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a slightly sour but a little sweet rhubarb filling encased in a flaky but easy pie crust!
With summer ending, I had a very hard time deciding what some of my last summer bakes were going to be. I had a whole list of recipes that I had never made, and I spent a bit too long just staring at the list very intensely. Should I make something with caramel? Or something with the malted milk powder I had recently got? Or maybe a savory bread?
In the end, I didn't pick anything on that list.
I chose something that I had made before and absolutely loved. Something with a buttery, flaky crust that melted in your mouth. Something with a pleasantly sour filling that has only a hint of sweetness. Something that was very fun to make and easy to share.
A flaky rhubarb pastry!
It was this summer that I had discovered rhubarb and had fallen in love with it. It's very sour and bitter but when used in baking and balanced with some sugar, it ends up only a little sour and very pleasant to eat. I love how it adds a beautiful, vibrant red to the pastry. One surprising thing about rhubarb though: the leaves are poisonous! So when preparing the rhubarb, you must trim off the leaves to ensure no one gets sick.
flaky rhubarb pastry
crust adapted from Joanne Chang | original recipe 'pâte brisée' in her cookbook, Pastry Love
adapted from Deb Perelman | original recipe from her website, smitten kitchen
makes one 10 by 15 pastry that can be cut into approx 15 pieces
ingredients:
for the crust:
1 3/4 cups (245 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (if using Morton or a different brand, use 1/2 teaspoon)
1 cup (2 sticks/16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold and cut into tablespoons
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 tablespoons whole milk, cold
for the filling:
4 cups sliced 1/4 inch thick rhubarb
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
a pinch of kosher salt
a pinch of ground ginger
the juice of half a medium lemon
for the egg wash:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
instructions:
for the crust: whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and mix on the lowest speed possible until the mixture holds together when you squeeze it and the butter is still in large chunks, about one minute.
whisk the egg yolks and milk together and add the mixture to the flour/butter mixture. Mix on the lowest speed possible for until it becomes a shaggy mess, about 30 seconds. The dough shouldn't be fully together.
on a floured surface, squeeze the dough into a tight ball. Smear/knead the dough by pushing from the top with your palm down to the bottom until the butter chunks are smeared/marbled and are in long strips and the dough is fully together. If the dough ever gets too warm and the butter starts to melt, wrap the dough in plastic and put it in the fridge until cold and keep working.
separate the dough into two equal halves. Press down both dough halves into rectangles about 1 inch thick, and wrap both in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour before using and up to 4 days.
take out one dough half and let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a 10 by 15 inch rectangle. Trim the edges using a bench scraper to make it a perfect rectangle. Carefully place the dough onto a piece of parchment on a baking sheet. Place in the fridge.
take out the other dough half and let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a 10 by 15 inch rectangle. Trim the edges using a bench scraper to make it a perfect rectangle. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough diagonal into 1-inch wide strips.
take out the first rolled out dough half rectangle from the fridge and place a large piece of parchment on top of it. Place the strips over the parchment and place the baking sheet in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
for the filling: in a large bowl, mix together the sliced rhubarb, tapioca starch, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and ginger. If it is still a bit too liquidy, add a little more tapioca starch.
for the egg wash: in a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together.
assemble and bake: preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Take out the dough rectangle and strips and take off the parchment with the strips. Spoon the filling onto the rectangle crust, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border on all sides. Do not pour the extra liquid on top.
lay every other strip of dough on top of the filling in a diagonal and in one direction. Create a lattice by putting the other dough strips on top in the opposite angled direction. Each strip should by over and then under and then repeat the dough strips on bottom. (For more detailed instructions, look here).
fold the bottom rectangle crust over the lattice strips and crimp to seal. Brush the pastry with the egg wash, following the directions of the strips/lattice. Generously sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top of the pastry.
bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes, until fully golden. Let cool completely before slicing into squares.
store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, bake at 325 degrees F for about 3 minutes.
to print, take a screenshot and then print or copy and paste onto a document and print.