#rhuba

So there are 4 parts to this tart: The crust, the rhubarb compote, the caramel apples and the sliced citrus on top. 

1.The Crust:

Was, once again, extremely dry. I don't know if maybe eggs in France are just like 450% larger than they are in the US but even with my extra large egg yolks, this dough ended up more like a crumbly dust than any pastry dough i have ever seen. I ended up adding one more egg yolk as well as about 3 tbsp of water. I am starting to get frustrated with these doughs. I have no idea why they are all so freaking dry! I would really like to share with you a dough success but instead, i completely made up my own way to get the dough the way I wanted it. As someone very smart once told me "fake it till you make it." I suppose as long as you sort of look like you know what you're doing, people will start to believe you do know what you're doing, and eventually you will build skill. I will take this to my grave, as it seems that is how I have become most successful. 

2. The Rhubarb Compote

I am a rhubarb virgin. I have never eaten, purchased, prepared or used rhubarb in a recipe. I am really not sure how this is possible but it is a sad truth I have come to terms with. The recipe told me to slice thinly. So, I did. Or at least I thought i did. What happened was 1) I realized my knives need to be sharpened. and 2) I made a really cool vintage snake toy (which you can see in my next post because I have no Idea how to embed a video into this post). If you're confused by what i mean by a 'vintage snake toy' just look for my next post. Aside from actually cutting the rhubarb, the compote was very simple, just water sugar and rhubarb on the stove until soft. 

3. Caramel Apples

These should not have been very difficult to make. Keyword should. I have distant memories of trying and failing to make caramel for a flan I was making in middle school for my spanish class. My project partner and I burnt the crap out of the sugar and pretty much ruined the pan we were using. I hate to admit this, but i was on edge the entire time this caramel was on the stove. Caramel is very particular, especially because this is hard caramel, and just sugar and water, It is hard as a rock when it dries and would definitely create some problems for my pan if i ruined it. On a medium heat, the caramel took about 15 minutes to become the amber color it needed to be. Side-note  at one point I was so worried that I would burn the sugar that I googled what amber should really look like, just in case i was missing out on the turn from clear sugar to caramel. Luckily, I watched, and watched, and watched, until the following resulted:

I was proud of myself, and so excited to break the caramel apart, it was definitely a rewarding feeling. 

The rest of the apple process was simple and ended up being super delicious. I would consider just making those apples to eat for dessert with some vanilla ice cream. 

4. Citrus

I called this part citrus rather than tangerine, because I ran into a little snafu. In past lessons I have talked about having in season produce to ensure a good outcome. The issue with this lesson is that rhubarb is summer produce and  tangerines are not in season until fall/winter. So, yet again, I improvised and found clementines  The recipe called for 2 but I used 3. I think this was more because I had no idea how to cut the fruit, than because I actually needed 3 clementines. As you can see in the first picture, the citrus segments are kind of falling apart all over the top of the pastry. To this I say "Oh well!" I tried my hardest and this was my outcome. Next time I will definitely watch a youtube tutorial or sharpen my knives at least before i attempt to dissect a citrus fruit that is intended to look pretty. 

Make sure before you make this recipe that you have all necessary tools and ingredients. There are quite a few steps and you really need to have read, re-read and read for good measure the recipe to make sure that you do not skip a step. 

Have fun and Bon Appetit!

If you have any questions comments or tips, please leave a comment at the top left hand corner of this page!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recipe: Tarte Tatin Pomme-Rhubarbe (adapted from Christophe Felders Patisserie)

Ingredients:

Shortbread Pastry:

3 egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/4 sticks softened butter

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 pinch salt

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

Caramelized Apples:

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp. water

4 honey-crisp apples

1tbsp butter

juice of 1/2 orange

Rhubarb Compote:

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp. water

7oz rhubarb, peeled and thinly sliced

3oz white chocolate

2 tangerines, peeled and cut in between the membranes into segments

apricot preserves, for brushing

Instructions:

Shortbread Pastry:

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a large bowl until pale and thick

add the bitter and beat with a wooden  spoon until smooth

sift the flour with the salt and baking powder into the bowl and beat until smooth

 flatten the dough into a disk and cover with pastic wrap.

Chill for at least 2 hours. 

Caramel Apples:

preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan.

cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugar dissolves.

let the syrup simmer, without stirring, until it turns light amber. 

watch carefully as it cooks, and immediately remove the pan from the heat. 

pour the caramel evenly onto the parchment paper and let cool.

Meanwhile: peel, quarter, and core the apples]spread the apples in a layer in an ovenproof nonstick skillet.

break the caramel into pieces and arrange them on top of the apples

add the butter and orange juice

cover the skillet tightly with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, until the apples are tender and one side is coated in caramel.

leave the oven on

Rhubarb Compote:

combine the sugar, water, and rhubarb in a medium saucepan. 

cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until very soft (poke with a fork to see how soft)

transfer to a bowl and chill

Assembly:

remove the dough from the refrigerator

butter the pastry ring

 on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll out the dough about 1/8 inch thick

stamp out the crust with the pastry ring (or tart ring). 

leave on the ring and remove the excess dough 

transfer the crust on the paper to a baking sheet

bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.

remove from oven and let cool, then remove pastry ring

meanwhile, finely shop the white chocolate.

Melt in the mictrowave in 30 second bursts. Stir until smooth

brush a thin layer of melted chocolate on the base of the crust (this protects the crust fromt he moisture of the fruit)

spread the rhubarb over the chocolate

arrange the apples, caramel side up, around the tart

top with the tangerine segments

melt the apricot preserves over medium heat, stirring occasionally,

lightly brush it on the tart