berries, or other soft fruits (figs are a wild card, but so delicious!)
What ensures the rhubarb stays pink?
This is a great question! I am no food scientist (although I wish I was!), but I’ve found in my cooking with rhubarb that a few things cause it to lose its color and go from bright pink to a dullish muted color. The first is too high of a heat for too long. This usually happens in rhubarb upside-down cakes, where the rhubarb is in direct contact with the pan for the duration of the cook time.
The second reason I see rhubarb dull is when there is not enough acid present to maintain its color. I tried to counteract this issue by adding a liberal amount of lemon juice to the rhubarb filling to ensure it’s not only delicious but incredibly colorful as well.
And that’s it for this beautifully pink rhubarb tart!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Watch the recipe here
The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.
Sugared Rhubarb Tart with Rye Crust
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 half sheetpan
- 1 chef's knife
Ingredients
For the rye crust
- 1 cup / 140g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons / 85g dark rye flour
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar plus more for dusting
- 3/4 cup / 170g salted butter chilled
- 4-5 tablespoons ice water
- 1 tablespoon buttermilk
For the rhubarb filling
- 1 pound fresh rhubarb sliced at an angle
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice about 1 small lemon
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For the buttermilk whipped cream
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Pinch of Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt and sugar for the crust. Cut in the chilled flour, working the butter into flakes with your hands, tossing constantly to make sure the butter is coated in flour.
- Working quickly, drizzle in the ice water and press with your hands to work the mixture into a shaggy dough. Move this to a work surface and pat down into a 1-inch tall circle. Wrap this tighly n cling wrap and roll over it with a rolling pin to smooth it out into the edges of the wrap. Move to the fridge to rest for 30 minutes up to 24 hours.
- While the dough is chilling, toss the rhubarb, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch together in a medium bowl. Get everything nice and coated.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- When the dough has had at least 30 minutes to rest, move it to a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a large circle. Transfer this to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Arrange the rhubarb across the center of the dough, leaving at least 2 inches of crust around the edges. Drizzle over any remaining juices from the bottom of the rhubarb bowl. Fold over the edges of the crust to make a galette.
- Brush the outsides of the crust with buttermilk and sprinkle with excess sugar.
- Transfer the tart to the fridge to chill while the oven finishes preheating. When the oven is ready, bake the tart for 40-50 minutes or until the rhubarb looks melty and the crust is golden.
- While the tart is baking, make the whipped cream. Add the cream, buttermilk, sugar and salt to a stand mixer and mix on medium-high for 2-3 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
- When the tart is out of the oven, sprinkle a dash of sugar over the rhubarb and top with the buttermilk whipped cream. Serve warm!
Just tried to make this and the dough was so wet 🙁 are the grams measurements for the flour/butter correct? Thank you
Hi there! They are – I’m so sorry your crust is wet, I can confirm I’ve been using this dough on repeat lately and haven’t had issues. You only used the buttermilk for brushing on top, correct?
Ah okay. Yes and I only added 2 tablespoons of water as it was wet. Thanks for getting back to me. Maybe there’s something different between UK flour/butter and US.
Thank you for all info on keeping the beauty of the color for rhubarb and taste! This is a bonus recipe for me as I found this recipe looking for your video on 7 day sour dough- it showed a little then stopped working- I double ckd not my internet etc – all other video works fine. Hope to see your starter recipe – looking forward to exploring more of your recipes- techniques- tips etc Angie in Alabama